Barefoot Exercises: Workouts for Balance, Balance and Strength

What is Bosu and what is it for?

Bosu balance trainer is a hybrid of fitball and step platform. In such a simulator, a rubber inflatable hemispherical cushion or “bump” is attached to a solid plastic base.

Bosu - the abbreviation stands for Both Side Use, which means “two-sided”. The exercise machine is truly universal: it can be used as a complicated step platform, a balance beam, a fitball and a hand weight. The size of the device is small, 30 cm high and 65 cm in diameter, similar to half a ball. The elasticity of the inflatable part is regulated by a conventional pump. As additional accessories, you can attach expanders or handles to your boots.

This funny item was invented relatively recently - in 1999, by Marine and fitness trainer David Vack for a rehabilitation set of exercises. It quickly gained popularity around the world.

Bosu simulator: what is it?

The Bosu hemisphere resembles a large ball with a diameter of about 65 cm, which is cut in half and inflated with air. The lower solid part is the “platform”, the upper elastic part is the “house”. "House" represents a changing surface. It takes effort to maintain balance. Beginners should not use the flat part of the machine, as without preparation this can lead to injury. A pump is included with the sports equipment, with which you can inflate the convex part of the platform. The more it is pumped up, the more elastic it becomes. Therefore, the exercises are much more difficult to perform.

How does Bosu work?

Despite its apparent simplicity and “toy-like” appearance, the dome is able to engage deep muscles. Conventional aerobic exercises, complicated by balance and balance, affect muscle groups that home workout enthusiasts are not aware of.

Deep muscles are the basis of the skeleton and musculoskeletal system. They will never be visible from the outside, but it is these muscle connections that allow a person to move, hold the torso, head, and protect the spine from injury. They are responsible for blood supply, joint mobility, and stability of the nervous system.

The development of deep stabilizing muscles occurs only at the subconscious level, when a newborn child learns to hold his head, lean on his hands, sit, crawl, stand and walk. The basis for the involvement of deep stabilizing muscles is maintaining balance and mastering coordination, when tension in areas of muscle connections occurs unconsciously.

Description

Bosu is a special sports equipment that was first developed in 1999 as a type of fitball. The name is an abbreviation for the expression "Both Side Up". The universal, balanced platform in the shape of a semicircle is used for a variety of training, for example, strength, gymnastics or aerobic. During classes, you can use both sides of the equipment: convex and flat. With the help of bosu, you can work out all muscle groups, get rid of extra centimeters around the waist and hips, and also improve endurance and endurance. Depending on which side of the equipment you use, you can increase the load and make the exercises more difficult. Anyone can exercise on the platform, from children to adults without any special physical training.

Benefits of classes

Training with Bosu is interesting and fun. Exercises can be performed standing, sitting, lying down. This is a great thing for improving the functioning of the vestibular apparatus of adults and children. The deep muscles are activated even without performing complex exercises. Learning to balance on a rubber dome and not fall is already excellent training in itself.

The Bosu balancing platform strengthens ligaments and tendons, promotes the restoration of joints after injuries, so Bosu can be found not only in fitness centers, but also in exercise therapy rooms and professional training facilities.

The hummock is perfect for girls and women who want to lose extra pounds without exhausting physical activity and pain. 5 minutes of barefoot balancing is equal to 5 minutes of jumping rope. On the Internet, in photos and videos, you can find a whole range of simple fat-burning barefoot exercises.

Bosu is a wonderful assistant for straightening posture with scoliosis, lidosis, giving joints gutta-percha, and all types of stretching. By the way, this is one of the few exercise machines that allows you to tighten the inner muscles of the thighs and buttocks without much effort.

The whole family can exercise on the hemisphere:

• The child will definitely enjoy jumping on the half-ball without disturbing the neighbors;
• the exercise machine will help mom maintain slimness and flexibility;
• Dad is able to use the platform for strength training.

The hummock is one of the few simulators for foot deformity, prevention and correction of flat feet in children and adults.

Benefits of bosu training

The main benefit of bosu training is the ability to engage the stabilizer muscles and small intervertebral muscles. Usually during classes we use only large muscles. And only on an unstable surface the whole body is involved in the work.

Benefits of Bosu:

1. Versatility.

   Both men and women, beginners and experienced athletes can use the hemisphere in their exercises. Trainers of completely opposite types of fitness include barefoot exercises in their programs. And at the same time, everyone is invariably satisfied with the achieved result.

2. Efficiency.

   If the usual push-ups, planks, lunges have become too easy, you can start doing them on a hemisphere. This will burn many more calories and make the activity much more challenging.

3. Strengthening the muscular frame.

   Regardless of what exercises you perform on the machine, your core muscles are actively working all the time. The back is strengthened, beautiful posture is formed, and the abs quickly appear. Moreover, muscle imbalance is completely excluded, as sometimes happens if you get carried away with working out the deep abdominal muscles.

4. Development of the vestibular apparatus.

   Over the years, it has become a problem for many people not only to ride on a children's carousel, but even just to watch its work. Dizziness and nausea in transport are clear symptoms that the system has failed. And what is especially unpleasant: humanity has not yet invented drugs that can put the vestibular apparatus in order. The only way to get rid of unpleasant sensations is training. And bosu is one of the most effective exercise machines in this case.

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5. Ease of use.

   To train barefoot, you don’t need to invent or memorize any special exercises. You can even do morning exercises familiar from childhood, but relying on a hemisphere. And the effectiveness of the training will increase significantly.

Bosu is often compared to a fitball, and always not in favor of the latter. Firstly, the risk of injury on the hemisphere is much lower. Secondly, you can train barefoot not only lying or sitting, but also standing. This gives more room for the fitness instructor’s imagination when developing the program.

Disadvantages and contraindications

Like any sports equipment, bosu has its own characteristics and contraindications. Exercises on the hemisphere are not recommended for:

• diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems;
• violations of coordination and vestibular apparatus;
• being too overweight (more than 40% of body weight);
• acute injuries of joints, ligaments, spine;
• dizziness, sudden surges in blood pressure;
• prolapse of the kidneys;
• pregnancy.

Bosu has a couple of significant disadvantages - a large load on the ankles, which increases the risk of sprains, and high cost. However, the price is justified. By purchasing gymnastic equipment, you can get several effective and quite professional exercise equipment at once:

1. Step platform.
2. Fitball.
3. Paraexpander

However, you do not need to purchase a platform to practice on Bosu. You can do exercises at the fitness club. In Moscow, such shells are available at La Salute.

Classes on Bosu: what are they?

Bosu training is an effective and safe exercise that has many more possibilities than any other sports program. Exercises on this apparatus are similar to step aerobics. Only under your feet is not a solid surface, but a balancing hemisphere, so you have to constantly maintain the required position of the center of gravity. You can jump, squat, lean on it and perform other manipulations. Training helps improve coordination, posture, general condition of the body, and develop flexibility.

Who is the training suitable for?

Bosu fitness is perfect for beginners and the lazy. The loads can be increased gradually or you can get by with a minimal set of exercises – the effect will still be there. The equipment develops dexterity, flexibility, balance, so it will be a good preparation for skiing, skating, and snowboarding.

Russian hockey players and football players train on Bosu. While balancing on the dome, they perform soccer ball handling exercises.

For those who are struggling with those hated kilograms, the hemisphere will help avoid injuries to the spine and knees, smoothing out the shock loads on the joints. Traditional exercises, complicated by balancing, become many times more effective,

The fitness boss is shown to be busy and impatient, and someone who is tired of the usual routine workouts and wants to try something unusual and fun. With a boss you will have to relearn how to stand on one leg or squat.

The only thing more compact than a barefoot is a jump rope and dumbbells. The exercise machine can be deflated and placed on a shelf or under the sofa. In a small apartment, when you don’t want to clutter up the space with large trainer devices, but there is a need for full-fledged training.

Bosu balance trainer will be useful for those who have not yet decided on the direction of training or are interested in a little of everything - yoga, stretching, Pilates, aerobics, strength or cardio training.

An inflatable hummock is not suitable for those who are very heavy. According to the manufacturer's specifications, the load is limited to 150 kg.

Pros and cons of the design

With the bosu platform, you can pump up large muscles and tone small muscles responsible for coordination of movements and balance of the body. Projectile:

• develops dexterity;
• improves posture;
• teaches you how to control your body.

The hemisphere for balance makes it more difficult to perform classical exercises and, as a result, forces the body to expend more energy. Compared to fitball, programs with it become more diverse. You can work on a hemispherical ball made of plastic and a rubber dome with a relief surface while sitting, lying, standing, or on your knees. The structure is used instead of a bench, as a platform for step and push-ups. The compact exercise machine does not take up much space and is suitable for home training.

Flaws:

• If the technique is not followed, there is a high probability of spraining the ankle ligaments.
• With poorly developed balance and unstable pressure, it is technically impossible to perform fitness exercises on a hemisphere correctly.
• Weight restrictions (150 kg) and the need to maintain balance do not allow working with large weights.

Tips for Beginners

A few simple recommendations, more related to safety precautions when first approaching the projectile, will help you get pleasure from bosu and not injury. For exercises you need:

1. Wear elastic clothing that fits tightly to the body, especially the ankles. While practicing on the canopy, it is easy to pinch the free edge of your pant leg or T-shirt and fall.
2. Wear high-top sneakers that support the ankle. You can train barefoot, but it is advisable to have figure-eight bracelets with you.
3. Even advanced athletes are recommended to start training on the canopy with the simplest exercises, gradually increasing the load.
4. Before performing any tricks, you first need to learn how to balance confidently on it.
5. Beginners, during their first training with bosu, should not forget that it can be unsafe without the supervision of an instructor.

For shy people, it’s better to start mastering Bosu in an individual lesson with a personal trainer. This will avoid awkward situations, since the first lesson is always accompanied by oddities and unusual movements. The instructors of the La Salute fitness club pay due sensitive attention to each client in order to avoid discomfort and injury when getting acquainted with the wonderful world of fitness.

Contraindications to classes

Before starting classes on the Bosu platform, you need to eliminate any contraindications to this type of training:

• confirmed dizziness and pathological movement coordination disorders;
• pathologies of the respiratory system that occur in severe form;
• circulatory disorders - for example, the presence of blood clots, varicose veins;
• “critical days” for women.

If a person has suffered an injury in the recent past or has a history of musculoskeletal diseases, this may also be a contraindication to training. Most often, such prohibitions are conditional and are lifted after some time, but you should definitely consult your doctor about this.

We recommend reading about cycling classes for weight loss. From the article you will learn about the features of cycling training, their advantages and disadvantages, and the rules for performing cycling classes. And here is more information about the rules of aerobics for weight loss.

Bosu is a fitness hemisphere that allows you to actively work out the muscles of the whole body, conduct classes at home and diversify classic exercises for weight loss. If you follow all the recommendations and rules of experts, carry out regular training, then your body weight will decrease, your figure will become slender, toned, and saggy skin will not appear even after getting rid of 5 - 15 kg.

Types of training

Functional training is designed to maintain good physical shape and health and does not require any additional equipment, special clothing or a gym. They are based on our normal everyday movements, performed at an accelerated rhythm, with a certain sequence. But such exercises have one significant drawback - limitations. There comes a time when the body asks to increase and complicate the load.

Strength training is aimed at working out individual muscle groups; pumping occurs under the weight of your own body or with weights. They are needed to form relief and increase endurance. The downside is that the exercises are monotonous and tedious.

Functional training

Familiar and simple movements. When performed barefoot, the efficiency of the muscle ligaments increases significantly: superficial and deep, at the same time. Trainers joke: the bump allows you to put stress on your muscles, even if you just sit, stand or lie on it without doing any exercises.

Power training

The weight of the inflatable hummock is about 7 kilograms, so the simulator itself can be used as a weighting agent for strength exercises. It can be used to complicate all types of bench presses, squats, plyometrics, dynamic and static loads. The inflatable dome can withstand up to 150 kilograms, so it is suitable even for super heavyweight men.

The balancing platform allows you to perform all types of planks for effective core training.

Features of the sports simulator

Externally, the sports equipment for bosu fitness classes resembles half a gymnastic ball. – a plastic platform (about 60 cm in diameter) and a “dome” above it made of a special rubberized material. A special feature of the simulator is the ability to regulate its rigidity, which occurs due to the amount of air pumped into the “dome”.

If you choose the right volume, the hemisphere will be springy, and this significantly reduces the load on the joints when performing physical exercises. That is why Bosu fitness is definitely recommended for people of any age and with any initial weight.

The design of the simulator allows you to conduct classes with an emphasis on both the platform and the hemisphere - in the first case (the body works on the hemisphere), the exercises are aimed at losing weight and increasing strength, in the second - they perfectly develop and strengthen coordination, and train the vestibular apparatus.

The difference between bosu fitness is the apparent complexity of the exercises, especially for overweight people who, along with heavy weight, have problems coordinating movements and maintaining balance. Experts recommend not giving up training even if you fail - each time a person will feel more confident, and you can start with basic exercises, bring them to automaticity, and only then move on to more complex loads.

We recommend reading about exercises with a gymnastic stick. From the article you will learn about how to correctly perform exercises with a gymnastic stick and the choice of equipment. And here is more information about the use of a sports roller for weight loss.

Popular exercises

On the mound you can perform almost all dynamic and static training: from classic squats and lunges to super-burpees. For bosu, here are descriptions of the most common exercises and the features of their implementation.

Balancing

Mastering bossa starts with finding balance. Stand on a bump, place your feet closer to the center, parallel. Perform several movements with your arms, simple turns of the body, move your feet from heel to toe and back. If you don't fall, you can continue barefoot exercises for balance on one leg.

Lunges: classic, reverse, diagonal, side, Bulgarian (Romanian)

For beginners, the exercise mistakenly seems simple, but it belongs to an advanced level of training. For the effectiveness of lunges, the technique of execution, body positioning, different supports of the feet, and the angle of flexion of the legs are very important. Approximate diagram:

1. Place your foot in the center of the bosu and try a classic forward lunge.
2. Try to slowly transfer your body weight to the supporting leg and hold for at least a couple of seconds.
3. Return to the starting position.

Working out the upper and lower abs, oblique abdominal muscles

The elastic surface of the bosu greatly reduces the load on the back when performing abdominal exercises and makes them more comfortable without losing effectiveness. Peculiarities:

1. The buttocks should be positioned on the floor, the lower back resting on the dome, tangentially, at an angle of 450. You can complicate the exercise by resting your buttocks on the surface of the ball.
2. Oblique twists should be performed with support on the bump of the hip joint, also at an angle of 450.

Raising and lowering the pelvis, gluteal bridge, planks

Exercises become more difficult due to the lack of a static point of support under the arms, legs or body. This is an intermediate and advanced level of loads.

Squats and squats

Performed with one or two feet resting on the dome. You cannot try to immediately do a deep squat with both legs resting on the sphere - you will definitely fall. You should start with squats, focusing on one foot. You can make it more difficult by turning the hummock upside down.

Hyperextension, push-ups

An effective advanced exercise for the back, buttocks, and legs. Scheme:

1. Place your stomach or hands on your bare feet, and your toes on the floor.
2. Place your body parallel to the floor, stretch your arms forward or point-blank.
3. Slowly lift your shoulders and arms up. Listen to the sensations in your lower back.

Step-ups, jumping, burpee routine, weights

Can be performed if you are already confidently standing on the bosu ball without losing your balance. When working with dumbbells, it is better to use clamps. Even experienced athletes run the risk of dropping the equipment on themselves or on a training neighbor.

What else should you know about this Bosu hemisphere trainer?

• Hemisphere training won't make you much stronger. First of all, this can help develop a sense of balance and during rehabilitation for injuries of the lower extremities
• Abdominal training will be more effective with this tool as research shows greater efficiency in all major abdominal muscles. Just a few simple exercises and you will have a beautiful flat stomach. Twisting on a hemisphere is more useful than on a regular floor
• Professional athletes do not train with bosu. They usually use other training methods
• The balancing platform can simulate certain types of surfaces for exercise
• In addition, it is a good idea to use the exercise machine to warm up before classes or to finish a workout.

You should definitely know the most effective exercises on the Bosu hemisphere

Example video of functional group training on the Bosu hemisphere

Reviews

Alexa: “I’ve known about Bosu for a long time, but I decided to try it a couple of months ago. Fitball didn’t suit me; it was just scary to practice. The first few weeks after functional training, I did 2-3 approaches to the barefoot, learning not to slip off it. After another couple of weeks I was able to squat. What can I say – great! My dreams of perfect hips and buttocks came true, although before that I had been doing fitness for four years.”

Vladimir: “A great thing for skiers and snowboarders to stay in shape. Ski simulators are a bit expensive, and there’s not much room to put one in an apartment. The bump saved us during quarantine, when it was neither possible to go out nor to train in the gym.”

Marina: “I’m not a sports fan at all, I was. A friend dragged me to class and promised that it wouldn’t be boring. At the first training sessions, it was really fun, we played around more than exercised. Moreover, I was not tired at all, although my butt and stomach ached. Somehow, unbeknownst to myself, I got involved. Thanks to my boss, coach and friend. Now I go to the gym with pleasure.”

Useful video

Watch this video about how functional bosu training is carried out:

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KNOW YOUR LIMITS

Should you do push-ups? Yes. Should you test your boundaries? Yeah. Should you take your current fitness level into account? UNDOUBTEDLY

.

No matter what level you are, you strive for YOUR

personal 8-9 out of ten points on the effort scale.
For each person, it looks a little different, which is NORMAL
. You will adapt, take on a specific form, and improve with every workout. The answer is to keep doing push-ups.

Benefits of practicing on the sphere

In addition to the fact that the bosu sphere is a universal sports equipment that can be used in almost any type of fitness training, the platform has other advantages over other simulators, namely:

1. It is possible to perform strength, aerobic, plyometric movements, and you can also do balance exercises.
2. The usual exercises become more complex, thereby increasing their effectiveness, which leads to more active fat burning.
3. The core muscles are constantly working due to the need to maintain balance.
4. Safer than a fitball.
5. The functioning of the vestibular apparatus improves, balance and coordination develop.
6. The deep stabilizing muscles work, thereby strengthening the abdominal and back muscles.
7. Versatile workouts, as you can practice on the sphere while lying down, sitting and even standing.
8. The sphere is easy to use.
9. Your workouts will be varied and your muscles will begin to work more actively.

You can start exercising on the fitness platform only after stretching, otherwise you can damage your muscles. An aerobic workout option with bosu for active fat burning can be seen below.

To achieve results on the sphere, it is enough to exercise 2-3 times a week, alternating aerobic exercise with strength training.

Warm-up before Bosu Fitness

1. Tilt the neck back and forth and in different directions. In each direction, 10 repetitions 2. Rotation of the neck clockwise and counterclockwise, 10 completed movements in different directions 3. Rotation of the shoulders in pairs in one direction and the other, 10 rotations each 4. Rotation of the arms forward and backward, 10 repetitions each 5 Rotation of the wrists in one direction and the other, also ten repetitions each 6. Circular movement of the stomach forward and backward 7. Lateral lunges with legs, 10 times to the right and 10 to the left 8. Running in place - 2 minutes 9. Jumping in place with raising arms and spreading legs while jumping - 10 times 10. Rotating the legs around the toes of each leg 10 times 11. Marching on the Bosu ball - 25 times 12. Additional light stretching

You can also use this set of exercises to warm up before training.

After all this, it's time to start the main part.