Movement of the Month: The BOSU Squat with Olympic Plate Press

By Coach Kennedy

The BOSU Squat with Olympic Plate Press is a great exercise to help you work on your coordination, balance, force gradation, proprioception, dynamic balance, and body integration.  When you consider winter sports like skiing and snow boarding, you can see how moving on a BOSU with your lower body, while adding movement in the upper body, and in different planes, can improve your play.

Let’s expand on a couple of these benefits.

• Force gradation: This is one we don’t hear much about and yet it’s extremely important. It’s the ability to stay as steady as you can on the BOSU. This is only possible if the same amount of force is being generated with each leg. If force is balanced then not much movement, if not balanced then too much movement — which will take away from your endurance, causing you to step off. As well, consider muscular imbalances, if you have them they will force you into generating more force on one side, this can lead to injuries.
• Coordination: This is important in every sport and this exercise will help you improve it. Squatting on an unstable surface while pressing out, in different planes, is a great way to help improve overall coordination.

Exercise Execution:

Start by standing on the BOSU, feet hip width apart, soft knees, core braced, shoulders in the “set position”, elbows flexed at ninety degrees while holding onto an Olympic plate. Begin by descending into the squat (work to your depth – ideally quads become parallel to the ground – 90 degrees at the knees) while simultaneously pressing out in front of you with the Olympic plate. Once you reach your end range in the squat, pause momentarily, and then begin to ascend while simultaneously drawing the Olympic plate back to its starting position. Repeat for the allotted reps or time.

Exercise Protocol:

Rep Range: 8 to 12 reps or 15 to 30 seconds depending on weight and goal.

ALWAYS regress and progress as needed. Not sure how?  Find me at: kennedy@coachkennedyonline.ca.