Using an Exercise Ball in Your Workout Routine
August 21st, 2009 | 
Author: | An exercise ball is one of those big over-sized kick balls you see at many gyms. Exercise, or stability balls as they are sometimes called, come in various diameters, some brands have a rubber strip surrounding the outside of the ball others are covered with little rubber massaging bumps massage your body and provide additional stabilizing friction while using the ball.
The stability ball can be used to introduce a new challenge into your exercise program. The various activities you can incorporate your stability ball into are: abdominal/core exercises, balance & stability training, stabilizing the spine, all types of stretching, weight training, and more! You can even use it as an office chair if you want (I do!). Most exercise ball exercises challenge the core and are meant to stabilize your spine. The fact that you are sitting or lying on a wobbly ball challenges the nervous system, requires balance, and increases demand from core muscles. In addition, it requires increased mental focus to ensure you maintain the appropriate form throughout the entire exercise. Developing core strength and improved balance are essentials in a ‘functional’ fitness program. Functional fitness is a multi-dimensional fitness program where the body is trained for real-world body movements, as well as strength & leanness. For example, you could be an excellent runner who runs an hour a day, you are lean, tone, and eat right. You look great & you’re really in shape. Then why did you lift your suitcase to put it into the trunk — and throw your back out. What happened? Most likely, you over trained one set of muscles while unknowingly ignoring the opposing muscle group. This can lead to muscle imbalances and weak links in the body. You might be lean, strong, and ready for the beach, but are you ready to lift your toddler out of his car seat or bring all the holiday decorations down from the attic? Functional fitness training focuses on preventing injuries similar to this. In addition to functional benefits, using a exercise ball to challenge your core strength improves muscle development through the core without any fear of getting ‘bulky’. Since muscle burns dreaded fat, you can expect improved metabolism and leanness as an added benefit of using the ball. If you want to make your workouts more interesting and effective, I recommend using an exercise ball to replace the standard workout bench or exercise mat. While using the ball, make sure you are near a mirror, where you can monitor your posture and ensure your back is straight and your abs are tight. Always strive for perfect posture when using the ball to perform any exercise other than stretching. When you begin to use the ball, you’ll most likely be very off balance and a little timid. As your nervous system adjusts, you’ll become more confident and have the ability to challenge yourself in new and different ways. |
Stretch, Tone & Tighten Your Body Using a GoFit Exercise Ball…Discover step-by-step how to get in shape using an exercise ball -even if you’ve never exercised before.
This burst resistant stability ball includes workout DVD that teaches you fun and challenging exercises you can do at home.  |
Choosing the Right Exercise Ball Chair
Gaiam Exercise Ball Chair
There are a few variables to consider when choosing to an exercise ball chair. First, you should decide if you will simply use and exercise ball to sit on, or if you want a full blown exercise ball chair. While both choices are effective, a full blown exercise ball chair would probably be considered the more professional of the two choices. Not only that, but the chairs offer a variety of options including backed or backless, rolling or static feet, and range from moderately fashionable, with the ability to be integrated into a nicely designed office, to ugly looking.
If you choose to simply replace your office chair with an exercise ball, you really only have to decide on the color and size that’s right for you. If you are between 4′11″ and 5′4″ a 55 cm ball will work best for you, those between 5′5″ and 5′11″ should use the 65 cm ball and if you’re between 6′0″ and 6′7″ use a ball 75 cm ball.
If you are overweight or experience back pain, it is still safe and probably even beneficial to sit on an exercise ball. Just make sure you are in the proper seated position while using the ball. Upper legs should be parallel to the ground or hips can be slightly higher than the knees while in the seated position. Be sure the exercise ball chair or exercise ball is close enough to your workspace so you can maintain the appropriate upright, neutral posture in the upper back – slumping your shoulders is not an option! Finally, it doesn’t hurt to make sure that the ball is burst-resistant that if the integrity of your ball is compromised, you can feel secure knowing it’s not going to explode and cause a potential injury. Some companies make burst-resistant balls that will hold up to 600 pounds.
An Overview of The Exercise Ball Chair
Gaiam Exercise Ball Chair
An Overview of The Exercise Ball Chair
Use of an exercise ball chair is becoming a popular alternative to standard desk chairs in both the office and the classroom. The less than perfect ergonomics of typical office chairs is the notorious cause for an array of negative health effects including shoulder tightness, rounded shoulders, neck pain, and low back pain. Using an exercise ball chair can improve and even alleviate these symptoms by strengthening core musculature and improving spinal alignment while seated. Not only that, use of an exercise ball chair often results in improved standing posture, better circulation, and more fun at the office!
The fun and benefits of an exercise ball chair don’t stop there! Not only are these positive effects being experienced by working adults, students in classrooms across the country are experiencing positive effects as well! According to numerous reports* students who replaced their desk chair with and exercise ball report higher levels of concentration, improved energy, and even better handwriting. While classrooms and home offices commonly use a simple exercise ball to replace their office or desk chairs, there are quite a few designs of an actual, Posture Improving Exercise Ball Chair that looks more professional and sometimes even stylish.
In my next few posts, I plan to give a few exercise ball chair tips and also a brief overview of the different chairs on the market…Enjoy!
*Sources:
http://www.kare11.com/
http://ergonomenon.com/?p=352
Stability Ball Core Strengthening Exercises
3 exercises that you can perform on a stability ball. These stability ball exercises are guaranteed to strengthen your core, while providing a great cardiovascular workout at the same time. Combine these stability ab exercises with a proper diet (example: decreasing sugar intake, sweets, etc) will speed up the process of getting into shape, or a six-pack if you desire!
Stability balls come in various sizes. Make sure that you select the correct one based on your weight and height. Stability ball training is of the best ways to improve your body posture, making you more aware of your stance at any given time.
Duration : 0:3:48
Excerpts from Pilates on the Stability Ball DVD da Julie Anne Lea
The full version of this Pilates on the Stability Ball DVD lasts fifty minutes and is available for sale. Please email me for further details: julieannelea_matwork.pilates@yahoo.co.uk
It’s also available in Italian.
Duration : 0:6:19
Top Ten Stability Ball Exercises by www.getfitsource.com
A Stability Ball or Exercise Ball is a great addition to your stock of fitness tools but you must be able to use it correctly. View this video where our Certified Professional Fitness Trainer demonstrates his top ten Stability Ball exercises. Learn new and creative ways to use your Fitness Ball. Check out all our products, exercise videos, exercise balls and stability balls at http://www.getfitsource.com
Duration : 0:7:4
Stability Ball Combination Exercises : Stability Ball Exercises: Oblique & Abs
Exercise balls take tension out of your workout. Learn how to work your oblique and abdominal muscles in this free exercise video from a personal trainer at Gold’s Gym.
Expert: Amy McCauley
Bio: Amy McCauley has been a certified personal fitness trainer since 1995. She specializes in Pilates, combat cardio, core conditioning and overall strength training.
Filmmaker: Reel Media LLC
Duration : 0:2:21
Top Exercise Ball Movements For Core Strength Muscular Development
Wondering which exercises on the ball will help strengthen the core while also isolating other muscle groups? Performing these simple exercises on a ball vs. a bench creates a challenging and fun workout that will also improve balance and overall coordination.
Whenever you use a ball, remember to maintain neutral posture, as compromising it will defeat the purpose of using a ball entirely. Neutral posture can be defined as keeping shoulders down and directly under the ears and stomach just slightly tightened as if someone were about to surprise you by tapping on your belly. Basically, maintain the natural curve or your spine and especially try to keep your pelvis in the neutral position. Exaggerating the curve in the lumbar spine by rotating the pelvis back is a common mistake exercisers use when working out with an exercise ball.
Some of these movements are more advanced exercises that require previous experience with an exercise ball so be careful when trying them on your own.
The tuck is a simple movement, but a challenging exercise. If after a few reps it becomes to difficult, simply roll back, supporting the entire lower leg with the ball.
 Exercise Ball Tuck Start |
 Exercise Ball Tuck - End |
Bridges, both supine and prone, are a great challenge for beginners who want to strengthen their core.
 Supine Bridge; Hold |
 Supine Hold;advanced |
You can focus on activating and isolating the chest while doing push-ups
 Exercise Ball Push-Up Start |
 Exercise Ball Push-up End |
Try these movements with the exercise ball and let me know how you like them!
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Tags: exercise ball, exercise ball exercises, stability ball exercises | 
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Exercise Ball Exercises & Basic Instruction
There are several reasons you may want to learn how to use an Exercise Ball; it could be that you want to get in shape, improve balance & stability, strengthen your core, work out at home, or just add a new type of variety and challenge to your current work out routine. Exercise ball exercises can range in difficulty from fairly easy to extremely challenging, which is why they have become a staple in almost every gym across the country. This simple former toy-turned-fitness equipment is also being used as a chair in classrooms and offices across the globe. Can you imagine…an exercise ball chair at every desk in your work place? Whatever the reason you’ve become interested in learning more about this simple piece of equipment, let’s look at exactly how you can get the most out of your exercise ball.
The most basic exercise ball exercises focus on using your own body weight, maintaining your balance, and performing limited and controlled movements. The unstable surface of the ball will initially put you off balance when you sit or lean on the ball. For your safety, you should be near a handrail or otherwise stable surface to ensure you can stay on top of the ball during each movement.
To begin using the ball, first make sure you are near a mirror or reflective surface so you can maintain the proper position during the exercise. The proper position is commonly referred to as the neutral posture. Neutral posture means having your shoulders down and back (under the ears), maintaining the natural curve of the spine, and keeping your pelvic girdle in the neutral position. Start by simply sitting on the ball and maintaining the neutral posture I described. Keep your abdominal muscles slightly tight and just get comfortable sitting straight up. As you get more comfortable, try lifting and holding one leg just a few inches off the ground while still maintaining the neutral position, after about five seconds, put one leg down and lift the other one just slightly into the air. This may or may not be challenging based on your current ability to balance and stabilize yourself. Take notice of how you respond, did you feel your core musculature tighten up? Did you feel wobbly or off balance? Use this movement as a simple way to improve posture and strengthen your core.
When you feel you’ve mastered the simple movement I previously described, you are ready to move on to new and different exercises. Experimenting with new and different movements can be fun, just remember to use a mirror and focus on maintaining the neutral posture throughout the entire exercise. By doing this, you will get the most out of each exercise ball exercise you attempt and you will progress yourself to more difficult and challenging movements.
RECOMMENDED EXERCISE BALL EXERCISES
- Leg Lifts (previously described)
- Wall Squats
- Ball Walk-ups
Enjoy your exercise ball and most of all, consider using yours as an Exercise Ball Chair!
Posted in exercise ball, exercises with ball |
Tags: exercise ball, exercise ball chair, exercise ball exercises |
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