"For every obstacle there is a solution — over, under, on or through." — Dan Zandra

The BOSU has taken the fitness industry by storm for the past few years. You've probably seen one at your gym or physical therapy office as the BOSU craze has swept across the country. Most of the U. S. Olympic teams and numerous professional athletes have jumped on the BOSU conditioning and training bandwagon as well! The term BOSU is actually an acronym for 'both sides up'. Yes, you can train on both sides! Working your balance in two different ways on both sides, now how creative is that? BOSU inventor David Weck, of San Diego CA., developed the BOSU to repair his back problems. I sat down with David to find out more about his revolutionary invention.

How does the BOSU work?
"First of all it takes balance. Remember, you're waking up all your dormant muscles. The BOSU trains your body and mind while integrating balance and cardiovascular training at the same time. With the BOSU you have the ability to challenge the body's (VO2) oxygen and delivery utilization capabilities. The BOSU is ideal for sports conditioning, muscular endurance and strength training. With that much variety who wouldn't want to BOSU?"

The BOSU training benefits are numerous:

• Fun and fresh, a new way to work your mind and body!
• Increased neuromuscular training because you have engaged balance techniques.
• Increases sensory feedback, becoming more efficient in movement training regardless of activity.
• Functional training i.e. Sports specific.
• Core strength training while standing on BOSU or isolated in specific abdominal or back exercises.
• Proprioception and joint stability training.

What is Proprioception training and how do you do this on the BOSU?
"On the unstable surface of the BOSU, you are increasing sensory input, which engages and improves motor skills, kinesthetic awareness and balance. With this type of training your body will blueprint the training to later draw on to adapt more quickly when needed in a wide variety of activities of athletic training and every day life. Your reflexes will respond much faster when you trip and try to keep yourself from falling or twist your ankle and right yourself without causing injury. That is why you find more senior citizens using the BOSU for training!"

"Functional training not only refers to sports specific training but every day living and movement of the body. On the BOSU you have the advantage of your training since you are engaging more muscles, neuromuscular and sensory training, which help you in everyday living, and athletic training. From a broader perspective, the stronger demands you put on your muscles, the more they respond and perform. As we age we lose muscle mass. With the BOSU you gain muscle mass by using your body weight to balance on an unstable surface, calling on more muscles for support and strength."

I asked David specifically how the BOSU came about.
"The creation of the BOSU Balance Trainer stemmed from my attempts to rehabilitate a back injury I'd suffered. The BOSU is a wonderful tool to develop both body awareness and efficiency of movement (among many other things) and it is the primary reason I am now pain free! I started with a hand made prototype and it took a long time and a lot of work to end up with the product we have today. There were many, many obstacles along the way, but I was determined to see it through and was fortunate to have a lot of great help along the way."

How is the BOSU being accepted in the fitness community?
"The BOSU Balance Trainer is receiving tremendous success. All it takes is the knowledge of how to use it for people to realize its value. Today people from all over the world in many different countries are using the BOSU. Balance is the foundation of all movement so it's very important to train, especially as one ages. Plus, as you know, it can be a lot of fun!"

Variety is the spice of life! You could use free weights, a medicine ball, balance bar, and resistance bands. The difference in using the BOSU is you can do a multitude of exercises either stationary or with movement, each variety calling on different muscles, and sensory action. You can't find this on the floor, step or anything else.

Next time you see the BOSU in your gym, give it a try and see how it works. Don't be discouraged the first few times if you find it difficult to balance or train. Over time you'll be able to stand on the BOSU with your eyes closed and perform exercises fully utilizing your body and mind to their fullest! As you see I love the benefits of the BOSU. Order your BOSU today by clicking here and you too can become a BOSU believer!