As you sweat your way through “Strong Body,” Cosi Belloso’s new series of amputee fitness videos, keep this in mind: She and her models shot all 300 segments in just three days.
“By day three, we were all toast,” laughs Belloso, best known as the host of the weekly COSI Talks on Facebook Live. “All my models were scattered around my lawn—a leg here, a socket there. Any neighbors driving by would have been really alarmed.”
But Belloso, a physical therapist specializing in amputee clients, hopes those three exhausting days of shooting will yield years of health benefits for people with lower-limb loss. Newly available this month, just in time for the holidays, “Strong Body” meets the glaring need for amputee-specific, self-guided workout programs. The series prioritizes fundamental balance, flexibility, and core strength, helping viewers of all ability levels lay the groundwork for sustainable progress.
“I wanted to create something that’s just for amputees,” she says. “And I wanted it to be interesting and fun enough to keep people’s attention. When I used to do home [PT] visits, I’d usually find my printed exercise handouts shoved under a coaster. They weren’t getting used.”
Belloso sought to make “Strong Body” as accessible as a typical COSI Talks show. The videos avoid jargon and have a natural, unscripted feel. The breakneck shooting schedule didn’t allow time for many retakes, so the segments contain a lot of ad-libbed banter and spontaneous moments.
“There will definitely be a bloopers reel,” says Belloso. “You’ll see the models making mistakes [in the videos]. They’re all great athletes, but they still struggled with some of the exercises. You’ll see me correcting them in real time.”
Another error Belloso seeks to correct in “Strong Body” is the tendency toward overly aggressive workouts. “I never discourage an amputee from shooting for a high level of activity,” she says, “but I am insistent that they build up their core foundation first. A lot of people want to skip that step. They want to go straight into these incredibly intense exercises that they’re not ready for yet, and that can lead to injury. I see it a lot, and it makes me cringe.”
A year-long subscription to “Strong Body” costs $14.95 a month, or slightly less if you pay the whole year up front. In addition to all 300 videos, the package includes live weekly demos on Facebook, where Belloso delves into specific exercises and answers audience questions. You can also buy a companion book, schedule a one-on-one online consultation with Belloso, and use the materials in conjunction with your prosthetist, PT, and/or personal trainer.
“The program is flexible enough to accommodate everybody, from someone who’s fresh out of surgery up through elite athletes,” Belloso says. Get more information and start your subscription at strongbody.cositalks.com.
