Jessica Schatz, The Core Expert™, uses her extensive knowledge, skill, and heart to motivate others to live better, happier lives. Find out from her why she thinks the Bosu Ball is the only piece of equipment you need for your home gym for total fitness.
If there is only one piece of home gym equipment that you will ever buy, make it a Bosu Ball (www.bosu.com). It will provide you with the most comprehensive workout every time, hands down.
A workout can include cardio, arms, legs, abs, balance, and more. And the best part is that, due to the ball’s unstable surface, every single exercise is a challenge of core strength and core control—an extremely important factor when it comes to functioning and feeling better.
It costs a little more than a few dumbbells, resistance bands, a medicine or stability ball, or a step. But the ball alone provides all the benefits of those things. [I got mine at Target for less than $110 and it’s been worth its weight in gold.]
For plenty of cardio, you can keep the flat side down for single leg step ups front & side, hop-overs side-to-side, mountain runners, and more.
For a great leg workout, stand on the ball for squats (both parallel and turned out). Grab a couple of food cans or jars to add extra weight. Or add in an arm workout at the same time by doing bicep curls, shoulder raises, tricep push-backs and more. This also applies to single-leg lunges front and back.
There are many angles for abdominals: big sit-ups or small crunches with the lower back on the ball for support. This of course can be made more challenging by balancing with the feet off the floor—one at a time and then both—or for side sit-ups resting the hip and ribcage on the ball. Try holding the top leg up off the floor for an even more advanced variation.
Shoulder bridges for the entire backside of the body can be done with the ball up or down. The same goes for push-ups and planks.
And this is just a start. I’ve given many of my clients full-body, comprehensive workouts with just the ball to help benefit their fitness regime and overall health and well-being. It’s convenient, easy to store, and practical for those on a budget and/or bustling schedules.
Jessica Schatz, The Core Expert™, uses her extensive knowledge, skill, and heart to motivate others to live better, happier lives. Her diverse clientele includes professional athletes, dancers, actors, as well as anyone who desires transformation into optimal wellness. She’s worked with fashion mogul Ashley Olsen, NBA star Wesley Matthews of the Dallas Mavericks, the company of Wicked (while in residency at Los Angeles’ Pantages Theatre), and members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. For more information on Jessica, please visit: jessicaschatz.com.
