Gliding Ultimate Balance

A kind VFer, Leslie, lent me this workout, as I wanted to see if the I could sub my inflatable balance disc for the Bosu. This substituion worked fine for some segments but was a bit trickier for others, mainly because the disc has a smaller surface area than the Bosu, making it difficult to shuffle side-to-side, jump, etc., on it.

This workout features two unique pieces of equipment, a Bosu balance trainer and gliding discs. It is led by veteran instructor Mindy Mylrea, who is the lead in many different gliding workouts (for more information, visit the GlidingPro.com web site). In this DVD, Mindy alternates segments on the Bosu and using the discs; the focus is mainly on cardio, but you'll get plenty of strength/toning work as well.

This workout is broken up into 10 chapters which appear on the Menu Main. I have described each segment below, including listing the approximate duration (in parentheses).

WARM-UP (7.5 mins)

During the warm-up, Mindy uses both the Bosu and the discs. She does a simple pattern which includes knees up on the Bosu and exits to the side, then lunges using the discs. This section also includes some runs and squats on the Bosu.

BOSU CARDIO 1 (6 mins)

Mindy continues the squats and lunges off the Bosu, performing a squat-lunge-squat combo and then reversing this pattern.

GLIDING CARDIO AND STRENGTH 1 (4 mins)

This segment is all lunges with discs. Mindy starts with fast lunges alternating sides, and she finishes with a set of slower lunges on each side (this is the strength part).

BOSU CARDIO 2 (1.5 mins)

For this quick section, Mindy starts with knee lifts and then remains on top of the Bosu for "tick tocks."

GLIDING CARDIO AND STRENGTH 2 (4 mins)

Returning to the discs, this time, Mindy performs lunges to the rear, making these more advanced by adding a rock a toe taps.

BOSU CARDIO 3 (6 mins)

This was the last Bosu cardio segment, and I also found it to be the most fun! Mindy states that she is going to focus on sports moves. She starts on top of the Bosu for a "run," first with just the feet, then with just the arms. Next, Mindy sets up off the Bosu and does some jumps onto it. After this comes "soccer kicks": starting on the floor, you'll leap onto the Bosu with one foot and kick with the other; you'll then jump on with one foot and do a rear leg extension. Mindy repeats all the moves in sequence to finish.

GLIDING CARDIO AND STRENGTH 3 (5 mins)

For the first half of this segment, you use the discs in a plie position for plie slides and little jumps. For the second half, Mindy uses the discs on the floor as markers only and does sports drills: ponies (or 2-footed jumps) over the discs, figure 8s around the discs, run forward and back between the discs, and finish with a side-to-side shuffle behind the discs.

GLIDING/BOSU FLOOR STRENGTH-DOME UP (15 mins)

For this section, Mindy starts seated on the Bosu for triceps dips (feet on discs). She then moves into several abs moves, including curls, dead bug, and side-lying obliques work. Lying face down with the Bosu under the pelvis, Mindy works the back and glutes, and then she moves the Bosu under the knees for push-ups. She repeats the triceps, abs, and back work to finish.

GLIDING/BOSU FLOOR STRENGTH-DOME DOWN (3.5 mins)

Flipping the Bosu so that the rounded part is now facing down, providing an more unstable surface, Mindy performs some additional push-ups. Lying with her back on the flat side of the Bosu and her feet on the discs, she also does some bridge work for the hamstrings.

COOL DOWN STRETCH AND BALANCE (3.5 mins)

Mindy begins with a brief stretch seated on the floor, but then she moves to seated on the Bosu, still with the dome side down for an added balance challenge. She performs just a few simple stretches here to conclude the routine.

I'm really glad I had the opportunity to try this workout. Although it clocks in at about 56 total minutes, given that you are constantly changing it up, the time just flies by. Use of both the Bosu and the gliding discs definitely increases the difficulty level of the routine, and given this, I would rate suggest this DVD for exercisers in the mid- to high-intermediate range. [However, keep in mind that if you make substitutions for the equipment, as I did, this may decrease the intensity somewhat.] Overall, I would definitely recommend this workout to anyone who enjoys exercising with both the Bosu and the gliding discs; this is a great way to combine the two.