*I was given the opportunity to design my own BOSU ball for their new #BYOBOSU campaign, but was not otherwise compensated for this post.

Whew. You guys who write workout posts and design fancy graphics are awesome. It takes a lot of time to photograph and then make sure the graphic is pinnable, etc. I gave up on mine in frustration and just splashed my shining face on the whole thing. 🙂

ANYWAY — I haven’t shared a workout with you guys in a LONG time, but I was given the opportunity to work with the BOSU brand for their new “build your own BOSU” campaign and I jumped at the chance. As a personal trainer and group instructor, I use BOSUs all the time. They’re an awesome addition to a workout in order to challenge your stability and mix things up.

The original BOSU comes with a blue dome and a lighter gray rim. This month, the company premiered the option to allow you to choose from a variety of colors for the dome AND the rim in order to personalize your fitness experience. To check out the different options, check them out here!

For my own BOSU, I chose green because it’s my favorite color (if you can’t tell from everything on this site 🙂 ). I chose a simple black rim and Neil and I have been using it sporadically around the house. I’m seriously pumped that I have this and can add it into work with my clients. If you have your own or access to a BOSU ball, I have a quick, total body workout to share with you today!

Alright, here is your workout. It’s a quick, 25-minute total body circuit that can be done anywhere. Perform each movement for 45 seconds, rest for 15 seconds, then go right into the next movement on the list. Complete 5 rounds of the circuit.

*Note: the 15 seconds is the only rest increment in the workout. Once you finish the last movement, it’s 15 seconds and then back to the top. If you need more rest, listen to your body and take it as needed.

1. Push ups

You can position your hands either holding the outside rim of the BOSU for more traditional push ups or have them closer to the middle like in the picture below for a tricep variation.

Make sure your hands are lined up with your chest as you go down and keep your core tight to stabilize the ball as you decline. You can also take these from your knees if you need a modification, making sure your whole body goes down in a straight line and your butt doesn’t stick up into the air!

2. Burpees

I love burpees. Sometimes I throw burpees in workouts I’m doing instead of an easier move. I may be insane.

In order to do a burpee, you want to have your hands on the outside rim of the BOSU. Jump back into a plank position, keeping your core tight, your butt down, and your hands directly under your shoulders.

From the plank position, hop your feet up to the outside of the BOSU, making sure that your butt stays down and your chest is high. You’re ending this part in a squat position in preparation of picking up the BOSU. If you want to be hardcore, you can add in a push up at this point, but you’ve just done 45 seconds of them, so you may want to skip that part. 🙂

Make sure to lift the ball with your legs and raise it overhead. Do not simply bend over and lift the ball with your back as that will put unnecessary strain on it. From the top position, you’ll bring the BOSU back down and jump back into a plank to start another rep.

3. Crunches

Since every person is different, the positioning of this exercise will vary slightly. Ideally, you want your lower back to be at the top of the BOSU as you come down into a crunch. This means you need to find a position to sit that is close to the bottom rim of the BOSU.

With your hands lightly on the back of your head, lower your body down until it is parallel with the floor. Lying all the way back will mean you lose the engagement of your core and you won’t get as much out of the exercise. The crunch is a small movement, so don’t worry about sitting all the way up which will also lose core engagement.

Use your core to crunch yourself up (remember, small movement!), then control the movement downwards, stopping at parallel and coming up again.

Since there are multiple rounds of this movement, feel free to mix it up with your crunches. You can also perform oblique crunches, with your hip bone between the bottom and top of the BOSU (again, take a second to find your balance point). Your bottom leg comes out in front of you, while your top leg goes behind to stabilize as you crunch up and work those obliques.

4. Up & overs

This is the second cardio move in this workout. One foot remains on the top of the BOSU at all times and you simply go up and over the ball so that the opposite foot is now on the top of the ball and the other on the other side on the floor. This move is about speed, so try to get up and over the ball as many times as you can!

5. Side lunges

This is one of my favorite moves. Like the crunches, it might take you a second to find your positioning, but afterwards it should be no problem.

Begin by standing to the side of the BOSU, maybe a foot to two away. Step towards the BOSU with the foot closest to the ball and position your heel towards the top of it. From here, you want to think about sitting your butt backwards like you’re sitting in a chair. The weight should be in the heel on the BOSU and your opposite leg should be straight as you sit back. Also make sure your chest stays high and you don’t fold over too far forward at the waist.

Here is a view from the side. If you look at the foot on the BOSU, you’ll note that my knee is behind my toes. One of the most common mistakes is that instead of sitting back into a side lunge, people will instead push their knee forward over their toes. This puts stress on the knee and doesn’t actually work what you’re trying to work. Make sure you sit it back and protect those knees!

To celebrate the launch of the new #BYOBOSU campaign, Hedstrom Fitness is offering free shipping on their BOSU balls until 12/31/16. If you want to create your own colorful masterpiece, use the code BYOBFREESHIP at checkout!

Let me know if you get a chance to do this workout and what you think. If you don’t have a BOSU, all these movements can be done on the floor as well, so now there’s no excuse! 🙂

Questions:

• Have you ever used a BOSU?
• What are some of your favorite BOSU moves?