Bosu Exercises – Part 2 of 3

Happy Friday!! 🙂

The bosu is one of my favorite pieces of exercise equipment. It’s so versatile that it allows you to get a full body workout at a variety of intensities. It really jazzes up exercises that can become mundane and boring on their own.

Below, I’ve listed and shown my favorite AB exercises to do with a bosu. Finish your work week off with a fun new ab workout and try these out!

AB EXERCISES

4. Crunches – Add some depth to your crunches with the bosu.
   *Lay the bosu on the ground with the blue side facing up. Position your back over the bosu’s hump and set your feet squarely on the floor. When you crunch up, aim your chin directly to the ceiling to target your upper abs. This exercise works great because when you come down from your crunch, the bosu has your back lifted off the floor for extra resistance on each upward crunch, forcing your muscles to do more work.
5. Plank – Work your abs and arms together with some modified straight arm planks on the bosu!
   *Put the bosu blue side down on the floor. Grasp the sides of the bosu and extend your legs behind you to hold a straight arm plank. Your head down to your feet should create a straight line angled downward. Really contract your core muscles to keep your balance.
6. Spider Plank with Crossover – Crank up the intensity of your planks by doing a spider plank.
   *With the black side of the bosu facing up from the ground, grasp the sides of the bosu. Extend your legs behind you and hold a straight arm plank. Bring one knee in towards the same elbow, then extend that leg back down. Alternate each side. For extra intensity, after you bring your knee in to your elbow, swing it across toward your opposite elbow, then extend it down. This adds a little extra work for your obliques!
7. Russian Twist with Bosu – More intense oblique work! Here’s a little modification to the russian twist, which can typically be done with or without weight. Holding the bosu while performing the russian twist adds some weight and forces your muscles to adjust for any balance changes as you maneuver this large piece of equipment over your body.
   *Sit up on the floor with your feet placed in front of you, holding the bosu so that the black side is facing you. Lean back slightly and lift your feet off the ground. Twist your torso to one side, bringing the bosu in that direction across your hips. Alternate, and twist across to the other side. Continue alternating these motions to work your obliques. If this is too difficult, simply placing your heels on the ground will still work your core muscles as long as you continue to lean backwards slightly.

Enjoy! Comment any questions you may have on how to perform these exercises.