Can You Lose Weight on the Bosu Trainer?

Can You Lose Weight on the Bosu Trainer?
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Using the Bosu trainer as an addition to your weight loss routine is appropriate. Along with proper nutrition and plenty of rest, a Bosu trainer can provide proper cardiorespiratory exercise as well as plenty of strength training. Burning calories and building muscle are essential to weight loss. Progressing your skill level from the beginner's simple exercises through to the more advanced, complicated exercises will keep you safe and injury free.

What a Bosu Trainer Is

A Bosu trainer is a relatively new piece of equipment to the fitness industry. It looks like half of a stability ball with a hard piece of plastic on the bottom. The advantages to using a Bosu trainer is that it conditions your muscles with a new variation. Balancing on a Bosu trainer helps work your core. It also challenges your leg, butt, stomach and back muscles. It can also be used to work your upper body and your flexibility.

How You Lose Weight

Losing weight is a simple concept that comes down to how many calories you take in versus how many calories you burn off. Reducing your caloric intake by eating a healthy and varied diet is important. Building a strong exercise program that incorporates plenty of cardiorespiratory or aerobic training, strength training, balance training and flexibility is essential. The Bosu trainer can provide a method for including all the appropriate fitness components.

Aerobic Training

Aerobic training requires you to increase your heart rate. This type of training burns the most calories. Aerobic training on a Bosu can take various forms. One training method is to use your Bosu trainer like you would an aerobic step. Incorporate movements that involve large muscle groups to get the most effective calorie burn. Movements, such as stepping up, stepping up and over, jogging on the Bosu or jump-squat type movements all are excellent. Another aerobic method of using your Bosu includes it as a base for some plyometric movements that have you landing with one leg on the Bosu and one leg on the ground.

Strength Training

A Bosu is an excellent piece of equipment to have in your strength training gym. The variety of movements you can incorporate onto the Bosu are only as limited as your knowledge will allow. Using the Bosu instead of a bench is a great way to create an unstable surface to further engage your core. Bench presses, squats, lunges, push-ups and crunches can all be adapted to the Bosu trainer.

Flexibility and Balance

Finally, the Bosu is an excellent way to train your balance and flexibility. While these two components do not burn as many calories as the aerobic and strength training, they are important for injury prevention. Balance is challenged when you adapt two-legged and single-legged movements to the Bosu. Movements, such as single-leg rows and step-up to balance, are useful to your workout. Using the Bosu as an aid to help stretch is also appropriate for your calves, hamstrings, chest and other muscle groups.

References

Article reviewed by Helen Covington Last updated on: Sep 30, 2010

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