The first time I saw a BOSU ball, I had to laugh at it. It looks like a deformed and stunted version of a Swiss exercise ball. Then my husband and I kept injuring our ankles in martial arts, and someone recommended the BOSU for strengthening our ankles.
At about $130 for a new BOSU, it may seem a little pricy. However, for versatility it provides, we have found it to be a good investment.
Who can use it?
I think almost anyone can. It could be used solely for balance training, by little tykes on up to older folks wanting to strengthen their balancing skills as they age. If you can comfortably stand on both feet, you can use the BOSU.
How does it work?
There are three core areas of emphasis for the BOSU workout, though I'm sure creative people could come up with much more. It helps your basic balance skills, flexibility, and strength. For someone as out of shape as I am, it is also a pretty hard core cardio workout too. A video comes with the BOSU, which I recommend watching a few times so you can get the hang of all the different moves you can do. You can just stand there on it and watch TV, and I guarantee you your entire lower body will be working (albeit slightly) the entire time to stabilize your stance. You can do lunges off and onto, sort of like step aerobics, and then there are a ton of abdominal and back strengthening exercises. You can even turn the BOSU over, so the flat part is on top, and do a boogie-board routine or pushups. The possibilities are fun, and almost endless.
What does it do?
It sits there and looks cute. Seriously, it does. We have ours sitting in the middle of the living room currently, and it is a definite conversation starter. Some people think we may be trying to make some sort of artistic statement, but really we like how it looks, and want to be able to hop on any time. It is also particularly nice to vault yourself across a room by jumping on it.
A fun bonus the makers of BOSU probably wouldn't want to hear about
My husband and I have discovered the best use of all for the BOSU: a prop for adjusting each other's backs. Of course it's great for stretching your own back if you sort of drape yourself over it, but even better for working on another person's back. I have to say that we use the BOSU for this even more than anything else.
Overall, I can't say enough good things about the BOSU. Any home exercise equipment though, is basically only as good as its owner's intent to use it. I have great notions of working out on it while watching TV, but find myself more often sitting on it instead. But it's there, and there are very few limits on what it can do. I think it can accommodate a huge range of skill & athletic levels as well -- you can always make the exercises harder or easier.
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