If you take your favorite blue stability ball and cut it in half, you'll find your newest training partner. Let me introduce you to the BOSU. She's not the most stable friend...but she'll leave you with a more balanced workout.

BOSU is an acronym for "both sides up". Thus, this ball trainer can be used with the platform side up or down for various types of balancing, core and strength exercises. My gym in Chicago recently added the "BOSU body" class to their Saturday morning schedule and I couldn't pass it up! I was intrigued to learn and feel the difference of strength training with a BOSU! I must confess, because I have strength trained my entire life; I didn't think the BOSU would provide a challenge. Ladies, I was proved wrong!

Imagine performing your entire strength workout on an unstable surface. The BOSU ball challenged me to execute every exercise as I normally would, yet with complete focus on stability. Added bonus, the BOSU ball forces your core muscles to stay engaged throughout the entire exercise.

Below are some standard strength exercises to try with the BOSU that I did during class:

(1) Push-Ups: With the platform side up, lower and raise your body like a typical push-up. Because the ball will wobble from side to side, you must engage your core to keep level.

(2) Bicep Curls: With the platform side down, sit on the BOSU. Lift your feet off the ground and position your body to a 90-degree angle and perform curls to the side. Again, keeping your core engaged will allow you to balance and curl at the same time.

(3) Squats: With the platform side down, stand on the BOSU with feet slightly apart. Push your bottom back in the standard squat position. If you're up for the challenge - when your body is in the squat position, extend your arms straight in front of you and turn 90 degrees to the right and left. Stand and repeat.

In addition, any abdominal exercises that you perform on the ground or with the stability ball can be done on the BOSU. From bicycles to side crunches, and planks to leg lifts, abs with the BOSU allow for additional engagement.

Strength training can become quite mundane and repetitive. The BOSU provides a great "shake up" to any strength régime and engages muscles not normally worked. I challenge you to do your normal strength exercises this week with a BOSU. Your abs will thank you in the morning...

-Ashley Koehn