Cancerwise

If you work out regularly at a health club or fitness center, you might’ve noticed an odd-looking piece of equipment tucked in among the free weights, yoga mats and kettlebells. 

Called a “BOSU” ball or a “BOSU balance trainer,” this device has a soft, inflatable dome on one side and a hard, flat platform on the other.

But what are you supposed to do with a BOSU ball? Can it really make exercise more challenging? Should you try one? 

Read on to learn more about BOSU balls, including how they can improve your workouts and who should avoid them.

What is a BOSU ball?

Invented in the late 1990s as an exercise tool, a BOSU ball is half a stability ball and half a round platform, smooshed together and attached on the flat side.

You can use it with either side facing up, which explains the acronym that forms its name: “BOSU” stands for either “both sides up” or “both sides utilized,” depending on who you ask. 

What is a BOSU ball good for?

Primarily balance, coordination and core stability, though it can also be used for flexibility or other strengthening exercises.

There was a huge focus on core conditioning around the time that BOSU balls first came out. So, it was really attractive to people for a while. Core stabilizer muscles have to work harder when you’re on a BOSU ball than they do if you’re just standing on the floor, so they definitely add more of a challenge. 

From a wellness coaching perspective, though, I often encourage people to think of a BOSU ball as a tool for adding variety, improving balance, and increasing body awareness, rather than simply making an exercise harder.

How many different ways can you use a BOSU ball?

The possibilities are pretty endless. You can stand on it, sit on it, kneel on it, lean on it or lie down on it. You can position yourself either face-up or face-down, if you’re lying on it. You can use it for push-ups, as a cushion for your rear while doing Pilates stretches, or as a platform to stand on while doing squats.

Personally, I’ve found it’s more fun to use a BOSU ball in a group or a class setting than it is to use one by myself. Part of the reason is so I can see how other people are using it and take what I learn from them to apply to my own workouts.