The Benefits Of Getting A Bosu
When it comes to picking the right workout equipment for our homes, it can be tough depending on our space and our budget. The Bosu has many different benefits and can be a great tool to take your training to the next level.
It is great for targeting the core
Helps focus on balance and stability
Low impact progression options for specific needs
Can be used for any type of workout!
It specifically can be useful for those recovering from injury or working on performance.
You can do any type of workout, quickly and effectively. Sometimes we don't have the proper weights to do our workouts from home, we have heavy enough for legs but not light enough for upper body, or vice versa… and its not easy to store all those free weights either. The Bosu can also be used for a full body, upper or lower body workout depending on your goals. Using the Bosu for one of these listed workouts can help us work our core and have a better mind body connection with it while we do our exercises. This is because of the added stability challenge that forces us to engage our core/glute’s depending on our position with it. It’s great for core workouts as well and can allow us to try different techniques for basic exercises like the squat, chest press, and the crunch!
When we use the Bosu we are engaging different stabilizer muscles than we would be without it whether we are standing, sitting or laying on it. We engage our core a lot more as we have to hold ourselves and balance while performing the movement. Now when we’re doing dumbbells vs the barbell we are stabilizing even more, creating an even greater challenge on the body as a whole. This is why it’s nice to switch it up once in a while! Lifting weights will give you progress, but sometimes we can do so without using proper technique. Another great reason for getting a Bosu. If you feel you are in a plateau and have only been using free weights, this can be a nice way to challenge yourself. If you feel like you want to improve your core strength and balance this would also be a key tool to do so. The mind body connection with our core and using our body as a unit is important in our daily lives too, not just when we exercise! Preventing injury, lifting heavy objects safely and being quick on the feet all improve our quality of living.
The Bosu allows us to try different movements that we may do on a regular basis with an extra challenge. Here is an example of one of my favourites, the Bosu squat:
This can be done on the Bosu both ways depending on your fitness level, facing up or facing down. try to keep the feet shoulders width apart still and sit back into the hips keeping the chest up high. Sit down to what you’re comfortable and focus on pressing through the heels of the feet and squeezing the glutes to stand up while maintaining a strong core. Can also be done with a weight when feeling capable.
As mentioned the crunch isn’t always the best exercise for everyone, but the Bosu can make it much more comfortable (and still be a challenge ;) ). Make sure your glute’s are on the Bosu still right above the edge, keep the chin tucked in as you engage the abdominal muscles to curl the body up and forward. Lower all the way back down in between so you have to fully engage between each rep.
As mentioned it can be a great way to progress your dumbbell training too! Here’s a fun way to try the chest press, keep the glutes engaged and hips up high, belly button to spine. You are trying to maintain for stability now while you do your chest press, much more challenging than lying on a bench or floor!
Enjoy & Happy Exercising :)
Robyn