BOSU (stands for BOth Sides Utilized) is a gym tool for building strength and stability.
What Is A BOSU Ball And How Does It Work?
It has a flat surface and a hemisphere. The hemisphere is half-filled with air, which provides enough instability that prompts the recruitment of all the core muscles. And the flat surface provides stability to do the exercises with maximum precision.
You can use both the flat surface and the hemisphere to strengthen the core and improve balance. Use it to do whole body exercises or just target specific problem areas. In fact, anyone can use it – beginners or pros. So, gear up and do some fun and effective exercises with the BOSU ball.
If you haven’t used a BOSU ball before, be prepared to fire up your entire core. This versatile exercise tool tests your core strength and balance by adding an element of instability. On one side, you have a bouncy, rubber ball and on the other side, a flat piece of plastic in the shape of a circle. There isn’t one way to use a BOSU ball, but because it’s not symmetrical you can use it to create an unstable environment.
The main thing to keep in mind when working out with a BOSU ball is to prevent it from shaking and limit the extra movement, Keep the core engaged and maintain proper posture with your shoulders back, head neutral, and abs engaged. You also want to avoid locking your knees when you’re standing on a BOSU ball. Having a slight bend in them can help you balance and reduce your chances of falling.
Ready to give the BOSU ball a try? It strengthens your entire body while also increasing your heart rate so you turn up a sweat, too.
Time: 45 to 60 minutes
Reps: 10 to 15 reps per exercise for 3 to 4 rounds
Equipment: HEALTHTREK BOSU ball and Yoga mat
1. BOSU Ball Plank
Mastering a high plank with a BOSU ball is a good place to start if you’re new to this strength training tool. It forces you to recruit more muscles to maintain stability on uneven ground. Aim to hold a plank for 30 seconds and build your way up from there, increasing the total amount of to one full minute.
2. BOSU Ball Push-Ups
Flipping the BOSU ball to stand on its rubbery side takes your push-ups to a whole new level. Remember, you want to keep your shoulders directly over your wrists, so if you find them moving away from your wrists to take less pressure off them, drop to your knees and do a modified push-up. The key here is to maintain proper form on an unstable surface.
How to do BOSU ball push-ups: Flip a BOSU ball and place your hands on the edges of the flat surface shoulder-width apart. Tighten your core and glutes to avoid rocking your body side to side. Lower your body toward the ball, and then lift yourself back up to the starting position. This is one rep.
3. Oblique Crunches
This exercise looks deceivingly easy, but holding the crunch at the top of the movement emphasizes engaging those side ab muscles, aka your oblique’s. Form is key here, too: Be sure to keep your hips square and one leg stacked on top of the other.
How to do oblique crunches: Get into a side forearm plank position on your right arm. Rest your right hip on the ball and stack your left leg directly over your right, squaring your hips. Place your left hand behind your head, then squeezing your left oblique’s, lift your legs to perform a crunch. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement before bringing your legs back down. This is one rep. Alternate sides.
4. BOSU Ball Mountain Climbers
We like to think of this BOSU ball exercise as sprinting against the floor in plank. While you’ll feel this move mostly in your core, it works your entire body, including your shoulders and legs. Remember to keep your back straight and butt down as you bring your knee toward your chest.
How to do BOSU ball mountain climbers: Start in a high plank position by placing your hands shoulder-width apart on the ball. Keeping your back straight and abs engaged, drive your right knee towards your chest, then bring it back out and switch to drive your left knee towards your chest. Alternate driving your knees toward your chest while maintaining proper form.
5. Glute Bridge
People tend to overarch their low back during bridge exercises. This can decompress the lumbar spine and cause pain. This variation of the bridge on a BOSU ball helps you become more mindful of that and focus on lifting through the hips.
How to do glute bridges: On a yoga mat, rest your head, shoulders, and upper back on the ball and plant your feet on the floor. Extend your arms toward the ceiling. Squeezing your glutes, lift your butt off the floor as high as you can without overarching your back. Then, bring your butt back down. This is one rep
6. Shoulder Taps
Shoulder taps are an excellent way to build stability and strength in the Upper body, and doing it on a BOSU ball makes them even more challenging because you’re working on an uneven surface. To get the most out of this exercise, you want to avoid rocking your hips from side to side.
How to do shoulder taps: Get into push-up position with your hands shoulder-width apart on the ball. Maintaining a plank, lift your right hand off the ball to tap your left shoulder, then switch and lift your left hand to tap your right shoulder. This is one rep. Continue this exercise without rocking your hips by tightening your core.
7. Walking Push-Ups
As an unstable surface, the BOSU ball forces you to recruit your abs so you’re able to keep your body in a high plank as you switch sides. It also tests your hand coordination and grip strength as you walk one hand from the floor to the ball and vice versa.
How to do walking push-ups: Get in a high plank position with one hand on top of the ball and the other hand on the floor. Be sure your shoulders are directly over your wrists. Squeezing your core and glutes, lower your body towards the floor. Press yourself back up to the starting position. This is one rep.
8. BOSU Ball Lunges
Test your balance with this BOSU ball exercise. Lunges are a great exercise for a strengthening your quads and glutes, while challenging your leg stability.
How to do BOSU ball lunges: Stand in front of the BOSU ball with your right foot on top of the ball. Take a big step forward with your left foot. Lower your body into a lunge, bending your front and back knees until they’re at 90-degree angles. Make sure your left knee is directly above your left ankle, and your right knee doesn’t touch the floor. Push against your heels to stand back up. This is one rep. Alternate sides.
9. BOSU Ball Burpees
Whether you hate or love them, burpees are one of the best total-body exercises because they work several muscles at once. This BOSU ball exercise is a quartet of moves, from plank to push-up to squat to shoulder press.
How to do a BOSU ball burpee: Flip the BOSU on its ball side down and get into a high plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart. Lower your body toward the floor to perform a push-up, then hop your feet forward to stand and lift the BOSU ball overhead. This is one rep. As you progress, speed up the movement to get your heart rate up.
10. BOSU Ball Hops
This BOSU ball exercise ends this work out on a high note. Challenging your endurance and agility, these hops also give your legs and glutes a workout.
How to do BOSU ball hops: Stand behind the BOSU ball and quickly hop off the floor to tap each foot on the ball. Tapping the ball on each foot once counts as one rep.
