The View from Both Sides: BOSU Ball Training and Core Strength
Written by Valeria Fazio
Are you looking for a new effective method for attacking your core muscles to improve your overall strength? Do you think you are running out of options?
Well, have you ever looked over into the corner of the gym and wondered what that semi-spherical piece of equipment was for? Better still, have you ever witnessed someone use it and wonder why they chose to stand on half a ball rather than the floor?
Well, if you answered yes, you are not alone. A majority of gym rats have ignored this piece of equipment for way too long. To top it off, many of these individuals would probably benefit by incorporating just a couple exercises into their current program.
This piece of equipment is called a BOSU Ball and means both sides utilized or both sides up. It is an essential tool in developing core strength, which ultimately leads to an increase in overall body strength by developing balance, stabilization, mobility and power.
Your core is defined as the area of you torso between your lower chest to mid pelvic region. It is also commonly referred to as your body’s anatomical power center. The BOSU Ball, when incorporated into a typical weight training program, acts as an unstable surface to engage inner core muscles around your spine and pelvis that are frequently ignored during typical abdominal training.
The BOSU ball increases functional strength, mobility and stability by adding a balance component to your training. As such, whenever you perform an exercise on the BOSU Ball, your core muscles are worked to both stabilize and mobilize your body.
To add a more in-depth core component to your current program try performing the following on the BOSU ball:
• Squats
• Standing Overhead Press
• Push-ups
• Dumbbell Deadlifts
This piece of equipment also allows you to utilize a greater range of motion in your spine, while performing typical abdominal crunches. For example, as you lay on the ball, your spine is able to return to its natural “S” curve, compared to a crunch on a flat surface where your spine is forced into a straight and unnatural position.
Exercises that would provide this range of motion in your spine are:
• Regular Crunches
• Reverse Crunches
• Oblique Crunches
The BOSU ball can also add a competitive edge in plyometric training that places an emphasis on explosive power, as the trainee will typically jump onto or off the ball’s unstable surface.
Many fitness competitors incorporate BOSU ball exercises into their programs to improve the explosive component of their routines. Explosive power training with the BOSU ball is also very helpful in training for such sports as hockey, soccer, and basketball. It essentially allows the athlete to utilize the stretch shortening cycle (exerting the greatest force in the smallest amount of time).
Two exercises that allow you do to this include:
• Sumo jump squats over the ball
• Plyo push-ups over the BOSU ball
After a couple sets on the BOSU Ball, your once ignored muscles are going to be screaming for nourishment. Feed them what they want with
ISOFLEX Pure Whey Protein Isolate. Each scoop of ISOFLEX provides your body with 27 grams of high quality rapid absorption protein isolate that works to repair and build your body from the inside out, while stimulating lean muscle growth. ISOFLEX is designed to help keep you lean and standing tall and strong long after you have left the gym.
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Valeria, a recent graduate of Carleton
University, is a part time personal trainer as well as an
amateur
fitness competitor. Her favorite kind of training is HIIT.
Currently
studying Professional Writing in college, Valeria enjoys
weighttraining,
competing in fitness shows, snowboarding, and soccer.
Valeria regularly
consumes ALLMAX ISOFLEX and Glutamine to help with muscle recovery after her
workouts. |
