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WHAT'S NEW
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Introduction to BOSU
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Refresh your exercise routine with a fun piece of fitness equipment.
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By Michele Drake
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Stationary Lunge (top)
Platform Pushups (middle)
Bridge with Leg Lift (bottom)
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It's versatile, effective, portable, compact and it's the latest fitness must-have. The BOSU is half a stability ball on a flat surface and it just may be your answer to staying poised and fit.
Whether your goal is sport excellence, general fitness or injury rehabilitation, the BOSU -- which stands for both sides up -- is easy to use and has elements of play. The BOSU is unlike traditional fitness equipment because it allows users to train movements, not just muscles, and it improves balance.
Training on the BOSU can help you to recover balance when you slip and it can enhance activities like skiing down moguls or digging in a garden -- which require all of the body's muscles to work together at once. Benefits of training on the BOSU also include: activation, toning and strengthening of all muscle groups and it helps to develop strength.
Andrew Clark and Peter Twist are fitness experts at Twist Conditioning Inc., an organization that specializes in sports training, and they've provided the following three introductory exercises, with progressions to try once you've mastered the basic technique.
Stationary Lunge
Setup:
Position one foot on the center of the BOSU.
Extend the other leg straight back, and balance on the ball of the foot.
Execution:
Bend both knees and lower yourself until your front leg makes a 90-degree angle.
Control your balance.
Perform 10 repetitions/switch legs.
Progressions:
For strength: Hold dumbbells at your sides.
For balance: Close your eyes while performing the exercise.
Platform Pushups
Setup:
Position your hands on the edges of the flat surface.
Keep your knees far enough from the BOSU so that your back and legs align with your shoulders and your knees.
Execution:
Bending your arms at the elbows, lower your body slowly, and with control, until your upper body almost touches the surface of the BOSU.
Push yourself back up to the starting position.
Do not lock your elbows.
Keep your abdominal muscles tight.
Repeat 10 times.
Progressions:
To increase difficulty, shift the pivot point from your knees to your toes. So your body is fully extended with your shoulders, back and legs aligned with your feet.
Bridge with Leg Lift
Setup:
Lay on the BOSU with your shoulder blades on top of the dome.
Keep your feet together.
Lift your hips, creating a level surface from your knees right down across your core to your shoulders.
Execution:
Lift one leg two inches from the ground and hold for five seconds.
Don't allow your hips to drop or tilt to the sides.
Progressions:
To increase difficulty, start with your legs shoulder-width apart.
Where to get a BOSU
The Bosu Balance Trainer can be purchased at Twist Conditioning Inc. Visit www.sportconditioning.ca and click on "Our Products" or call 888-214-4244.
Michele Drake is a Toronto-based fitness consultant. She is certified with a long list of associations including the Canadian Personal Trainers Network, CanFitPro and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. She is also the founder and creator of a pre- and post-natal fitness regime Healthy Me, Healthy You.
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