Exercise guide
Squat On Bosu Ball
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Rep-based
- Lower legs
- Upper legs
This variation challenges lower body strength while significantly engaging the core and stabilizer muscles to maintain balance on an unstable surface. It improves proprioception and ankle stability while targeting the quads, glutes, and hamstrings.
Reviewed by the Crucible team · Updated June 2026
Muscles worked
Setup
- Place the Bosu ball on a flat surface with the blue dome side facing up.
- Carefully step onto the center of the dome, placing your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Find your center of gravity and stand tall with your chest up and arms extended in front for balance.
How to do it
- Inhale as you slowly lower your hips back and down, as if sitting into a chair, while keeping your weight centered.
- Descend until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor, ensuring your knees stay aligned with your toes.
- Exhale and drive through your mid-foot to return to the starting position, maintaining total control to prevent the ball from wobbling.
- Perform the movement with a controlled tempo, focusing on a 3-second eccentric (lowering) phase.
Form checklist
- Keep your chest lifted and avoid rounding your lower back.
- Ensure your knees do not cave inward during the descent or ascent.
- Engage your core deeply to stabilize the movement against the unstable surface.
- Keep your weight distributed evenly across your feet rather than shifting entirely to your toes.
Pro tips
- Fix your gaze on a stationary point at eye level to significantly improve your balance.
- Focus on 'gripping' the dome with your feet to activate the small stabilizer muscles in your ankles and calves.
Make it harder
- Hold a kettlebell in the goblet position to add external resistance and increase core demand.
- Flip the Bosu ball over and perform the squat on the flat platform side for a more advanced stability challenge.
Frequently asked
- What muscles does the squat on bosu ball work?
- The squat on bosu ball primarily targets the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps, and also works the obliques and serratus anterior as secondary muscles.
- What equipment do you need for the squat on bosu ball?
- The squat on bosu ball uses bosu ball.
- Is the squat on bosu ball good for beginners?
- The squat on bosu ball is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.
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