The Evil Bosu – 5 Simple Workouts

For most of my adult life I have been overweight. As a matter of fact for my 40th birthday my husband bought me an elliptical machine.

It was what I wanted. Really! At the time, I was overweight, running hurt my knees, I had no fitness clothes and I had no intention of going outside to let ‘everyone’ watch me jiggle down the street. The elliptical machine made sense. But like most people with great intentions, I started using it and then it became a clothing rack instead of a tool. Several years later, we tried again to shed some pounds and we bought a ‘gym machine’. You know the kind, it works your whole body, if you know what to do with it. But the reality is that again, it took up some space and collected dust. By the time we finally got serious about our fitness journey, we had accumulated a room full of equipment. It was all good equipment because we rarely bought cheap and it was hardly used. Our ‘workout room’ looked great. Our kids’ friends were all really impressed. We were so proud. We had free weights, a recumbent bike, the elliptical machine, the gym machine, a couple of stability balls, some risers with a step, and some bands.

When we sought a trainer in the fall of 2011, we wanted whoever it was, to come to our home so that we could use our great equipment. Fortunately for us, when Dean and Leigh Brandt made the brave decision to take us on, they agreed to come to our place and use our equipment. The room was small, but was perfect for what we needed. BUT, there was one piece of equipment that we didn’t have and soon purchased. It was what I still to this day call, ‘the evil bosu’.

If you don’t know what a bosu is, it is a half an inflated ball sitting on a flat base. It has become a staple in most gyms and has a tremendous number of uses and applications. It can be used flat side up or flat side down. Some are inflated really hard, some really soft. Either way, I have a love/hate relationship with it.

The bosu has become a staple in the gym for me. I use one a lot. First and foremost, please use caution when using a new piece of equipment. This one looks so simple, but because of that, people don’t use as much caution as they should. One of the first things that we ever tried to do with it was stand on it. Flat side down, slowly stepping carefully on, it will be a challenge for balance. Your feet will not be flat, your knees will wobble and you will need to concentrate. From there, we would try to do squats. Sounds simple, but when you are just starting out, it is really tough.

Now that we have been using one for a while we do much more complex things with it. But it all comes down to using it properly, having proper form, and remembering that the outcome is worth the work.

Some Bosu workout exercises

• Bosu Squats

1. Place Bosu flat side down. Gently step up with feet comfortably apart. You may need a hand or something to help with balance.
2. Squat.
3. At first, your squats will be shallow, you may lose balance, but do what you can.

• Bosu Lunges

1. With Bosu flat side down, step forward on to the Bosu, and back with one foot.
2. Make sure your foot is placed in the centre to reduce the chance of the ball sliding forward.
3. You can either alternate feet or one side at a time.

• Bosu Mountain Climbers

1. Place Bosu flat side up and place hands on the outside edge, shoulder width apart.
2. Tuck alternating knees in.
3. You should look like you are in a push-up position and running in place at the same time.

• Bosu Burpee

1. Stand holding the Bosu with the flat side facing you.
2. Place the soft side on the floor.
3. Now, jump both feet back, so that you look like you are in a push-up and quickly pull both feet back in.
4. Stand back up with Bosu in hand pushing it overhead

• Bosu Sit­ups

1. Place Bosu flat side down and sit on it.
2. The top should be in the small of your back as you lean back.
3. With hand across your chest, sit up.
4. You may need to adjust your feet and bum so that you get the most out of it and so that you don’t slide.

There are so many things to do on this evil little piece of equipment. One list I found online had 41 different things to do with it. I hope you understand that although I call it evil, I still use it in most of my workouts. It’s evil, simply because it does it’s job and if I use it properly, I will be sore.

As I have said in other posts, you need to find what works for you. But, this simple piece of equipment can and should be used by everyone. From beginner to expert, this little beasty works!