Exercising With An Odd Ball
Exercising can quickly become boring if workout routines are not varied.
The Early Show’s fitness contributor Minna Lessig demonstrates the latest exercise equipment and how a workout can be shaken up with the Bosu ball.
The strange-looking ball is quickly becoming popular at many gyms nationwide. The Bosu ball stands for both-sides up — a reference to its versatility. A new fitness toy, it's a knee-high vinyl stability ball with a hard platform on the bottom.
The ball focuses on an exerciser’s core muscles. It helps strengthen and tone muscles. The regular, full-sized exercise balls that are popular in gyms are often used for just abdominal training. The Bosu ball has multiple uses. The dome-side up can be used to perform squats, lift weights or just sit and work on your balance. You can flip it over onto its swelled belly and the 24-inch round platform provides a wobbly surface for pushups.
David Weck created the ball in 1999 while recovering from a herniated disk. He was frustrated at being unable to balance on a trainer’s stability ball. Later that year, the U.S. National Ski Team bought a crude version of the Bosu ball to train for the Olympics.
The Bosu ball has not yet taken off with mainstream gyms because many people don't know how to use it. That may soon change. Crunch, Reebok, and Bally’s are incorporating the Bosu Ball into their class schedules this summer.
The Bosu improves balance and coordination of the core muscles in the abdomen, lower back, and hip/pelvis region. The ball can be used by walking, running, stepping, hopping, jumping and leaping on it.
The manufacturers claim great benefits of balance training:
- It may help eliminate neuromuscular imbalances and improve everyday function.
- It may improve movement performance and efficiency.
- It may develop and keep sensory feedback systems sharp and well trained.
Lessig says that working with the Bosu ball means you are strengthening from the inside out. Its instability forces exercisers to contract even the smallest muscles that never get targeted with regular weightlifting and toning exercises.