The Giboard – a fun workout for anywhere you go

As kids, it was totally normal to run around, balancing atop tree trunks and railings. And hey, maybe some of us still do so as adults – when no one’s looking. I, for one, am a big fan of balance exercises and already have four different balance boards at home. And now I’ve added the Giboard to my collection. The Giboard may look like a skateboard, but it’s actually a mobile slackline. And that’s precisely what makes it so versatile and handy.

Slacklines

Gibbon Giboard Set Ceasar Jib

1.06 m

46

Slacklines

Gibbon Giboard Set Ceasar Jib

1.06 m

46

Sturdy build and (relatively) easy to assemble

The Giboard, from slackline manufacturer Gibbon, is made of wood and makes a solid first impression. There’s not much to assemble, but stretching the slackline over the board requires quite a bit of strength. The board is certainly great for children, but also for adults; it’s a proper training tool for balance, strength, coordination and cardio. For indoor use, thin cork strips are included to avoid scratching the floor.

Space-saving and mobile

With a length of 1.06 metres and a weight of 3.5 kilogrammes, the board is wieldy and can be taken almost anywhere. This is ideal if you’re in the mood for a change of pace, for example during an afternoon at the lake. The Giboard’s big advantage over a slackline is that you don’t need two suitable trees to fix the line.

What’s more, the relatively low height of the line makes training on the Giboard quite safe. If you fall, you don’t fall far. Most of the time, my reflexes save me from falling anyway. My foot automatically stamps down onto the ground when things get too wobbly. With that, it’s also suitable for total beginners. With a higher-hanging slackline, the continuous mounting and (involuntary) dismounting often becomes tedious and I, at least, quickly lose my motivation. With the Giboard, I don’t mind attempting the same exercise over and over again until I get it. Watch the video below to see it in action. For English subtitles, click the gear icon, «Subtitles/CC» and «Auto-translate».

An extremely versatile piece of sports equipment

I find just balancing on the Giboard alone strenuous, as it challenges all my small muscles. Once I get better at it, I’ll certainly venture onto a real slackline from time to time. But I think this board is just right for my current level. Now, I have also had the Gibbon Slackrack for a few years. But I only use it every now and then, because I’ve hardly made any progress.

The thing that makes the Giboard so exciting for me is its versatility. The accompanying app offers training programmes ranging from arm workouts and core stability to tricks and yoga. You can also subscribe to programmes. I subscribed to the «Reset» workout and now get an e-mail with each weekly workout. I find this very motivating. I’m also a fan of the tricks shown in other tutorials; they’re fun and challenging at the same time. I’m practising the easiest one right now and get a dopamine spike with every minor bit of progress. I’ve definitely got room for improvement and I can well imagine that all the tricks will keep me on my toes for a while to come.

The lowdown: full-body training with a fun factor

Balancing on the Giboard, doing squats or attempting small jumps is a workout that doesn’t feel like a workout. It’s not the exception that I’ll want to practise balancing for just five minutes – and by the time I’m done, half an hour will have passed. Compared to my other balance boards, the Giboard is more challenging, because the line and board can move in all directions. I’m fascinated by the mixture of conventional exercises such as push-ups and squats – made more difficult by the wobbly line – and cheeky tricks. What’s more, I can use the Giboard indoors in bad weather or outdoors when it’s sunny. And if it gets a little dirty, it’s easy to wipe clean with a damp cloth. Oh, and it’s great for little exercise breaks in any desk job.