- Bosu - hit or putty?
- Bosu - correct application in training
- barefoot exercises for the abdomen and hands
- Bosun exercises - training plan
The barefoot ball is currently a very popular training equipment - it is found in almost every gym and fitness room. However, you can often encounter the inappropriate use of the barefoot. Although the barefoot ball is often recommended to everyone, many of us do not realize how the ball's wobbling surface affects the body and what parts it will be effective on, and which parts of the body it can even harm. Check the correct use of the barefoot ball, learn about our barefoot training plan and find out if you are using it the right way.
Contents:
- Bosu - hit or putty?
- Bosu - correct application in training
- barefoot exercises for the abdomen and hands
- Bosun exercises - training plan
Wondering what thebarefoot exercises can do ? Contrary to popular opinion about increasing stabilization, especially of the lower limbs, a barefoot ball does not improve the strength of the knees and strengthen the ligaments and soft structures that surround them. However, there are exceptions to every rule, do you want to know what? Read our article and find out how to get the best out of your barefoot ball!
Bosu - hit or putty?
This question is asked by many of us, but fortunately the answer is simple. At the beginning, the barefoot ball stormed almost all fitness rooms and gyms. The news quickly spread that a barefoot ball is a wonderful training equipment that effectively improves the stabilization of the body, especially of the lower limbs.
On the Internet you could find dozens of training videos in which the main exercises on the ball were performed while standing on it: squats, one-legged standing, lunges, leg swings, etc. Movement therapists began to "test" this equipment, they proved that a barefoot ball does not increase the stability of the lower limb.
The explanation is very simple: the average person moves on a stable surface every day. In most cases, we do not walk on sand or on any soft and wobbly surface, and the spine ball imitates such a surface. Therefore, training leg strength on it is just a waste of time.
Of course, here is the first exception to the rule - a barefoot ball has its applicationfor professional athletes such as skiers, beach volleyball players and competitive water sportsmen. Then the training of the legs on a barefoot ball should appear in their preparation for the sport they are doing. However, this does not make sense for the average person who wants to play sports on a relatively stable surface.
Of course, you have to work on stabilization, but in a different way - focusing on strength, opposing, anti-rotation exercises and those with the opposite strength, because sport practiced under normal conditions does not require less work on stabilizing the body.
Research has shown that knee stabilization training on a barefoot ball does not translate into stabilization abilities on flat and stable ground. It turned out that those who trained barefoot squats and gained a lot of strength on this equipment, were not stronger in the squat after stepping down from the barefoot.
Moreover, the barefoot ball is not suitable for those training after ACL and MCL cruciate ligament injuries. Then training can worsen some inflammations, e.g. plantar fasciitis or patellar tendinitis.
So when will barefoot exercises make sense?
Bosu - correct application in training
You cannot completely take away any positive effect on your body from barefoot ball. A barefoot ball is perfect for people who play sports on uneven and unstable surfaces or want to simulate landing in changing terrain, e.g. in water sports.
In addition, the barefoot ball has a very good effect on core muscle training. The unstable surface is actually designed to activate the trunk muscles more. Thanks to a barefoot ball, the stomach can work up to three times as much. Research has shown that the muscles are significantly more involved in EMG, where the abdominal muscles were tested during traditional crunches performed on the ball compared to exercising on the mat.
And finally, the most important thing - the barefoot ball is actually designed to stabilize the shoulder girdle and increase the strength of muscles, especially the rotators of the joint, which have a centralizing and stabilizing function.
Due to the specific function, structure and work of the shoulder complex, the barefoot ball perfectly stimulates the deep muscles to work, which translates into an increase in both mobility and strength of the upper limb.
The barefoot ball should be an addition to mountain training, a stabilizing stimulus and a form of activation of the upper limb muscles before strength training.
barefoot exercises for the abdomen and hands
- Spanked elbows
Take a plank position on your elbows and lean on your bare feet. Make sure your elbows are just above the shoulders and your pelvis is tucked under you. Tighten your stomach and buttocks and pull your shoulder blades together. Keep your body in a stable position and do not rock your pelvis to the side. Try to breathe the diaphragm.
- bare crunches
Use your shoulder blades to rest on your bare feet and put your hands behind your head. Keep your legs parallel, approximately hip-width apart. Begin lifting your torso and clench your abdomen tightly. If you don't feel too much tense, slide down and lean on the ball of the spine with your lumbar spine. Remember not to bend back too much - keep your back straight and your stomach tight at all times.
- barefoot palm board
Put your hands on a barefoot ball. Roll up your pelvis, tighten your abdomen and try to balance on the surface of the ball. Remember not to hang on your shoulder blades and keep them tight at all times. Try to control a stable position and work hard with your core muscles.
- Reverse pump (triceps pump) on barefoot
Rest the ball in your hands with your back to the ball. You can bend your knees slightly or keep them straight, although the second version of the exercise will be more difficult. If your wrists hurt, lean on the side of the ball, not in the center. Tighten your buttocks tightly and pull your shoulder blades together. Try not to bend your shoulders forward. In this position, bend your elbows and bring them towards your barefoot. Try to keep your downward movement slow and controlled, and your upward movement a little more energetic. Breathe out loudly as you ascend.
- Raising the legs in a palm rest on a barefoot ball
Lean barefoot and assume a plank position. Tighten your stomach and buttocks. With a slow and controlled movement, start lifting your legs alternately. Remember that this movement should not change the position of the pelvis - keep it in a stable position. Raise your leg only until you get the maximum work of the gluteal muscle and you do not compensate for the movement with the lumbar spine.
- Side plank on the elbow and hand abduction
Rest on your elbow on a barefoot ball and stand sideways to it. Take a plank position in the side support - lift your hips up and line up your body. Remember not to bend your spine and pelvis forward, your stomach should be constantly tense. Also, make sure that your shoulder does not protrude too far forward - pull the shoulder blade down.
Then start to move your free hand upand bring it back towards the torso. Try to initiate this movement from the core muscles, i.e. the torso. The bottom of the body should remain still. If you are unable to maintain the position with your feet together, you can move the upright leg slightly forward.
- Skipping through barefoot
Adopt the correct body posture. Then start jumping over the barefoot one way and the other. Remember the correct technique for this exercise - keep your abdomen tight and your back straight. Get out of the strength of the buttocks and core muscles, not just the ankle joint. Remember not to let your knees slip inwards during landing - gently point them outwards.
- Burpees with barefoot pump
Position yourself in front of the barefoot ball. Perform burpees - that is, a jump with your arms stretched up, forward supports with a throw of your legs backwards, a push-up, a dash to your hands with your feet and another jump up. Instead of the usual support and push-up, perform these movements on a barefoot ball. Remember that this is a much more difficult version of burpees, and it's not speed that counts, but accuracy. Try to keep the movement under control and the technique correct. Especially when pushing up on unstable surfaces.
- Raising the leg and the opposite arm towards you on your bare feet
Lean on your shoulder blades on a barefoot ball. Bend your legs at the knees and place them hip-width apart. Put your arms around the nape of your neck and pinch your stomach tight. Begin lifting your arm and leg alternately, bringing your elbow closer to your knee. Remember to tighten your stomach tightly and try not to swing on a barefoot ball.
- Sit barefoot and keep your balance
Sit on a barefoot ball and lift your legs up to keep them at a right angle. For better balance, you can spread your arms to the sides - they will allow you to get a better balance. Remember to have a tight stomach and keep your back straight. Do not slouch in the thoracic region or bend the lumbar region - maintain the natural curvature of the spine.
Bosun exercises - training plan
Training with the use of a barefoot ball once or twice a week. It is a strength and endurance training aimed at strengthening the endurance of the abdominal muscles and the muscles of the entire core, as well as improving stability and strengthening the strength of the shoulder girdle.
Training consists of 10 exercises, and each of them must be performed in a certain number of repetitions and series. Take a break of 20 to 30 seconds between exercises, and a maximum of 10 seconds between sets. Remember to precede the trainingwith a short warm-up - get your joints moving, do a few squats, arm circles and jog in place for a moment.
After training, lie on your back on the mat and focus on your breathing. Relax your body and breathe in deeply into your diaphragm and slowly breathe out slowly.
| Exercise | Repetitions / seconds | Number of series |
| barefoot elbows | 20 seconds | 3 |
| bare crunches | 15 repetitions | 3 |
| Reverse barefoot pump | 10 repetitions | 3 |
| Raising the legs in a hand support on a barefoot ball | 10 repetitions | 3 |
| Side board on the elbow and abduction of the hand | 20 seconds per page | 3 (x2) |
| Jump over barefoot | 20 seconds | 3 |
| Burpees with a pump on a barefoot ball | 6 reps | 3 |
| Raising the leg and the opposite arm barefoot | 12 repetitions | 3 |
| Sit on a barefoot ball and keep your balance | 30 seconds | 3 |
Read also: BOSU - what is it? Sample exercises with half a balancing ball
About the author
Małgorzata Kośla She is a qualified fitness instructor and certified personal trainer. Since childhood, her greatest passion was sport - she played football and basketball. Then a new love came - dance, especially dancehall. He likes to sweat at the gym and relaxes in yoga and meditation sessions. He is constantly expanding his knowledge about training and a he althy lifestyle. What besides sports? He runs a store with natural cosmetics and he althy food, writes his own blog (stylzyciadowolny.pl) and deals with copywriting.
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