The Bosu ball, also known as a Bosu trainer, looks like half an exercise ball affixed to a sturdy plastic base. According to the manufacturer, almost any exercise you do on the ground can be adapted to use on a Bosu ball, and creative exercisers and professional trainers alike have proved this to be true. The ball’s inherent instability makes every adapted exercise instantly more challenging.
Squats
One of the Bosu trainer’s biggest advantages over a standard exercise ball is that you can stand on the Bosu trainer. The Bosu lends itself easily to doing standing exercises like squats, which work every major muscle group in your lower body. You can do squats on either side of the Bosu trainer, but keeping the flat side up makes the trainer wobble more, increasing the challenge.
Place your feet as wide apart on the ball as possible. Squat down, thrusting your hips out behind you as if you were sitting back in a chair. Your shoulders should travel a straight line directly up and down over your heels. You can hold a dumbbell in each hand to increase the challenge, or hold your arms straight out in front of you for extra balance. Straighten back up to a standing position and repeat.
Seated Ball Throws
Seated ball throws work your rectus abdominus and other core muscles as you flex up to throw the ball and hold your body stable against the ball’s return momentum. Ball throws also work your back and chest muscles, particularly your latissimus dorsi, as if you were doing a pullover exercise.
To do seated ball throws, place the Bosu ball flat-side down. Sit down on the very edge of the Bosu dome so that when you lay back the ball supports the small of your back. Have a partner do the same on another Bosu trainer, facing you. You and your partner’s feet should be several feet apart.
Have your partner hold a large exercise ball in both hands and toss it to you, aiming just over your head. Catch the ball over your head with both hands, letting its momentum extend your body over the Bosu ball but tighten your abs to keep control of the motion. Crunch back up immediately, throwing the ball in an overhead pass, aiming just over your partner’s head. He should catch it and return it similarly.
Push-ups
Push-ups primarily work your pectoralis major, anterior deltoids and triceps. They also challenge your core to keep your body steady and straight, even when done on the floor. Taking your push-ups to the Bosu trainer increases the challenge to both your core and the primary movers, forcing your entire body to work at keeping you stable.
You can do push-ups on either side of the Bosu trainer. For the greatest challenge, place the trainer dome-side down. Grasp the handle on either side of the trainer’s flat plastic base and assume a push-up position with your body straight from head to heels, supporting yourself on your hands and toes. Lower your chest down toward the trainer, then press up again to your starting position.
About this Author
Marie Mulrooney has written professionally since 2001. Her diverse background includes numerous outdoor pursuits, personal training and linguistics. She studied mathematics at the University of Alaska Anchorage and contributes regularly to various online publications. Print publication credits include national magazines, poetry awards and long-lived columns about local outdoor adventures.
