Are you ready to create your home gym? Or maybe you already have one but want to make improvements? A fully equipped home gym should be filled with the tools needed to reach your fitness goals. Whether you are looking for gym equipment that motivates you to exercise or shopping around for fitness equipment that your certified personal trainer recommends, finding what you need shouldn’t be a frustrating process.
One reliable and beneficial item to add to your at home gym is the Bosu ball. The Bosu ball, which was invented by David Weck and debuted in the year 2000, is a half Swiss exercise ball with a flat side, also known as a half yoga ball. Weck wanted to invent a durable balance trainer that could be used from both the dome side and the platform side to provide a full-body workout. In 2008, Weck talked about how he came up with the term BOSU: “The name BOSU was created from the acronym “Both Sides Up” to describe the functional utility of the device. Since then, BOSU has come to signify “Both Sides Utilized” which represents an approach to exercise that seeks to enhance performance and movement capabilities through better balance.”
The versatile, resistance-focused Bosu activities increase endurance, balance and strength. For example, the Elite Bosu Balance Trainer was specifically engineered to deliver dynamic, elastic resistance, which helps generate more explosive power with every movement. A Bosu ball exercise routine can also target muscle groups you may not have been able to engage in before. You can even do yoga and Pilates on a Bosu ball! Any workout with your Bosu ball could be all you need to get as fit and fab as you want.
Strength Training
Did you know a Bosu ball can be used to increase your strength, flexibility, and agility? Developing strength doesn’t mean just lifting weights and hitting the gym. Consider using equipment that helps target specific muscle groups. Workout equipment usually targets three main categories: the upper body, the core, and the lower body. A standard yoga ball, half yoga ball, and Bosu ball can be used to train all these muscle groups. Building strength in all these areas will help you get a full-body workout. As with all physical training sessions, make sure you don’t forget about the fast twitch muscles and slow twitch muscles. These smaller muscle fibers are integral to explosive movement and endurance. The reason a Bosu ball is so highly recommended is that it helps train and strengthen those small twitch muscles.
Upper Body Workout on Your Bosu Ball
The chest press is a great exercise to work out your upper body. Instead of lying back on a stable bench while doing the chest press, try resting your upper back on a Bosu ball! You may find the exercise more challenging on the Bosu ball because it requires that you maintain your balance. Performing routines and exercises like the chest press on the Bosu ball will help develop strength and speed and improve muscle reaction time.
Practicing upper body-specific exercises, like the plank and various push-ups, with either your hands or feet on a Bosu ball will target all those upper body muscle groups. The muscles typically engaged in an upper body workout include the pectorals, traps, shoulders, deltoids, biceps, triceps, and forearms. Different exercises with the Bosu ball allow you to pick and choose which muscle groups to focus on for every training session. The intriguing part about the Bosu ball is that as you do your upper body workout, you will also be engaging your core and lower body while you balance on it.
Core Workout on Your Bosu Ball
The Bosu ball strengthens both your abs and back by incorporating foundational core muscles. Different core muscle groups need to be engaged to improve overall core strength. Those muscles are the abdominals, obliques, and lumbar area. A plank crossover with the Bosu ball will engage those core muscle groups and more. To do this exercise, you must flip the Bosu ball down, with the flat base facing you. Get into a plank position, firmly gripping the sides of the Bosu ball while fully extending your arms. From there you do alternating knees, driving your right knee to your left elbow, then switch sides. Your abs should be tight and don’t forget to breathe with every rep.
When training the core, it’s vital to train the side and lower back muscles, too. A Bosu ball exercise that targets those areas is the side plank hip drop. Get into a side plank, resting the elbow on the Bosu ball. Raise the opposite arm, pointing it straight up, stack your feet, slowly raise your hips, and then drop them back to plank position.
A core exercise routine with the Bosu ball can provide excellent results as long as you remain consistent. The physical results are usually felt before they are seen. Don’t be surprised if your reps or timed rounds improve between your first and second Bosu ball ab workout. Remember, any physical changes to your body won’t be noticeable until anywhere from 30 to 90 days after beginning a Bosu ball ab workout routine. Keep that in mind when you feel like giving up.
Lower Body Workout on Your Bosu Ball
Lower body work is one of the most critical parts of a full-body workout. Bosu ball leg exercises are perfect for reaching your leg strength goals. A common critique of strength and conditioning exercises is that the legs are frequently neglected. Yes, bodybuilders who focus on their upper body and core might have the physique they were hoping for, but skipping leg days is usually detrimental to their overall physical strength and desired aesthetic. Bosu split squats will engage all the leg muscles, which includes the hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps, calves, and lower lumbar. With your chest up and back straight, rest one foot on the Bosu ball and lunge forward. Stay in that position while dropping your body straight down, then drive your heel into the ground as you stand back up. Be sure you don’t let your knee pass your toes as this can place too much strain on your ankles and knees.
From the legs, you get leverage, which translates into power. Try the challenging Bosu squat jump exercise to raise the bar on your leg workout. It’s a cardio-intense exercise that helps to increase your agility. Start with one foot on the Bosu ball and one on the ground. Drop into a squat position before jumping as high as you can. Land on the opposite side of the Bosu ball and repeat the squat jump. Explosive movements like this will help condition your legs faster. If you’re interested in increasing the resistance with your Bosu ball leg-day exercises, challenge yourself by adding ankle weights.
Cardio Conditioning
The best Bosu balls can also help you with cardio. Contrary to popular belief, cardio work doesn’t only mean running, sprinting, jumping rope, swimming, or cycling. You can get all the cardio you need by maximizing what your home gym offers. A half-ball balance trainer can help you lose weight while getting faster and more powerful all because of the instability. Having to maintain your balance, no matter what exercise you’re doing on the Bosu ball, is what makes the workout so intense. Engaging the slow and fast twitch muscles using a Bosu ball increases the challenge of your full-body workout. As some fitness experts say, because the Bosu ball offers an unstable surface, it’s forcing you to maintain balance. It means you’re using multiple muscle groups, big and small, to get your work in. As your blood is pumping, the cardiovascular system is also pushed to its limits. Don’t be surprised if you’re sweating and breathing hard as you run through your cardio-focused Bosu ball exercises.
The Best Bosu Balls Available Today
The Bosu ball can help you reach your goals with strength, cardio, agility, and balance conditioning. It is lightweight, easy to carry, and easy to set up. It’s also considered the ideal piece of equipment for rehabilitation and physical therapy. If you aren’t sure if you should start exercising with the Bosu ball balance trainer, consult your certified physical therapist or personal trainer before beginning the new program. Let’s check out some of the best Bosu balls on the market, fit for anyone’s toolbelt of exercise equipment.
The Bosu Balance Trainer
At 65 cm and for only $179.99, the Bosu Balance Trainer is an excellent piece of equipment for your at-home workouts. One reason the half yoga ball is growing in popularity is that you can use it at any level of physical training. It’s even a top choice for those working through rehabilitation training.
The Bosu Balance Trainer allows you to create intense resistance that stimulates your central nervous system and excites your body’s muscle fibers. Depending on the workout you’re doing, it will help you feel lighter. Jump rope warm-ups will be significantly easier. Whether you are focused on engaging your lower body, upper body, or core, the Bosu Balance Trainer can help by harnessing the full power of your posterior chain and stabilizing muscles.
Don’t be surprised that short, effective workouts with the Bosu Balance Trainer will help you get stronger than all your other activities. By routinely training the entire body, you can lift heavier weights, run faster, jump higher, increase your reps, and push through extremely difficult training sessions. The Bosu Balance Trainer is available in a variety of colors and can support up to 300 pounds.
The Bosu Pro Balance Trainer
The Bosu Pro Balance Trainer is a 26-inch half yoga ball for only $159.99. Constructed of heavy-duty, burst-resistant material, it is strong, non-slipping, and nonmarking, so you can use it indoors, outdoors, and in cold or warm temperatures. It is designed to withstand heavy use and intense workouts. It also has a weight capacity of 350 pounds and is fit for people of all sizes. It comes with an easy-to-use inflation pump and an informative guided workout.
The Bosu Pro Balance Trainer offers unique and effective workouts because it combines cardio, strength, and flexibility conditioning in one piece of equipment. You can improve your endurance in all aspects of physical speed and strength training because it offers just the right amount of resistance for effective workouts. If you are looking to improve your overall performance in any sport, this Bosu ball can help you get there.
The Bosu Sport Balance Trainer
The blue Bosu Sport Balance Trainer with lime green framing is only $129.99 and is the perfect size for travel and storage. This compact half yoga ball is easy to transport and great for your home gym. You can also use it in your living room, at the park, or anywhere else you feel comfortable working out.
The Bosu Sport Balance Trainer has been tested and shown to last ten times longer than the leading generic balance ball trainer. For a full-body resistance workout, the Bosu Sport Balance Trainer can deliver. Every muscle needs engagement to get the best of a full body workout. Why not build strength faster with a portable half yoga ball? It can fit into your vehicle and be transported anywhere for an intense training session that will get you closer to meeting your goals and surpassing them.
The weight capacity this exercise ball offers is upwards of 250 pounds. It’s ultra-durable and made of a composite material that isn’t easily damaged. Using a half yoga ball like the Bosu Sport Balance Trainer will amplify your full-body workout, especially your core.
The Bosu Elite Balance Trainer
The Bosu Elite Balance Trainer is an excellent investment for your home gym. It’s only $209.95 and has a weight capacity of an astounding 450 pounds. It’s designed with a new high-density dome for ultra-pressurized resistance, creating higher-intensity workouts. The Bosu Elite Balance Trainer is great for anyone looking to improve their performance in all aspects of physical prowess. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner, an elite athlete, or someone just trying to heal from injury, this Bosu ball can help. It offers compression strength training, exceptional performance, and coiling core training.
The Bosu Elite Balance Trainer is durable and rugged. 8.5 inches tall with a 26-inch diameter, it comes in a sleek black dome color with a gray platform and carries a two-year warranty. It’s made with a new power line for precise position so you can align your pelvis, shoulders, and spine for different exercises. The improved design offers a reinforced, high threshold platform. The Bosu Elite Balance Trainer was developed to target all muscle groups, especially the glutes and hard-to-hit areas. Struggle with your inner and outer adductors? Are parts of your abdomen and lateral muscles difficult to engage? The Bosu Elite Balance Trainer can create different force vectors and training stimuli.
If you are looking for an Olympic-level piece of equipment, this Bosu ball is for you. It’s designed with a tactile honeycomb grip offering a new power zone for your strength and endurance workouts. The power zone offers a maximum return to spring load movements. The improved high-intensity dome returns the applied pressure by turning it into dynamic, elastic resistance, thus generating explosive power and vigorous isometric tension. Prime your body to be lighter on the ground, faster on the floor, and powerful under the bar. Working with this elite half yoga ball will make it easier to work with other exercise equipment such as the pull-up bar, bench press, and Russian lean.
The Pink Bosu Sport Balance Trainer
The pink Bosu Sport Balance Trainer is a workout balance ball for anyone who enjoys a colorful workout. Although the shade of the workout balance ball shouldn’t be the focus, sometimes adding a little flare can provide the right motivating factors for finishing a workout. Having some style in your home gym can deliver that inviting quality you need to step inside every day and get the work in. The variety of high-intensity cardio workouts coupled with strength and flexibility training is the focus.
Worried about normal wear and tear from constant use? It’s constructed of burst-resistant latex and phthalate-free material, suitable for regular use. On the smaller side with a 19.69-inch circumference and 7-inch height, it still has a maximum weight of 300 pounds. The travel size shape is perfect for saving you space in your at-home gym, and you can also carry it with you to the yard, the park, or any other outdoor workout space. It includes a hand pump and weighs roughly ten pounds. Carry it in your car or bring it with you when you fly. The style and size allow you the freedom to travel with it. The pink Bosu Sport Balance Trainer is only $124.99 for all these amenities.
Reach Your Fitness Goals With A Bosu Ball
Don’t be surprised if regular training with a Bosu ball helps you reach your fit and fab goals sooner than expected. After all, the whole point of a home gym is to get everything you need from your training session. You don’t have to worry about paying for a gym membership or cluttering your home with every possible piece of exercise equipment out there. Train every muscle group and get lighter, faster, and stronger with any of the Bosu ball balance trainers mentioned above.
