If you’ve walked by swiss balls at your local gym but have never used one, you may be questioning what they are for and how they are used. Don’t be fooled by these funny looking over sized balls. They look like a simple piece of exercise equipment but there are a wide variety possibilities when it comes to the different exercises you can accomplish with them.
Swiss Ball Uses
Most often swiss balls (also know as balance balls, fitballs, stability, workout or exercise balls) are seen in health clubs being used for stretching and muscle conditioning. Since they offer you such a wide selection of exercise movements, they can be used to firm up a particular muscle group. They can also be used to build up muscle to help in injury prevention. Low impact workout routines can effectively be done with a stability ball. They can be tremendously valuable when rehabilitating from an injrury.
Swiss exercise balls have uses outside of the gym as well. The corporate world has taken quite the liking to them. Swiss balls are increasingly being used as desk chairs in the workplace. One of the huge benefits of using an exercise ball as a desk chair is improved posture. Sitting on one of these balls all day forces your back and ab muscles to work together to maintain your balance. The result is a strengthened core. I bet you didn’t know you could get fit while working!
Swiss Ball Benefits
One of the reasons they are often refered to as a balance ball, is because they aid in increasing your satbility and balance. Although achieving excellent balance doesn’t seem like much, it will greatly increase the effectiveness of your overall workout.
Poor balance is one of the biggest causes of injury while working out. If you have proper balance while doing your cardio workout you will minimize your chance for injury and allow yourself to have a more effective and enjoyable workout. Stability is very important while lifting weights as well. Not only can you do swiss ball ab exercises to build up your stability prior to lifting weights, you can also use the ball to increase the difficulty of your weight lifting exercises. For example, you can do dumbbell shoulder presses while sitting on a swiss ball, forcing you to balance yourself while completing the lift.
Working out with a swiss ball will increase your core strength resulting in stronger, toned and more finely tuned muscles. Your coordination will also improve, resulting in quicker reflexes and response time.
Tips for Swiss Ball Ab Exercises
First, be sure to find the right size ball for your height and the type of exercises you’ll be doing. Balance balls can be found in many sizes. Firmness will also vary depending on the manufacturer of the ball and how inflated it is. Make sure you sit on it and test it out prior to trying any complicated moves on it. Be sure you are comfortable and that the ball you have chosen will suite your workout needs.
You don’t have to just go by the guide. Step out of the box! Get creative with your swiss ball exercises. There are a ton of balance and swiss ball ab exercises out there. In fact don’t just use it for your abs. There are exercises that focus on just about any muscle group you can think of. And don’t forget to change things up. If you are starting to get bored with your workout, you are more likely to stop working out. So keep things interesting. If you are bored with an exercsise or it starts to become too easy for you, try something new. The possibilities with the swiss ab ball are endless.
