In an effort to avoid burnout, group exercise directors often add combo classes to their aerobic schedule. Combo classes combine and integrate two or more workout modalities. Bosu interval training, which combines, aerobic, balance and strength training, is an example. This type of program benefits advanced group exercise participants who want to take their training to the next level.
Identification
The word bosu is an acronym for "both sides up" or "both sides utilized." The bosu has a rubber dome and a stable platform side. The dome side is similar to a stability ball, with a significant difference. Standing on a stability ball is potentially dangerous for anyone other than elite athletes. Fitness enthusiasts, with proper training, can safely stand on the dome side of the bosu. Bosu interval training incorporates movements similar to those used in step aerobics. Participants perform movement patterns in varying intensities while stepping up and down on the bosu.
Misconceptions
Fitness instructors and fitness enthusiasts frequently misuse the word "interval," and confuse it with circuit training. The confusion is understandable, because circuit training alternates intervals of aerobic exercise with intervals of resistance training. Interval training, when used in reference to aerobic workouts, refers to routines that alternate between high-intensity and low-intensity aerobic activity.
Types
The types of high-intensity movements in a bosu interval training session include jogging on top of the dome, jumping on top of the bosu and landing in a squat, and lateral propulsion moves that begin on the floor, cross the dome and land on the other side. Low-intensity moves include stepping up on to the dome and lifting one leg, and a rapid series of alternate-leg lunges with one foot stepping on to the bosu and the other foot on the floor.
Time Frame
Numerous factors influence the high-to-low intensity ratio of a bosu interval session. Session length plays a key role. A 30-minute session provides a small window of opportunity for maximizing aerobic benefits, so high-intensity segments may be longer, ranging from one to four minutes. The participant's balance, fitness level, coordination and proprioception, which is the body's awareness of its position in space, is even more important. The bosu is an unusual exercise device. Participants need to become accustomed to proper foot placement and jumping and landing mechanisms before lengthening the high-intensity intervals. Beginners may need to limit high intensity intervals to 30 seconds, until they acclimate to bosu training.
Considerations
Interval bosu uses the dome side, which poses an intensity dilemma. A fully-inflated bosu is higher, which creates a greater aerobic challenge, but poses less of a balance challenge. A less inflated bosu is lower, which reduces the aerobic intensity, but creates a much greater balance challenge. Inflate the bosu according to your primary workout goals.
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