Dr. Reef’s 4 Favorite BOSU® Balance Exercises
Do you think you have good balance? Put your balance to the test with 4 of my favorite BOSU® balance exercises! Not only does balance training help with body awareness and proprioception, but it also helps improves performance, plays a major role in injury prevention and increases overall coordination. These are some of my go to balance exercise I use with my patients for both rehab and activation prior to a workout. So give these a try before your next lower body workout!
AROUND THE WORLDS
Standing on a single leg on the BOSU®, use your opposite leg to guide a ball clockwise around the BOSU®, then repeat counter clockwise. That constitute 1 rep, do 2-3 sets of 5 reps on each leg. For a greater challenge and to also strengthen the intrinsic muscles of the feet, try this without shoes!
SIDE TO SIDE SLAMS IN LUNGE POSITION
Start in a low lunge position with your lead leg on the BOSU®, your back knee should be bent to 90 degrees. Then perform medicine ball slams going from side to side. Over and back constitutes 1 rep, perform 2-3 sets of 10 reps on each leg.
STEP BACK LUNGE SLAMS
Start standing on a single leg on the BOSU®, then perform a step back lunge while simultaneously slamming the medicine ball and catch it as you return up to the starting position. The ball and your back leg should hit the ground at the same time, and make sure you slam the ball hard so that it bounces high enough to catch it on your way up. This takes some practice but it should become one fluid motion. Perform 2-3 sets of 10 reps on each leg.
SINGLE LEG CLOCKS
Start by setting up 3 cones around the BOSU®, 1 at the 1 o’clock position, 1 at the 3 o’clock position and 1 at the 5 o’clock position. Standing on one leg on the BOSU®, reach towards each cone, returning to the starting position between each cone. 1 time through each cone constitutes 1 rep, perform 2-3 sets of 5 reps on each leg. For a greater challenge, places cones at every position of a clock!
Dr Sharif Tabbah, commonly know as Dr Reef, is a Physical Therapist, Certified Strength & Conditioning specialist and the co-founder of Athletix Rehab & Recovery. Specializing in orthopedics and sports rehabilitation, with years of experience both treating and training a variety of populations including countless professional athletes, he has helped develop multiple successful NFL and NBA Draft Prep programs as well as NFL, NBA and MLB off season programs over the years. His work has been featured by NFL Media, ESPN, Good Morning Football, Bleacher Report and many other sports media outlets.
