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–The BOSU ball is one of the best pieces of balance training equipment around and performing any type of exercise on it can lead to significant improvements in balance. However, if you want to take your balance training to the next level, certain exercises are better than others. In this article I help you maximize your balance by discussing four of the top BOSU balance exercises.

1) BOSU Lunges

BOSU lunges are the easiest of the exercises on this list as one of your feet remains firmly planted on the ground. However, they are still pretty challenging and a great way to get started with balance training.

To perform a BOSU lunge, place the BOSU ball dome side up and then put one leg in front of your body and onto the ball. Then bend your knees and slowly lower your body down until your front knee is at a 90 degree angle. Once your knee reaches a 90 degree angle, slowly raise your body back up to the starting position and repeat.

When performing static lunges, make sure you don’t lean forward and that your front knee does not go over your ankle. Failing to do this can cause injury. Also, make sure that you do lunges on both legs so that you develop your balance equally in each leg. The video below outlines how to perform BOSU lunges. Just don’t try the clapping part until you have mastered the actual lunge:

>>> Watch A Video Demonstration Of BOSU Lunges <<<

2) BOSU Wobble Board

Once you have mastered the BOSU lunges, using the BOSU ball as a wobble board is the next logical step. This is a little more difficult than lunges as it takes both feet of the ground and onto the rotating BOSU ball.

To use the BOSU ball as a wobble board, place it platform side up, stand on it, get your balance and then stand up straight. Once you have secured your balance, slowly rotate the BOSU ball to the left, then to the right, then backwards and then forwards.

When using the BOSU ball as a wobble board, make sure you start off slowly and only start to rotate when you are fully balanced in the center of the ball. If you find balancing on the BOSU ball too difficult, hold a broom in your hands for extra support or place the ball close to a wall so that you can use the wall to help you balance. Then once you get used to balancing on the BOSU ball you can gradually try using it as a wobble board with no additional support. The video below demonstrates how to use the BOSU ball as a wobble board:

>>> Watch A Video Demonstration Of The BOSU Wobble Board <<<

3) One Legged BOSU Balance

 Once you can successfully use the BOSU ball as a wobble board with no additional support and without falling off, you should be ready for the next balancing exercise – one legged BOSU balance. This is the most challenging balancing exercise so far because it takes one leg off the ground completely and involves you maintaining full balance on the BOSU ball with just one leg.

To perform the one legged BOSU balance exercise, place the BOSU ball dome side up, stand on the BOSU ball with both feet, slowly raise one leg off the ground and then hold the position for as long as you can.

When performing the one legged BOSU balance exercise, make sure you move onto one leg very slowly and that you maintain full balance at all times. If you find that you can’t balance on one leg initially, try using a broom or wall for support in the same way as I suggested in the BOSU wobble board description. Also, make sure that you do the one legged BOSU balance exercise on both your left and right legs to ensure that your balance develops equally. The video below demonstrates how to perform the one legged BOSU balance exercise:

>>> Watch A Video Demonstration Of One Legged BOSU Balance <<<

4) BOSU Leapfrogs

 Once you are an expert at the one legged BOSU balance exercise, you are ready for the ultimate balance test – BOSU leapfrogs. This exercise is the hardest one on the list and requires you to find your balance on the BOSU ball immediately. Only attempt this once you have fully mastered the three exercises above.

To perform BOSU leapfrogs, you will need two or more BOSU balls. Place the balls platform side up and arrange them in a way that allows you to jump between them. Stand on one of the BOSU balls, get your balance and then jump to the next one. Gain your balance and then jump to the next BOSU ball or if you are using just two balls, jump back to the original ball.

When performing BOSU leapfrogs, make sure you are fully balanced before jumping. Also, make sure that the BOSU you are jumping too has stopped moving and is fully stable. If this is your first time attempting BOSU leapfrogs, put down some padded mats as you are very likely to fall. The video below demonstrates how to perform BOSU leapfrogs:

 >>> Watch A Video Demonstration Of BOSU Leapfrogs <<<

Summary

Once you are comfortable with all the exercises on this list, you will be a BOSU balance master. Not only will you find exercising on the BOSU ball easier but you will also find that your overall balance and stability when not using the BOSU ball is much better. So get practicing those one legged lunges today and take your first steps towards becoming a BOSU balance master.

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Balance & BOSU

Warming up is an important part of any workout. It allows your muscles to gently ease into the workout ahead and reduces your chances of injury. If you warm up with a BOSU ball you can also improve your balance and core strength as you prepare for the workout ahead. In this article I discuss some of the best ways to warm up with the BOSU Ball.

BOSU Ball Cardio Warm Ups

 Cardio is a great way to get your blood pumping, increase the temperature of your body and warm your muscles up. At first glance the BOSU ball might not seem best suited to cardio. However, if you get a little creative, there are plenty of cardio warm ups that you can perform on the BOSU ball. In the list below I highlight my top three:

1) Step Ups:- This simple but effective warm up involves stepping on the BOSU ball and then stepping off again. Do it slowly to begin and then once you find your balance increase the speed until you are warmed up.

 2) Jogging:- Jogging is another simple warm up that can be performed on the BOSU ball. Start off jogging slowly on the ball and then gradually increase the intensity until you are fully warmed up.

3) Jumping Jacks:- To perform jumping jacks on the BOSU ball simply start bouncing on the ball and then throw your arms and legs out to the side whilst you are in the air.

BOSU Ball Strength Training Warm Ups

Strength training warm ups are an excellent way to prepare your major muscles for a weight lifting session. The two BOSU ball warm up exercises listed below allow you to warm up all the major muscles in your upper and lower body:

1) Push Up:- To perform push ups on the BOSU ball place your hands on the ball and make sure they are parallel to your chest. Straighten your legs behind you, slowly bend your elbows until your nose touches the BOSU ball and then return to your starting position.

2) Squat:- To perform a squat on the BOSU ball stand up straight on the ball with your feet facing forward. Slowly bend your knees and lower your body down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Then straighten your knees and return to your starting position.

 BOSU Ball Stretching Warm Ups

 Stretching is a fantastic way to make your muscles supple and increase your range of motion before you start your main workout. The list below explains how you can use the BOSU ball to stretch your back, legs and upper body:

 1) Bridge:- To perform a bridge on the BOSU ball lie flat on your back with the ball at your feet. Keep your arms by your side, bend your legs and place your feet on the BOSU ball. Push up with your legs and curl your back so it looks like a bridge then hold the position for one minute.

2) Hamstring Stretch:- To perform a hamstring stretch on the BOSU ball sit on the ball with your legs stretched out in front of you. Lean forward as far as you can and keep your legs straight. Once you are as far forward as you can go hold the stretch for one minute.

 3) Shoulder Stretch:- To perform a shoulder stretch on the BOSU ball stand on the ball and stretch one arm across your chest horizontally. Hook this arm around the elbow with your other arm, pull it towards your chest and hold for one minute. After one minute repeat this stretch with the other arm.

Summary

These BOSU ball warm ups should help you get ready for any workout whilst also improving your balance and core strength. So next time you hit the gym don’t warm up on the bike or the treadmill. Grab a BOSU ball and give these exercises a try instead.

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Warming Up With The BOSU Ball

Bodyweight training is a type of exercise that requires no equipment and involves using your bodyweight to boost your fitness. It’s extremely versatile and can be used to build muscle, improve your cardiovascular fitness, boost your balance and more. In this article I’ll be looking at the pros and cons of bodyweight training and listing some of the best bodyweight moves.

The Benefits Of Bodyweight Training

Bodyweight training is one of the most flexible forms of fitness training and because of this it has a range of unique benefits which are outlined in the list below:

1. Versatility: Bodyweight training is extremely versatile and there are hundreds of different bodyweight exercises out there that can be used to achieve a wide range of health and fitness goals.

2. No Equipment Required: Bodyweight training requires no equipment and this allows you to workout quickly and conveniently without having to spend any cash.

3. Workout Anytime & Anywhere: Bodyweight training is not restricted by time or location and once you know some bodyweight exercises, you can perform them anytime and anywhere.

4. Suits All Fitness Levels: Bodyweight training is simplistic in nature and most bodyweight moves can be performed with ease by people who have very little fitness experience. However, the intensity of bodyweight training can easily be scaled which makes it just as suitable for people with high levels of fitness.

5. Low Impact: Bodyweight training places very little pressure on your joints, so is a perfect way to keep fit if you suffer from an inflammatory disorder or joint pain.

The Drawbacks Of Bodyweight Training

Although bodyweight training has plenty of benefits, there are some limitations to this form of exercise which are highlighted in the list below:

1. Muscle Building: While bodyweight training can be used to build muscle, it’s not the most efficient option and if you want to pack on muscle mass, free weights are a much better choice.

2. Muscle Power: If you want to develop explosive muscle power, you need to be lifting heavy free weights and bodyweight training won’t help you achieve this fitness goal.

Top 5 Bodyweight Exercises

Now you know about the pros and cons of bodyweight training and whether it’s right for you, it’s time to look at some specific bodyweight exercises. The list below highlights five of the best bodyweight moves:

1. Bodyweight Squats: Bodyweight squats target all the muscles in your legs. To perform bodyweight squats, follow the instructions below:
   1. Stand with your feet a shoulder width apart.
   2. Bend your legs until your butt is parallel with your knees.
   3. Straighten your legs and return to the starting position.
   4. Repeat steps b-c for as many reps as you can manage.

2. Burpees: Burpees are a classic cardio bodyweight exercise that strengthen and tone a range of muscles in your body. To perform burpees, follow the instructions below:
   1. Bend your knees and put your hands on the ground, making sure that they’re a shoulder width apart.
   2. Kick your legs out behind you and slowly bend your arms until your nose touches the ground.
   3. Slowly straighten your arms, kick your knees back in, then stand up and jump up in the air.
   4. When you land, repeat steps a-c for as many reps as you can manage.

3. Planks: Planks are deceptively simple looking but one of the most effective core strengthening exercises out there. To perform planks, follow the instructions below:
   1. Kneel down and rest your forearms on the ground.
   2. Raise your knees off the ground, balance on your toes and forearms, keep your back straight and tighten your core muscles.
   3. Hold this position for as long as you can manage.

4. Pull Ups: Pull ups are a brilliant upper body exercise that target your biceps, forearms, upper back and shoulders. To perform pull ups, follow the instructions below (you will need a pull up bar to perform this exercise):
   1. Stand under the pull up bar and grab it with both hands, making sure that your palms are facing forward and about a shoulder width apart.
   2. Slowly bend your knees, take your feet off the floor and hang with your arms and shoulders supporting your bodyweight.
   3. Slowly bend your arms and pull your body up towards the bar, stopping when your biceps are fully flexed and your chin is slightly above the bar.
   4. Slowly straighten your arms and lower your body back down to the starting position.
   5. Repeat steps c-d for as many reps as you can manage.

5. Push Ups: Push ups are another old school bodyweight exercise that build up your chest, triceps and shoulders. To perform push ups, follow the instructions below:
   1. Kneel down and place your hands on the ground, making sure they are in line with your chest and about a shoulder width apart.
   2. Straighten your legs out behind you, balance on your toes and hands, keep your back straight and tighten your core muscles.
   3. Slowly bend your arms until your nose touches the floor.
   4. Slowly straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
   5. Repeat steps c-d for as many reps as you can manage.

Summary

 Bodyweight training is an excellent addition to any fitness regime. Even if it’s not your preferred tool, the simplicity of bodyweight training makes it a perfect backup for the times when you don’t have access to any equipment but still want to workout. So learn some bodyweight moves, perfect the form and then use them whenever you please.

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What Is Bodyweight Training?

Weightlifting is the most popular muscle building exercise around. However, although it’s not as widely used, bodyweight training still has its merits when it comes to packing on muscle. This article will compare bodyweight training and weightlifting side by side and show how they both stack up when it comes to muscle gains.

1. Muscle Size

To develop muscle size, you need to be lifting an increasing amount of weight during each workout. Since weightlifting uses external equipment, this is easy to achieve and you can increase the amount of weight you’re lifting whenever you please. However, because bodyweight training relies solely on your own bodyweight, the total amount you lift during each workout doesn’t change much. This makes weightlifting a much better tool for developing muscle mass.

Winner = Weightlifting

2. Muscle Strength

As mentioned above, weightlifting involves lifting progressively heavier weights and this has a positive impact on your overall muscle strength. By lifting weights regularly, you can significantly improve your strength levels and develop impressive muscle power.

Bodyweight training doesn’t give you the same level of raw muscle power but it does improve your balance and flexibility at the same time as boosting your strength. This allows you to build a more functional style of strength which is useful when performing day to day tasks.

Winner = Draw (Bodyweight training is best for functional strength, weightlifting is best for raw power)

3. Muscle Endurance

Most weightlifting routines involve lifting weights for between 6-14 reps. Bodyweight training on the other hand involves performing each exercise till failure and potentially performing hundreds of reps as your fitness improves. This increased rep range makes bodyweight training the optimal choice for enhancing your muscle endurance.

Winner = Bodyweight Training

4. Injury Risk

Even when you master the proper form and lift slowly and carefully, weightlifting still has a number of associated risks. The heavy weights are a potential hazard which can fall out of your hands, land on your body and cause various injuries. In addition to this, the heavy weights can easily over stretch your muscles and joints which can then lead to painful sprains or tears. With bodyweight training, none of these risks are present and your chances of injuring yourself as you exercise are much lower.

Winner = Bodyweight Training

Summary

 If you’re looking for muscle size and strength, weightlifting is the way to go. However, if you want to build muscular endurance and develop a more functional style of strength, bodyweight training is likely to be better for you. Alternatively, you can use a combination of both bodyweight training and weightlifting and enjoy a mixture of the benefits they provide.

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Bodyweight Training Vs Weightlifting

There are lots of reasons bodyweight training and cardio go hand in hand. The flexibility of this form of exercise makes it fun, functional and effective. Plus, if you choose the right exercises, you can blast through hundreds of calories per day and fire up your cardiovascular fitness. In this article I’ll be discussing why bodyweight training is such a good cardio option and listing some of the top bodyweight cardio exercises.

The Benefits Of Bodyweight Cardio Training

Bodyweight cardio training has many plus points and I have listed these below:

1. Fun: If you find running on a treadmill or cycling on a stationary exercise bike boring but still want to improve your cardiovascular fitness, bodyweight training is a great choice. Bodyweight workouts are fast, fun and challenging and one of the most enjoyable ways to boost your cardiovascular fitness.

2. Flexible: Bodyweight cardio workouts can be performed anytime, anywhere and for as long or as little as you like. No matter where you are or how much time you have to spare, you can always use bodyweight exercises to get in a cardio workout.

3. Scalable: Bodyweight cardio workouts are very easy to scale and can be adapted as your cardiovascular fitness improves. When you’re just starting out, you can perform the bodyweight exercises at a slow, steady pace and complete a small number of reps. Then as your cardiovascular fitness improves, you can start to increase the speed at which you perform the bodyweight exercises and increase your total number of reps.

4. Low Impact: Certain cardiovascular exercises (such as dancing and jogging) place a large amount of pressure on your joints which then leads to pain, redness and swelling. However, bodyweight cardio exercises are very low impact and allow you to improve your cardiovascular fitness without experiencing any joint problems.

Creating A Bodyweight Cardio Routine

Putting together a bodyweight cardio routine is relatively simple and I have listed exactly how to do it in the section below:

1. Decide How Long You’re Going To Workout: The first thing you need to decide when formulating a bodyweight cardio routine is how long you can workout for. This can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 1 hour, so simply pick a duration that suits you best.

2. Decide How Much Rest You’ll Need: After you’ve decided on your total workout duration, you then need to choose how much rest you’ll need. This will depend on both how long you’re working out and your current fitness levels. For example, if you’re doing a 5 minute workout, you probably won’t need any rest periods. However, if you’re exercising for a full hour, you’ll probably want 5-10 minutes rest during the workout.

3. Calculate Your Total Active Workout Time: Once you’ve completed the two steps above, you then need to calculate your total active workout time. To do this, simply subtract your rest time from your workout duration. For example, if you’re working out for 1 hour and having 10 minutes of rest, your total active workout time is 50 minutes.

4. Choose Some Bodyweight Cardio Exercises You Enjoy: There are hundreds of different bodyweight cardio exercises you can choose from including burpees, mountain climbers, step ups and squat jumps. This article is a great starting point and highlights 35 of the most popular bodyweight cardio exercises. Simply give them a try and choose 5-10 of the bodyweight cardio exercises that you like best.

5. Distribute Your Total Active Workout Time: After you’ve calculated your total active workout time and chosen your exercises, the next task is to distribute this time amongst the exercises. For example, if you chose five cardio exercises and your total active workout time is 50 minutes, then you’ll be doing 10 minutes per exercise.

6. Distribute Your Rest Time: Once you’ve distributed your total active workout time, your final task is to distribute your rest time. How you distribute your rest time will depend on your personal preferences and the total amount of rest time you have chosen. For example, if you’re working out for 1 hour and having 10 minutes of rest, you can have two 5 minute rest periods at 20 minute intervals or five 2 minute rest periods at 10 minute intervals.

Summary

 If you’re trying to fire up your cardiovascular fitness, bodyweight training can help. Just a few minutes each day is all you need to get a sweat on, get your blood flowing, blast through body fat and improve your cardiovascular fitness. So go ahead and start formulating your personalized bodyweight cardio workout today.

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Bodyweight Training & Cardio