Balance discs and BOSU balls are both designed to improve stability, flexibility, and add variety to your workouts. Both products are made of rubber and are filled with air, creating an unstable surface. These stability trainers can be incorporated into your workouts, or to daily habits like sitting or standing and engage your stabilizer muscles. Both products are effective, but the BOSU ball offers more stability and is a better-made product that you should have as a tool in your home fitness arsenal.
Features: Balance Disc vs Bosu Ball
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The biggest advantage in BOSU balls is that they are larger and have a heavy duty plastic base. The base does two things: adds stability during dynamic workouts and adds to the number of workouts you can do by turning the BOSU ball over and using the base as a platform. Beginners will immediately be able to use BOSU balls for ab and core work, as well as doing some light weight training. BOSU balls come with a great set of workouts DVD’s to show you all the ways you can use BOSU ball. Advanced users will be able to add to the core and weight training workouts with speed and power plyometric exercise. BOSU ball is a great tool to add to existing at home fitness equipment like TRX trainers. Their solid base works great on carpet or hard surfaces.
Balance discs aren’t without their advantages. Their smaller size allows for them to be moved easily, and are actually great products to use to stand on for balance wherever you go, or to put on an office chair and add some stability to your daily routine. With that said, the balance disc is otherwise pretty limited when you are actually working out at home. The small size doesn’t allow for dynamic movements (think quick on/off movements, jumps, etc.) and really doesn’t allow for many abdominal workouts.
Price Comparison
BOSU balls are more expensive than balance discs because of their heavy duty plastic base and superior construction. There are a few options to choose from with BOSU balls that allow for heavier users or provide additional warranty. The BOSU Balance Trainer, which allows for anyone up to 300 pounds to use, is all anyone needs. Unless you are heavier than 300 pounds, you won’t see any added benefit in the Pro or Elite versions of the BOSU ball.
The best balance disc on the market is probably made by a company called TheraBand. TheraBand offers a line of stability products like stability discs, pads, and other trainers. The balance disc is smaller and less expensive than BOSU ball, but doesn’t have the same heavy duty base and is more limiting in the number of ways you use use it.
Final Verdict: Bosu Ball vs Balance Disc
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Although it’s bigger and harder to take with you on the move, the BOSU ball is a better product that you can do much more with. It is the perfect addition to any at home gym, and you can use it in conjunction with TRX straps, free weights, or on it’s own for more exercises than the balance disc. Both products are simple designs, but the BOSU ball feels more secure when standing, kneeling, or lying on it. Unless you want something portable, the BOSU ball is worth the extra cost to have a better product that will last longer than the balance disc.