Bosu Ball Burpee
Holding onto the BOSU through the squat, plank, and stand keeps the whole body working while the unstable platform demands constant control. It raises the heart rate like any burpee but layers in shoulder and core stability, making it tougher than it looks. Program it in conditioning circuits when you want a metabolic challenge with a stability twist.
- Equipment
- Bosu Ball
- Type
- Balance, Cardio
- Browse by muscle
- Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
- Browse by movement
- Squat
- Target
- Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
- Secondary
- Pectoralis Major Sternocostal, Deltoid Anterior
- Tertiary
- Gluteus Maximus, Upper Rectus Abdominals
How to do it
- 1
Stand holding the BOSU by its edges with the dome facing down.
- 2
Squat and set the BOSU dome-down on the floor, gripping the sides of the flat platform.
- 3
Jump or step your feet back into a strong plank on the platform.
- 4
Optionally add a push-up, then hop the feet back toward your hands.
- 5
Stand and press the BOSU overhead as you extend the hips.
- 6
Return the BOSU toward the floor and repeat at a controlled pace.
Tips
- Keep a firm grip on the platform so it does not skid on the landing.
- Brace the core as the feet jump back to keep the hips from sagging.
- Scale by stepping the feet instead of jumping until you own the balance.
Variations
Common mistakes
- The elbows flare straight out to the sides on the way down to the board, loading the front of the shoulders; keep gripping the sides of the platform and let the elbows angle back toward the ribs.
- The press starts before the hips finish extending, which leaves you shoving a wide, awkward object overhead from a half-squat with no leg drive behind it.
- Ribs flare and the lower back arches to finish the overhead press, because the BOSU is bulky and the shoulders run out of room; stand tall with the ribs down instead.
- An under-inflated board folds toward one side under a plank, and nobody checks until they are on it; press both hands into it before the first rep.
- Feet land unevenly on the jump back so one hip sits higher than the other, and the board rocks toward the trailing leg.
Frequently asked
- How many BOSU ball burpees should you do when you are new to the exercise?
- Three rounds of six to eight reps, stepping rather than jumping the feet, is the right first dose with a minute or more between rounds. Leave the optional push-up out until the plank on the board feels quiet. Once you can hold it steady for eight clean reps, add the push-up, then start jumping the feet, then take the sets to 10 or 12. This is a stability movement dressed as conditioning, so extra reps only pay off once the board stops wobbling.
- What can I use instead of a BOSU ball for this burpee?
- A light sandbag or a slam ball gives the same hold, squat and press shape with an equally awkward object overhead, minus the instability. If the wobble is what you want, do the plank phase with your hands on a folded towel or an inflated cushion, or on a pair of dumbbells left free to roll. A weight plate held at the rim covers the press but is too small to plank on, so set it down for the floor phase and pick it up to stand.
- What is the BOSU ball burpee for, and who should skip it?
- It pairs conditioning with shoulder and trunk stability work, which suits circuit training, group classes, and anyone who wants a burpee that rewards control rather than speed. As a metabolic tool it is limited, because the board slows every rep and you will not reach the heart rate a plain burpee gives you in the same time. Skip it if a wrist or shoulder objects to bearing weight on an unstable surface, and skip it in a crowded room where a board sliding out from under your hands has nowhere safe to go.
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