The squat is the foundation exercise of any lower body workout. It’s amazing and simple, which is one of the many reasons why just about every personal trainer I know has their client perform them at some point in time throughout their client’s fitness journey. In case you are unfamiliar with what is worked from a basic squat, the muscles used for this exercise are your legs and hips. Moreover, the gluteal muscles, transverse abdominis, adductors and soleus muscles in your abdomen are also working hard to keep your body in balance during the movement of squatting.
All of these are reasons to add some form of a squat to your lower body routine if it isn’t already a part of your weekly workouts.
And today I wanted to share with you one variation on a traditional squat (in December of 2017 I did a video/blog on how to perform a basic squat. Click here to learn more about it.). Today’s exercise is called a Bosu Ball Squat, and it really kicks a traditional squat up a couple of notches.
The reason a bosu ball is so great for squatting is that it creates an uneven surface for you to workout on. This results in you using your smaller stabilizer muscles to stablize and balance the body, making them stronger and giving you the added benefit of being more balanced and increasing your flexibility. Additionally, because your muscles (both large muscles, like the hamstrings, and smaller stabilizer muscles) are working harder to keep you on the ball while performing a squat this increase in exercise intensity gives you more bang for your buck in terms of working your lower body and core.
How To Perform a Bosu Ball Squat:
- Take a Bosu Ball and turn it over so the flat solid surface is facing the ceiling and the curved ball portion is in contact with the floor.
- Get on the Bosu Ball and into a normal squat stance.
- Pro Tip: To get on the ball, try stepping on the edge of the flat surface with one foot so the flat surface of the Bosu Ball is at an angle to the floor. Then place the other foot on the other edge (the one in the air). This will bring you into a wide stance on the ball and you can move your feet in a heel-to-toe motion until they are at a good distance for your body.
- Perform a squat like normal. You may have to move slower at first until your body gets used to squatting on the uneven surface.
- Aim for 20 reps and 3 sets as a part of your lower body routine.
Bosu Ball Squats are amazing for those of us with Atrial Fibrillation as the exercise itself will not spike our heart rate, but it will still give us a really good workout.
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Fey
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Fey Fitness 