Exercising can sometimes get boring and need a bit of a change. A new gadget is always nice and here we tried the BOSU balance trainer.
The BOSU Balance Trainer or BOSU ball is a fitness training device, made of an inflated rubber half ball on a flat rigid platform. It can be used for balance training, and other types of exercise. When the dome side faces up, the ball has an unstable surface while the device remains stable. With the dome side up, it can be used for aerobic exercise. It can be used like a full sized exercise ball, and you can get it with cords to do arms.
There are several types of these half ball exercise devices on the markets, but Bosu is the original and can accomodate a user of up to 300 pounds, so that’s great.
The nice thing with this one is you also get a DVD training video, an owner’s manual and a pump to inflate the half ball. You can use both sides of the ball to work your core and anything else you want.
Its best feature is to work the core, which is the best for balance, strength and it’s great as you can work at your own pace and unlike the regular sized balance ball, with the half ball, your have less distance to fall, which is perfect if you are a beginner.
We tried it over a few days, and followed along with the DVD to get an idea, but just ended up doing our own version of the exercises.
The various plank exercises were hard for me, so that is good, it leaves me a lot of room for improvement. I also really enjoyed a few of the leg movements for strength and muscle tone.
I liked the balance ball, and found it to give me encouragement to exercise with it. The novelty may wear off, I don’t know, but for now I like it and find myself looking forward to pushing myself with the new exercises i have discovered.
I think it would be good for people who may have had recent surgery and need to rehabilitate and it might be a nice way for people who haven’t taken much exercise lately, or for older people, to get a good strengthen routine going. You are close to the floor and it is comfortable to use.
If you are someone who already does a full routine of core strengthening, then you may not find this ball useful, but it is a nice device and seems perfect for all types, beginners to pro athletes.
