1/18/2011

Bosu-ka! - How to use the Bosu Ball for strength and stability training

The Bosu Ball. Funny looking piece of fitness equipment. But, guess what, I like this ball! It makes a great work out and is a new way to add some 'shoosh' to your strength and stability training!

I've been using the Bosu Ball for my strength and stability training for a while now. I used to focus on just weights, but my PT advised me to try the Bosu Ball. And I'm glad she did!
For those of you that aren't familiar (yet) with the Bosu Ball, this is what it looks like:
Yeah, it's actually just a ball. Why didn't I come up with this thing?
You can do all kinds of exercises on this ball and even inflate/deflate it to toughen up your training regime. I'll just sum up my favorite Bosu-exercises below (in pictures). I did not have the chance yet to have photos taken of Miss Weirdo (me, in case you were wondering... ;)) on the Bosu Ball, so: Photo courtesy of Hubpages.
This exercise helped fix the The Calf and The Knee problem. Since I'm battling The Foot (stupid injury) at the moment, I have a chair or wall around just in case I tumble off the Bosu Ball when I'm doing exercises on the injured leg.

This is a great exercise for those of you that want to work on those quads. I actually place my leg a bit more backwards than the girl in the photo does.

This one is hard! But it sure works!

Squats! I usually do 3 sets of 20.
Well? What are you waiting for? Find yourself a gym that features the Bosu Ball!
In my opinion the Bosu Ball is a great piece of exercise equipment for runners. I truly feel that the strength and stability work benefits my training as well as my running.
Do you use the Bosu Ball?
Work out:
Cycling: 4K - 15 min
Stretching: 30 min
Elliptical: 15 min - 5K
Cycling: 30 min - 11K
Running: 15 min - 1.2K - 15% incline - walking
Weights/strength training: 45 min

6 comments:

Kevin said...

I do not use it. Some people love it and some people hate it. In theory it should help with your core and your balancer muscles.

If you are doing squats with no weights, than it is great. It is hard to do squats with any significant weight using the ball.

It is another tool in the toolbox to be used when it makes sense. I just see to may people over relying on it and not doing some of the gym basics.

Plus, it reminds me of a big pimple.

Kevin
HalfTRIing.blogspot.com

Silly Girl Running said...

@ Kevin: You're right on the gym basics: the Bosu Ball is something you can use to help your training and not to replace work outs. And, uhm...I agree on the pimple part...

M said...

I love the Bosu ball! I've been using it to rehab my left calf too!

Anonymous said...

I generally use the bosu ball before doing squats or a run. The feeling you get after using one feels like you can balance anything, even if you're drunk! Not THAT balanced but you know what I mean =D

Another good workout which may look silly but is a great core refinement is to run on a treadmill (or one of these) for a couple of minutes, get off and jump on the bosu ball for a quick squat, then repeat. It wakes you up and constantly reminds you to use your core throughout the workout.

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bigfit said...

A flexible and effective tool for achieving your fitness goals Bosu Even during the most hard workouts, you won't lose your grip thanks to the additional texture of this ball. It is a great addition to your home gym or training center and is appropriate for people of all fitness levels.