The Bosu ball is a training tool that resembles the top half of a stability ball. It has a hard plastic flat side and an inflated dome side. The acronym BOSU means both sides utilized--and when it comes to exercise programs, this piece of equipment has a lot to offer.
Balance
When you use the Bosu on either side, you need to balance your body. That in itself can be a whole program. Two-foot balances, single-foot balances, two-knee balances and single-knee balances can all help improve your stability. You can also balance on your stomach to work your lower back muscles or you can balance on your back to work your abdominals. The face-down exercise is called a skydiver and the face-up exercise is called a dead bug.
Rehabilitation
When you sprain your ankle, the ligaments and tendons get stretched beyond their normal capacity. During the rehab of this injury, the Bosu can be used to strengthen the connective tissue and tiny muscles that stabilize the ankle. With stronger connective tissue, your ankle joint will be more resistant to turning and getting sprained again. This involves holding a balanced position on each side of the Bosu for several seconds. You can start out on two feet and progress to one foot.
Weight Training
Weight training can be done while standing on the Bosu. This will challenge your balance and increase your workload to make your workout more intense. You can stand on the flat side to do shoulder presses, you can lie on your back on the dome side to do chest presses and you can flip it over and place your hands on the edges to do push-ups.
Aerobic Training
Aerobic training is characterized by repetitive movements of the major muscle groups for an extended period of time. You can use the Bosu for this. You can get a rhythm going and do any combination of step-ups to get an aerobic workout. Basically, anything that you would do in a regular aerobics class can be transferred over to the Bosu. You can do things like forward steps, side steps, lateral shuffles and reverse steps.
Plyometrics
Plyometric training involves fast, explosive movements. This type of training improves your power output and it can translate sucessfully into sports like skiing, football and soccer. You can use the Bosu to do plyometric exercises like forward hops, leaping split squats, tuck jumps, lateral hops and squat jumps.
Ab Exercises
Every time you use the Bosu, your abs work to maintain balance. You can also specifically work your abs on the Bosu with exercises like crunches, oblique crunches, alternating leg lifts, pullover crunches and bicycle crunches. The Bosu can also be used to do an isometric exercise called a plank, where your forearms are on the dome side and your toes are on the floor. This works the muscles of your core without having to move your body.
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