Have you ever seen a blue half-ball with a flat surface on one side that looks like a smaller version of an exercise ball stuck in a plastic disc? Looking at it for the first time, you may wonder, puzzled, what one is supposed to do with that thing.
First things first, this blue half-ball is called a BOSU ball. It’s a fantastic fitness tool that can spice up your workout routine, especially if you’re looking for an extra level of challenge.
The reason it’s called a “BOSU” ball is because it’s designed to be used ‘both sides up’ — the flat side or the dome side, depending on how hardcore you want your workout to be. With the flat side down, you have a nice, stable surface with a soft top for an added level of difficulty for all kinds of exercises. Flip it the other way, and the difficulty multiplies as it forces you to engage your core.
So, what’s so special about this ball and BOSU ball exercises? Well, it's all about balance and stability. The BOSU ball helps you work on those two things by forcing you to stabilise your body as you perform regular exercises, such as squats, lunges, push-ups, or even planks — doing them on a BOSU ball adds a new level of difficulty because your body has to react to the instability, which means more muscles are working to keep you balanced.
In this blog, we will tell you the benefits of exercising on a BOSU ball and share the best BOSU ball exercises you can do the next time you’re at the gym!
Table of Contents
- What Is BOSU In Physical Therapy?
- What Exercises Do You Do On A BOSU Ball? 10 Best BOSU Ball Exercises For Beginners
- Are BOSU Ball Workouts Effective? Benefits of BOSU Ball
- Expert’s Advice
- The Final Say
- FAQs
- References
What Is BOSU In Physical Therapy?
BOSU is the same in physical therapy as it is in fitness.
"BOSU" means "both sides used" and refers to a specialised exercise tool, which is essentially a half-inflated rubber dome connected to a flat platform. A BOSU ball is primarily used for improving balancing, stability and strength.
Physiotherapists (licensed healthcare professionals who specialise in physical therapy) often use a BOSU ball to help their patients rehabilitate from their injuries and improve their movement by engaging the stabiliser muscles, enhancing coordination, and promoting functional movement. Bosu ball exercises challenge both upper and lower body strength while improving joint stability. It’s especially beneficial for individuals recovering from ankle, knee, or hip injuries.
Also Read: If You Are Looking For a Challenge, Try These 7 Plyometric Exercises At Home For Beginners!
What Exercises Do You Do On A BOSU Ball? 10 Best BOSU Ball Exercises For Beginners
There are many exercises you can do on a BOSU ball. Here are the top 10:
1. Single-Leg Hold
When starting to learn to exercise on the BOSU ball, you must first master balance. By doing a single leg hold on the BOSU ball, you’ll be one step closer to being able to actually exercise on it.
Directions:
- Place your BOSU ball on the ground with your preferred side up.
- Step on its centre.
- Carefully lift one leg and keep your balance for 30 seconds
- Repeat on the other side.
Tip: If you’re having trouble balancing, then hold onto a stable surface with one hand, like a wall or a table.
Also Read: 15 Lower Body Weight Training Exercises For Beginners With A Routine!
2. Bird Dog
After you’ve mastered the single-leg balance on the BOSU ball, it’s time for the bird dog— a great ab and core exercise.
Directions:
- Place the flat side of the bosu ball on the ground, the dome up.
- Get all fours with your knees on the BOSU ball and your palms on the ground. ‘
- Lift your right arm and left leg at the same time, extending them out so they are parallel to the ground.
- Keep your hips stable and your neck neutral, and hold the position for 10-20 seconds.
- Return your hand and leg back to the starting position.
- Repeat the same with the opposite side.
Tip: For an advanced variation, place your hands on the BOSU as well.
3. Glute Bridge
Let us elevate the effects of the glute bridge with the BOSU ball.
Directions:
- Place the flat side of the BOSU down.
- Lie on your back, feet on the BOSU ball and knees bending.
- Core stiffening and pushing
- Tighten your core, lift your hips from the ground until your hips are fully extended, and press your glutes at the top of the movement.
- Hold for a few seconds, return to the starting and repeat.
Also Read: 8 Effective Exercises for Anterior Pelvic Tilt: Causes, Muscles Involved, and Relief Tips
4. Mountain Climbers
With the BOSU ball, we can make this cardio exercise even more effective and make it a great core workout for abs.
Directions:
- Place the BOSU ball with the flat side facing up.
- Get into a high plank position with your hands placed on the flat side of the ball, keeping your body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Keep your core engaged, and ensure your wrists are below your shoulders.
- Drive one knee toward your chest, then quickly switch legs, bringing the other knee toward your chest while pushing the first leg back.
- Continue doing this, moving your legs in a running motion while maintaining a steady pace.
5. Burpees
Cardio lovers' fav, burpees get your heart pumping in no time. And with the BOSU ball in the mix, they become extra challenging.
Directions:
- Place the BOSU ball with the flat side up.
- Assume a high plank position with your hands holding the edges of the BOSU’s flat surface.
- Jump your feet toward the ball, assuming a squat position.
- As soon as you get in the squat position, get up by pushing your feet into the ground and lift the ball over your head.
- After your arms are fully extended, squat back down, place the BOSU on the ground and jump your legs back to the high plank position.
- Repeat 8-12 times.
Also Read: 20 Best Cardio Exercises At Home To Boost Stamina, Burn Calories & More!
6. Lunges
Lunges on a BOSU ball take your lower body workout to the next level, boosting stability, strength, and coordination. Go slowly to ensure that you maintain a good form.
Directions:
- Place the flat side of the bosu ball down (or up if you want it to be more challenging).
- Stand about two feet behind the BOSU ball or at a comfortable distance from where you can step forward to the centre of the ball.
- Keep your chest up and step forward on the ball, placing your feet in the middle of the ball and lunge down.
- Keep your core engaged to maintain balance.
- Stand and return to the starting position.
- Repeat with the other leg and keep alternating for 10 reps per leg.
7. V Squats
A great variation of squat workout, V Squats on a BOSU ball target your quads, glutes, and core while enhancing balance and stability by adding an unstable surface.
Directions:
- Place the flat side of the BOSU down (or up if you want it to be more challenging).
- Stand on the ball with your heels in the middle and your toes pointing slightly outward.
- Squat down and stretch your hands out in front of you.
- Stand and go back to the beginning and repeat for 10-12 repetitions.
8. Side-to-Side Squats
Side-to-side squats on a BOSU ball help target the outer thighs and glutes while enhancing balance and stability through the unstable surface.
Directions:
- Place the flat side of the BOSU ball down (or up if you want it to be more challenging).
- Stand on the BOSU ball.
- Step one foot out onto the ground, and then lower your body by bending both knees, like a side lunge.
- Bring the leg back and repeat the same with the other leg.
9. Push-Ups
Push-ups on a BOSU ball add instability, engaging more core muscles for an enhanced full-body workout.
Directions:
- Place the BOSU ball flat-side down.
- Assume a high position, placing your hands at both edges of the flat surface.
- Come down as you would in a normal push-up until your chest nearly touches the BOSU, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Keep your core engaged and ensure your back is straight.
- Push yourself back up and repeat.
10. Tricep Dips
Tricep dips are a simple exercise, but when done on a BOSU ball, you enter the challenge mode!
Directions:
- Place the flat side of the bosu down.
- Sit in front of the ball with your feet on the ground in front of you, and place your hands behind you on the ball.
- Bend your elbows and lower your body.
- Once you nearly touch the ground, lift yourself back up and repeat.
Also Read: 9 Benefits of Dips Workout For Muscle Strength And Definition
Are Bosu Ball Workouts Effective? Benefits of Bosu Ball
BOSU (both sides up) is a fitness tool for raising the difficulty level of your exercises, which can improve your strength, balance and stability.
BOSU ball can be used as bodyweight training equipment on both sides. One side of it has a soft, dome-like structure, similar to an exercise ball. The other side is a sturdy, flat platform.
Here are the benefits of adding the BOSU ball to your exercise routine:
1. Improves Balance & Stability
Doing BOSU ball exercises can improve your balance and stability by engaging the stabiliser muscles in your body. The unstable surface of the BOSU ball (especially with the dome down) requires you to actively involve your core muscles to maintain balance. Over time, this leads to an improvement in overall stability and balance.
Also Read: Get Fit With These 4 Best Core Strengthening Exercises For A Solid Workout Regime!
2. Increases Strength
When you perform exercises like squats, lunges, or push-ups on a BOSU ball, you activate your core, stabiliser muscles, and lower body work harder to maintain balance. This strengthens your muscles as the uneven surface challenges your body to adjust, making even simple movements more effective.
3. Increases Cardiovascular Condition
BOSU ball exercises can increase your cardiovascular conditioning by adding an added element of cardio to the exercise. When doing cardio-boosting exercises on the unstable BOSU ball, you must constantly work hard to maintain balance, which can increase your heart rate and the intensity of your training more than regular exercising.
4. Provides A Low-Impact Exercise
On the other hand, BOSU ball exercises can also provide low-impact training (lower than regular training) as the BOSU ball’s surface absorbs and distributes the impact on your legs, reducing stress on the joints. This can be particularly advantageous for those who have joint pain or those who are recovering from injuries.
Expert’s Advice
BOSU ball can spice up your workouts and challenge your core. However, due to the instability and increased difficulty of BOSU ball exercises, you’d be more prone to injury or falling off while doing an exercise. I suggest properly warming up before using the BOSU and ensuring the ball is inflated properly to avoid instability issues.
I would recommend mixing these BOSU ball exercises with different training methods to achieve better results.
Dt. Lavina Chauhan
The Final Say
Using a BOSU ball in your exercise regimen can improve your stability, balance, control and strength, especially in the core. If you’ve never used a BOSU ball, you should first start by doing a single-leg balance to get used to it. Then, you can move on to other simpler exercises like bird dog, push-ups, lunges, squats, etc.
However, the instability of the BOSU ball also makes it important to focus on performing warm-up exercises to avoid injury and falling.
FAQs
1. How can the BOSU ball improve my basic training exercises?
BOSU Ball adds instability to your basic training. The equipment’s ‘instability’ demands better stability and balance, which engages your stabilising muscles and improves your core strength, balance and stability.
2. How to use the BOSU ball and maintain the body's balance?
To maintain body balance on a BOSU ball, engage your core, focus on proper posture, and perform controlled movements while standing or performing exercises on an unstable surface.
References
- https://www.exerciseprolive.com/bosu-physical-therapy-or-fitness/
- https://www.nspt4kids.com/therapy/how-to-use-a-bosu-for-exercise-with-children#:~:text=A%20Bosu%2C%20also%20known%20as,gym;%20let%20the%20workout%20begin!
- https://fueluplife.com/blog/the-bosu-ball-benefits-and-how-to-use-it/
- https://torokhtiy.com/blogs/guides/benefits-of-bosu-ball
- https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/benefits-of-bosu-ball-exercises/
- https://www.onlymyhealth.com/what-is-a-bosu-ball-workout-what-are-its-benefits-12977825075
- https://www.onlymyhealth.com/what-is-a-bosu-ball-workout-what-are-its-benefits-1297782075
- https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/bosu-ball-moves-workout#The-takeaway
- https://solostep.com/bosu-ball-tips/#:~:text=First%2C%20what%20does%20BOSU%20mean,%2Dcome%2Dlately%E2%80%9D%20pile.
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