Adding pieces of equipment can change exercises slightly. Discover how to do Bosu side plank hip dips and what they do differently.
Bosu side plank hip dips are a variation of the exercise with the same name where you do the exercise with a Bosu Ball under your elbow and/or feet.
The main benefit of using a Bosu Ball instead of the floor is that your oblique and outer thigh muscles can go through a slightly larger range of motion. This is generally beneficial for muscle growth.
You can also say that Bosu side plank hip dips work your abs and erector spinae (lower back) just a bit more than the regular version.
Similarly, putting the Bosu Ball under your elbow also causes a tiny bit of extra chest and shoulder muscle engagement.
In short, Bosu side plank hip dips are generally just a bit more effective than the regular version but not to the extent that you absolutely have to get this equipment option.
Even in this variation, you may need to add weights to actually see your desired results from Bosu side plank hip dips.
How to do a Bosu side plank hip dip
As you can expect, you will need a good Bosu Ball (or two) to do this exercise. You want to put these with the flat surfaces on the ground.
As an example, take the following steps to do a Bosu side plank hip dip with one Bosu Ball:
- Sit sideways next to the Bosu Ball with your head closest to the ball. Lean on the middle of the round dome with your forearm/elbow and keep the upper arm of this side vertical.
- Step away with your feet from your upper body until you are in about a straight line from your heels to your head. Don’t let your shoulders come up to your ears.
- Lower your hips as far as comfortable.
- Raise your hips as far as comfortable.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 for a certain number of repetitions or amount of time.
- Complete your set and do the same number or duration of Bosu side plank hip dips on the other side.
In Bosu side plank hip dips the main thing to pay attention to is what range of motion your body can deal with.
Additionally, you want to push your shoulder down to some extent. It should not come up to your ear.
Besides that, you can also put the Bosu Ball under your feet. This will focus slightly more on your oblique and outer thigh muscles and slightly less on your chest and shoulder muscles.
It is also worth mentioning that some people will find Bosu side plank hip dips too challenging. In that case, side plank progressions like knee side planks could be a better place to start.
Bosu side plank hip dips muscles worked
Both variations of Bosu side plank hip dips mainly work your oblique and hip abductor (outer thigh) muscles.
You can also say Bosu side plank hip dips work your abs, erector spinae (lower back), deltoids (shoulder), and chest muscles to a tiny extent.
Compared to regular side plank dips, the Bosu Ball variation works these secondary stabilizing muscles just a bit more.
More importantly, adding a Bosu Ball to the side plank hip dips allows you to lower your hips farther without hitting the ground.
The extra range of motion this offers for your muscles tends to be beneficial for muscle growth and strength progress.
At the same time, you still need to keep in mind that you need to do enough repetitions with enough weight to see results.
This could mean doing Bosu side plank hip dips while holding a weight like a dumbbell, sandbag, or something similar on your hips.
Benefits of Bosu side plank hip dips
The Bosu Ball does make the side plank hip dips somewhat more effective but the overall benefits will be similar to the regular version. Some of these are:
- Stronger muscles: Doing Bosu side plank hip dips in a smart way can grow and strengthen your obliques and outer thigh muscles.
- Balance & coordination: Bosu side plank hip dips will be just a bit more challenging in terms of balance and coordination. You could see some balance and coordination improvements in this position.
- May reduce or prevent back pain: The oblique strengthening you can get from Bosu side plank hip dips tends to reduce or prevent back pain (1, 2). People with issues in this area do want to be careful and potentially start with other exercises first.
- Can make daily activities easier: Improving muscle endurance in your outer thighs and obliques can make daily activities like walking around, climbing stairs, and just standing up more convenient to do.
While inevitably many workouts are better for some of these benefits than Bosu side plank hip dips, it is amazing that you can get so many important benefits from adding one activity to your routine.
Bosu side plank hip dip alternatives
Bosu side plank hip dips can be a great exercise but you may also want to know what other options you have. Some of the Bosu side plank hip dip alternatives include:
- Bosu Ball side lying leg raises
- Bosu Ball Russian twists
- Side bends
- Bosu Ball bird dogs
- Bosu Ball side crunches
- Regular side plank hip dips
- Bosu Ball crunches
To choose between these alternatives you want to think about what muscles involved in Bosu side plan hips you want to focus on.
Are Bosu side plank hip dips a good exercise?
Bosu side plank hip dips can be a good exercise for working your obliques and outer thigh muscles.
In combination with the right amounts of resistance, sets, and repetitions, you can grow and strengthen these muscles with Bosu side plank dips.
By raising your shoulders and/or your feet with the Bosu Ball, your muscles will be able to go through a slightly bigger range of motion.
Since this is generally beneficial for training results, you can say that Bosu side plank dips will be just a bit more effective than the regular version.
You also get just a bit more engagement of a few stabilizing muscles.
That being said, the differences are not that big that a Bosu Ball is an essential piece of equipment for this exercise.
In simpler words, you don’t need to get a Bosu Ball to see results from side plank hip dips.
Additionally, there are many other good Bosu Ball exercises too.
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