TP Stability Pods: Three 5 3/4 -inch diameter discs of pliable foam ( 7/8 -inch, 1 3/4 -inch and 2 5/8 -inch tall) that are used to destabilize basic exercises.
Likes: Simple but effective. Adds difficulty to one-legged knee raises and push-ups, one-foot balancing, kneeling in “bird dog” pose (one knee, one hand), and some one-foot balancing. Discs can be stacked for added difficulty. You can further intensify any core exercise by applying one or more pods to any of your points of contact with the ground.
Dislikes: Boredom may set in; the number of exercises is limited.
Irvine-based endurance cyclist and runner Roy M. Wallack is coauthor of “Bike for Life: How to Ride to 100.” Reach him at roywallack@aol.com. (Roy M. Wallack / For The Times)
