21 July 2011
8 Butt-Kicking Exercises for the BOSU Ball
Contributor Post
Today, another post from contributor and certified personal trainer Ashley R. In this post, Ashley talks about that weird half-moon thing that you’ve probably seen at your gym. It’s called a BOSU Ball, and yes, it’s can kick your butt in ways your muscles can’t even guess! Read on for an intense BOSU workout that will help you mix things up (with pics of Ashley doing the moves!).
YNC Contributor
Ashley R.
Have you ever looked at that crazy blue “half-moon” shaped ball at your gym and wondered what it was?
The BOSU ball first came on the fitness scene in 2000 and was developed as a way for people to challenge their core and balance while performing basic strength training exercises. BOSU stands for “Both Sides Up” because you can use both sides of the ball. Thousands of exercises have been adapted for use with the BOSU ball and people from young athletes, to weight loss clients, to the elderly have benefited from using the ball.
If you’ve never used the BOSU ball before, I recommend that you start by standing on it (on both sides) so you get an idea of how it challenges your balance. Once you are comfortable on the ball you can progress to using it for these different exercises:
1. BOSU Crunch: Many people like to use stability balls to do their crunches on, but the BOSU ball works in the same way. You want to make sure that your lower back is fully supported on the ball and that you are crunching up until you feel your abs fully contract.
Focus on: core
2. BOSU Back Extensions: If you don’t have a standing back extension machine, a really easy fix is to do your back extensions on a BOSU Ball. Lay with your stomach on top of the ball and your feet anchored against a wall. Slowly extend your upper body until your lower back is arched. Only arch to the point of feeling the extension, make sure to not hyper-extend!
Focus on: lower Back
3. BOSU Prone Heel Touches: This exercise is a little more complicated but a great way to strengthen your lower back muscles! Lay with your stomach down on the ball with your arms and legs extended straight out. Once you find your balance slowly bend one knee and reach back and touch your heel. Return that leg to straight and perform on the other side.
Focus: lower back, core
4. BOSU Squat: If regular standing squats are getting too easy, why not try it on the BOSU ball? Doing your squats while standing on the underside of the ball will be an extreme challenge for your core, balance and your legs.
Focus on: quads, glutes, hamstrings, core
5. BOSU Lunges: You can also make your lunges more challenging by landing with your front foot on the BOSU ball instead of the ground. Make sure your back knee never hits the ground and you are bending both knees at 90 angles.
Focus on: quads, glutes, hamstrings
6. BOSU Bicep Curls: An easy way to challenge your normal dumbbell upper body exercises is to perform them while standing on the BOSU ball. This will cause you to engage your core while strengthening your upper body. You can do bicep curls, shoulder raises, tricep extensions, and more!
Focus on: biceps, upper body, core
7. BOSU Mountain Climbers: Use the BOSU ball to make your cardio exercises more challenging! By performing mountain climbers with your hands on the BOSU ball opposed to on the ground you create an added challenge for your core. Just grab on the handles, tip the BOSU towards you, and bring your knees to your chest one leg at a time.
Focus on: shoulders, core, quads, calves, cardio
8. BOSU Squat Switches: Another cardio BOSU exercise is to do squat switches. Start with one foot on the center of the BOSU and the other foot on the ground. Squat down then use your legs to power you over to the other side of the BOSU landing in a squat. One foot should remain in the center of the BOSU at all times.
Focus on: cardio, core, quads, glutes, hamstrings
There are so many exercises you can do with the BOSU ball, hopefully these eight exercises will help you get started. Next time you are at the gym, try ‘em out!
