What can BOSU Ball Exercises be Used for ?

The BOSU balance trainer is a very versatile tool.  It is great to use for balance, core and abdominal exercises but you can use it for a full body workout.

If you want to have a good workout with a single piece of equipment which is affordable and does not take up that much space, the BOSU balance trainer is one of the best exercise balls.

The BOSU balance trainer allows you to perform balance, strength, and power exercises.  No other exercise ball allows you to do this with the versatility of the BOSU.

The BOSU can be Used at all Different Activity Levels

The BOSU is great for beginners, experienced fitness enthusiasts, athletes, bodybuilders and anyone who wants challenging and fun exercises.

If you are a beginner, most BOSU ball exercises are easy to learn.  You can get a great BOSU ball workout with just the BOSU or you can use the BOSU along with other equipment.

If you use the BOSU with other equipment you can challenge your balance while your perform resistance exercise.  You can also use the other equipment to increase the difficulty of the BOSU ball exercises.

To Compare the BOSU Ball to the Stability Ball is like a Comparison Between a Truck and a Car

Trucks and cars perform the same basic function, drive you around.  Yet there are functions which a car can do, and a truck cannot and vice versa.

There is no justification to say whether BOSU ball exercises are better than stability ball exercises or vice versa.  You should incorporate both into your workout regimen.  This will ensure you receive the benefits from both and most importantly, have a fun, interesting exercise program.

Use BOSU Ball Exercises to Compliment a Full Body Complete Exercise Program

As with most exercise balls, it is best to use the BOSU as a complimentary tool.  Use the BOSU to progress floor exercises.  To make floor exercises more difficult means you should master the floor exercise before you attempt the BOSU ball exercise.

Here are Some of the Best BOSU Ball Exercises which Require no extra Equipment

Core

BOSU Ball Supine Bridge

Start:  Lay on the floor with the BOSU ball at your feet.  Place your feet on the top of the BOSU ball.  Your knees should be directly above your ankles.  The round side of the BOSU can be facing up, or you can have the ball upside down.  To have the ball upside down makes the exercise more difficult.

Begin the motion:  Draw in your core as you lift your hips up towards the ceiling.  Make sure not to arch your back at any point of the motion.  The goal with this movement is to use your glutes primarily and not your hamstrings.

You can either perform a static hold where you squeeze your butt at the top position or a dynamic exercise.  The dynamic exercise (moving) is to slowly lift and lower your body for a set of x # of repetitions.

BOSU Ball Plank

The plank is one of the best BOSU ball exercises if you perform it correctly. 

Start:  Place your forearms on the very top of the ball.  Bring both of your feet back so your body is in the plank position.  Alternatively you can have your forearms on the floor and feet on the BOSU.

Hold this position:  Make sure to keep your core drawn in and your glutes contracted.  Your back must not arch, if it does, you should probably regress to the floor plank until you master it.

Begin the motion:  Once you have mastered the BOSU plank you can progress to increase the difficulty.  Some of the progressions to the BOSU ball plank include:

• Hip Extension-  Keep your core drawn.  Make sure your back does not arch.  Slowly lift a foot off of the ground and hold.
• Leg Abduction-  Same as above.  When you lift a leg, slowly move your leg away from your body.  Make sure your toe points straight down towards the floor.
• 1 Arm Plank-  Slowly take one arm off of the ball and hold the position.
• 2 BOSU Ball Plank-  Either place one arm on each BOSU or your arms on one BOSU and your feet on the other.
• Upside Down BOSU Plank-  Perform the plank on the BOSU ball with your arms on the flat part of the ball while the ball is upside down.
• Combination-  Combine any 2 of the above.

   

BOSU Ball SIDE Plank

Start:  Lay on your side and place one arm and forearm on the top of the round part of the BOSU.  Have your body completely outstretched and place your feet on top of each other or next to each other.

Hold this position:  Lift your hips up until your spine is aligned straight.  Hold this position.  Alternatively you can perform the dynamic side plank.  Lower your hips until they touch the floor and raise them back to the original position and repeat.

Abdominals

BOSU Ball Exercises for the Abdominals are Some of the Most Effective Abs Exercises

This is because the round and semi-stable surface of the BOSU allows your back to bend around it.  This means you will get more range of motion for crunches which equals more work and most likely better results.

BOSU Ball Crunches

Out of all BOSU ball exercises, crunches benefit the most when using the BOSU.

Start:  Lay face up on the top of the BOSU ball with your lower back completely supported.  If you put your butt below and almost off the BOSU you will be in a good position for a beginner.  Put your hands either across your chest or behind your head.

Begin the motion:  Draw in your core.  Lift your elbows up towards the ceiling, lower under control and repeat.

Modifications:  To vary the difficulty of these BOSU ball exercises you can adjust your starting position.  If you move back to where your butt is on top of the ball, you must lift more of your upper body weight.  This will make the exercise more difficult.  If your hands are behind your head the weight of your arms will make the BOSU ball crunch more difficult as well.

If at any point of this BOSU ball exercise, you feel pain in your lower back, stop, rest, and try it again.  If the pain persists, you should regress to an easier exercise.

BOSU Ball Multi Crunches

Start:  Same as Above

Begin the motion:  You can perform twisting crunches on the BOSU as well as many other exercises.  Most of the best abs exercises you can perform on the BOSU as well.  Twisting crunches resemble the ab bicycle.

Modifications:  As you perform a crunch with your hands behind your head.  Lift one knee up in the air.  Turn your opposite elbow towards the knee.  Lower your upper body and leg slowly back to the original position and alternate.

There are so many different varieties of BOSU ball crunches it is difficult to list.  Please watch the videos of BOSU ball exercises to get some more ideas.

BOSU Ball Leg Scissors

Start:  Lay the round part of the BOSU with your lower back completely supported.  Both arms should be touching the BOSU to help balance you on the ball.

Begin the motion:  Keep your core drawn in and lift your legs off the ground.  Lift your legs as low as possible off of the ground.  If your lower back arches, lift them higher.

Keep your legs either completely straight or slightly bent with no movement at the knees for the entire motion.  Alternatively lift and lower your legs in a up and down scissor motion. 

You can also go side to side.  Abduct your legs at the same time out to the side.  Adduct them together and overlap when they meet.  Alternate which side overlaps each time.

This is one of the best BOSU ball exercises for your lower abs if performed correctly.  Stop immediately if you feel pain in your lower back.  Make sure you keep your drawn in core at all times.

BOSU Ball V-ups

Start:  Lay face up on the BOSU.  Make sure your lower back is supported by the BOSU.  Draw in your core tightly as to touch your belly button to the BOSU.

Begin the motion:  At the same time, lift your arms and feet off the BOSU until they meet in the middle.  Hold this position.

Modifications:  You can also  or slowly lower your arms and legs at the same time and repeat.  If you can do this dynamic BOSU ball exercise you are are on the right path to master BOSU ball exercises.

Chest

BOSU Ball Push-ups

Start:  Place your hands on the BOSU around shoulder distance apart.  It is best if your palms face each other so you can squeeze the ball.

Begin the motion:  Slowly lower your chest towards the ball.  Push yourself back up to the beginning position and repeat.   Keep your head up, and spine in neutral alignment during the entire duration of the motion.  Do not drop your head towards the BOSU.

Modifications:  You can also perform push-ups with your hands on the flat side of the ball.  You can also perform push-ups with your feet on either side of the ball and your hands on the floor.  Push-ups are one of the most modifiable BOSU ball exercises.

BOSU Dynamic Hands Plank

Start:  Begin from the plank position with your forearms on the round part of the BOSU.

Begin the motion:  Push one hand into the ball and push yourself up until you are in the push-up position.  Place one forearm onto the ball and lower yourself back into the plank position.  Make sure you alternate each arm and repeat.

Modifications:  You can also perform these BOSU ball exercises with 2 BOSU balls with your feet on either side of a BOSU and your hands on the round side.  You could also perform this with a BOSU ball for each hand. 

To progress this exercise further, you can add a push-up or 2, or 3 every time you push out of the plank to the top push-up position.  These are great BOSU ball exercises for your chest and shoulder muscles.

1 Hand on BOSU Push-ups

Start:  Assume the push-up position.  Position a single BOSU to one side.  Put one hand on the BOSU and the other hand on the floor.

Begin the motion:  Slowly lower your chest towards the floor and push yourself back up.  Keep your head and spine in neutral alignment.  This means you should not drop your head at all during any part of this movement.  Your butt should not go up, and most importantly your back should never arch.

Modifications:  You can perform a certain number of repetitions on one side and move the ball to the other hand for the same number of reps.  You can also alternate which hands you put on the BOSU for each rep.

Dual BOSU Ball Push-ups

Start:  Place 2 BOSU balls next to each other.  Put each hand in the center of each ball.  Bring your feet back until your body is fully outstretched.

Begin the motion:  Slowly lower you chest towards the balls preferably until you touch your chest to the balls.  Push yourself back up to the original position slowly and repeat.

Plyometric (explosive) BOSU Ball Clapping Push-ups

Start:  Same as above.

Begin the motion:  Lower your chest down to the ball and explosively push yourself off the BOSU balls as high as you can.  As soon as you leave the ball clap your hands.  Land in one smooth motion and repeat.

Legs

BOSU Ball Squats

Start:  You should always start by standing on the round side of the BOSU.  Stand shoulder width apart.  Keep your core drawn in.  You are only ready to begin when you can balance on the BOSU.  You can extend your arms in front of you or to the side for balance if you want.

Begin the motion:  Slowly squat down.  You can squat all the way until your butt touches your calves if you have healthy knees.  Slowly squat back up to the balanced position and repeat.

Squats are another the most versatile BOSU ball exercises which you can modify many different ways.  Stop if you ever experience knee or lower back pain.

BOSU Ball Squats  (upside down BOSU)

Start:  Tilt the BOSU to one side.  Step on it with one foot and then the other.  Just to stand on the upside down BOSU the first time is a challenge in itself.  Make sure your core is tightly drawn in while you stand on the BOSU.

You may experience violent side to side shaking while you try to maintain your balance.  This is due to lack of neurological control of the muscles in your legs.  After a few times you will be able to control this.

Begin the motion:  Slowly squat down.  You can squat all the way until your butt touches your calves if you have healthy knees.  Slowly squat back up to the balanced position and repeat.  You can also hold any part of the squat to get a good isometric (no movement) contraction.

BOSU Ball Hip Extensions

Same as the dynamic BOSU Bridge

BOSU Ball Twisting Lunges

Start:  Hold a BOSU ball with both hands with the flat part against your chest.

Begin the motion:  Lunge forward until your right heel is directly below your front knee and your back knee is about 1 inch above the floor.  Extend your arms in front of you and twist the BOSU over your forward leg. 

Only turn to the point where you can maintain the drawn in core.  Bring the BOSU back to the middle, and bring your back leg up to the standing position.  You can perform these walking or in place.

Modifications:  To increase the difficulty you can perform a stationary lunge or as many as you want in between each step.  If you lunge backwards it is more difficult as well.  Make sure you push back off of the front foot to the original position.  Lunges are one of the best BOSU ball exercises.

BOSU Ball Side Squats and Hops

Start:  Stand to the side of a BOSU ball.  Step on the middle of the round surface of the BOSU ball with one foot.  You can hold your arms straight out in front of you as a counter balance or hold dumbbells in a high hang position (at your shoulders).

Begin the motion:  Squat down.  Lower your hips towards the floor.  Make sure you maintain a flat back and draw in core.  Your chest should not bend forward towards the floor.  From the bottom of your squat, hop laterally (to the side) to the other side of the BOSU ball and repeat your squat.

Modifications:  This is one of the very toughest BOSU ball exercises.  You can increase the difficulty by adding more resistance.  Another good way to increase inner and outer thigh work, is to put on ankle weights.

Lower Back

BOSU Ball Back Crunch

Start:  Lay on a BOSU with your chest on the top of the ball.  Your feet should be fully extended behind you.  Put your hands behind your head.

Begin the motion:  Slowly extend your shoulders up towards the ceiling.  Make sure you maintain a drawn in core.

Most BOSU ball exercises which exercise the core help support your lower back so for some people these may be unnecessary. 

BOSU Cobra

Start:  The same position as the BOSU ball back crunch (above).

Begin the motion:  Slowly extend your arms out fully in front of you with your thumbs up.  Keep your arms as high as they can towards the ceiling and slowly rotate your arms all the way around in almost a full circle until your arms are close to your hips.

Slowly bring your arms back the opposite direction until they are in the original position then repeat.

Keep your thumbs up towards the ceiling for the duration of this movement.  BOSU ball cobra is one of the BOSU ball exercises which can also be performed on stability balls or the floor.

In order to get the most benefits out of exercise you must exercise your large muscle groups.  This is true for 90% of all fitness goals. 

You can use the best medicine, stability and BOSU ball exercises to supplement these full body exercises to have a complete workout program.

Best Back Exercises

The lats (upper back) is the muscle group which is lacking from most BOSU ball exercises.  You cannot exercise your lats significantly with just a BOSU ball.  Find exercises which are the most effective for working the muscles which will give you the desired v shape.

Best Ab Exercises

If you have not mastered these exercises yet, you should before you seriously take on all these BOSU ball exercises.

Best Legs Exercises

Weight training for your legs is very important because they contain a high percentage of your total body's muscle mass.  A high metabolism is the best benefit of legs weight training.

Best Arms Exercise

Whether you are looking to tone your triceps or build bigger biceps, the best arm exercises will cut your training time and improve your training results.  Later you can add the BOSU balance trainer to progress the difficulty of these exercises.

Best Chest Exercises

If you thought the BOSU ball exercises for the chest were not challenging enough.  Here are some weight training movements to work your chest.