USE A BOSU TO ADD CORE & BALANCE WORK

Balancing on a BOSU. Taken by PKSenagore January 11, 2020. All rights reserved.

GEAR LOVE: BOSU BALL

ALTHOUGH A BOSU* BALL BALANCE TRAINER IS A RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE PIECE OF FITNESS EQUIPMENT TO PURCHASE FOR HOME USE (roughly $100 for the Bosu brand on Amazon.com), exercises that incorporate its use commonly are included in trainer-designed workouts.  If you’re not currently exercising with a BOSU you might consider attempting exercises demonstrated in one of the following articles or YouTube video.

• A BOSU ball routine developed by Trainer Hannah Davis C.S.C.S. is offered in an article posted on SHAPE.com by Emily Abbate that is worth checking out for those who have ready access to one.
  

 
Abbate considers the exercises to be appropriate for beginners, however, some, like the Bosu Burpee, may be a bit challenging for true exercise novices. The jumps (leg jump-back that starts the Burpee move and standing jump up that concludes it) can be omitted as needed. The ‘hop’ can also be changed to a move that doesn’t require leaving the ground.  

• Charushila Biswas promises to deliver the “15 Best BOSU Ball Exercises to Improve Balance and Core Strength” in another article posted on STYLECRAZE.com.

Both Abbate’s and Biswas’ routines take advantage of the ball’s unique construction and shape, which make both sides serve as unsteady base surfaces for exercising.  As a result, moves performed while using the ball for support force the recruitment of additional core and balance muscles to restore steady positioning and help keep the body from falling. 

• An entire 34+ minute BOSU workout is available on YouTube, posted by Bunny Love. A viewer helpfully posted the times at which each segment begins: Warm-up 3:30, Segment I: 7:45, Segment 2: 21:56, and Stretch: 31:30

 
Performing any exercise on a BOSU, that ordinarily would not utilize one, transforms it to a compound move and makes it more difficult in my experience. Experiment a bit in 2020 if you haven’t used one before or add a couple new BOSU moves to your list of exercises if you are already familiar with the tougher muscle-shaking workout it can provide.
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
 
*short for “BOth Sides Utilized”
 
https://www.shape.com/fitness/videos/beginner-bosu-ball-exercises
 
https://www.prevention.com/fitness/workouts/g28252198/bosu-ball-exercises/
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75cxJvLLUik