Posts Tagged ‘Fitness exercise Balls’

When it comes to working out to improve your overall body condition using several different pieces of fitness equipment is often the only option you have. However, there is one piece of equipment that is not only cheap to buy but allows you to work every area of your body at the same time. Certainly for those who are looking to get fit in the comfort of their own carrying out daily fitness ball exercises should be considered.

Through using a fitness ball you can work on improving your body condition overall or just on particular areas such as your abs, legs or shoulders. In this article we take a look at three particular fitness ball exercises that you should try to do regularly.

Exercise 1 – Seated Wall Roll

This particular exercise works on improving the condition of your quadriceps, buttocks and hamstrings. To complete this exercise you should be stood up with your back leaning on a wall. However you need to make sure that your feet are apart so that they are in line with your hips. Now take the fitness ball and place it between the wall and your lower back then you need to start squatting so that the ball rolls along your back until you find yourself in a seated position. You will know if you are in the correct position because your knees should be at a 45 degree angle when sitting. Then slowly move back up to until you are standing once more and the ball is between your lower back and the wall.

Exercise 2 – Abdominal Roll

This particular fitness ball exercise is designed to help tone and strengthen your abdominal muscles. With this one you need to be laid flat on the floor (you can put a mat underneath you if you want) and then bend your knees. It is important that you make sure that your feet are flat on the floor as well. Now take the ball and place it on your thighs making sure that it is adjacent to your knees and then place your hands on top of it. Now you must bring your shoulder blades away from the floor so that they are lifted up and then let the ball roll until it is on top of your knees and then hold this position for a few seconds. Now slowly lower yourself back down so that you are in the position you originally started the exercise in.

Exercise 3 – Balanced Push Ups

With this particular fitness ball exercise you are going to be working on improving the strength and tone of your abdominal muscles along with your triceps and shoulders. You need to place your hands on top of the ball so that your body then creates a 45 degree angle along with the floor. Then you need to raise your feet up so you are just on your tip toes giving yourself time to become stabilized. Once you feel comfortable now you need to bend toward your elbows so that your body is lowered away from the ball and then with these kinds of fitness ball exercises you need to slow draw yourself back up so that you return to the original position you started from.

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Looking for a cost effective way to improve your overall health? Then why consider using an exercise ball. Through using the right sorts of exercise ball workouts one is improving not just specific areas of the body but it as a whole. This is because they require you to use all muscles at any one time when doing any particular exercises including the core ones.

Along with allowing you to work far more of your body at any given time this piece of equipment takes up considerably less space than a treadmill or rowing machine does. Plus you can carry out exercise ball workouts in the comfort of your own home.

So what kinds of exercises are suitable for one to carry out as part of a workout regime that involves the use of an exercise ball? Below we look at some of the basic exercises that if you invest money in an exercise ball can be incorporated into your daily workouts.

Exercise 1 – Incline Dumbbell Chest Press

With this exercise you sit on the floor with your upper back resting against the ball making sure that your feet are flat on the floor. Plus your knees must be bent so that your hips will drop to the floor. Now take a set of dumbbells and hold them so that they are in line with your shoulders and very slowly lift them towards the ceiling. As you raise the dumbbells make sure that your lower arm remains perpendicular to the floor.

Exercise 2 – Squat and Press

For this exercise you need to be stood upright but with your knees bent slightly. Now take the ball and hold it up in front of your face. This is the position from which you start and then finish. Once you feel comfortably slowly bend your knees to the side so that you lower the exercise ball towards the floor. You will find that you that the movement you are making is similar that you would do when doing squats. Now you need to raise the ball making sure that your legs and arms are extended fully so that it looks like you are pushing the ball towards the ceiling ensuring that you raise it above your head. Now remove to the original position and repeat this exercise.

Exercise 3 – Crunches

You need to be laid down on the ball in a supine position making sure that your body is draped over the ball. Plus also make sure that you extend your arms out behind you. Now take your hands so that they are placed over and across your chest. Once in this position you must very slowly raise your head, neck, shoulders and chest along with the rest of your spine off the ball making sure that you use only your abdominal muscles. When you reach a position that you find comfortable very slowly gradually lower your body back down again and repeat the movement again.

If you really want your exercise ball workouts to prove effective then it is important that you carry out exercises like these on a regular basis. Every other day should suffice and you should do at least 5 to 8 reps of each exercise at least 3 times when working out.

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In recent years the number of gyms that now offer classes to their members that incorporate the use of pilates Exercise balls has been on the increase. It is through the use of this equipment and the right exercises one is able to learn how to control the body’s core muscles.

Although originally the exercises devised by Joseph Pilates were designed to improve a person’s posture. It has been found they help to improve a person’s overall health as the core muscles found deep in the body are able to offer support to the body more effectively. As you are much more unstable when doing exercies using a Pilates Ball so this means that the core muscles are required to work much harder to help you regain stability once more.
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The Pilates Exercise balls that are now used not only differ in colour but in size as well. Some are as small as 14 inches in diameter whilst others are as large as 34 inches. The main reason for them being so large is to help ensure that the person using them cannot remain stable throughout the exercises they are doing and so not working their body’s muscles including the core one’s as much.

All the balls that are used for these kinds of workouts are made from soft elastic Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). Not only does this mean that they conform better to the person using them but provide some grip to the surface below. If the ball is able to move too freely there is a greater risk of an injury occurring when in use.

When it comes to do doing pilates exercises with this piece of equipment you will discover that the ones you do without it are suitable. But remember as you are unstable you will find that you are actually focusing more on ensuring that you work the muscles not only for the exercise itself but also to help you gain stability on the ball once more.

As you will soon discover that just sitting on the ball takes some considerable because of it being unstable. It will take quite a bit of conscious effort on your part to maintain your balance so that you don’t end up sliding off the ball and instead remain sitting on it upright. If you really want your exercises using Pilates Exercise balls to be effective then you must ensure that you do them correctly. Failure to do so will ensure that you are not engaging the various muscles that your body needs to regain stability over the ball.

However, for those who are only just considering using Pilates Exercise balls to improve their physique and overall health it is a good idea to start off with a few simple exercises. Also why not use a wall or another stable surface to provide you with some additional support just until you get to feel the way the ball moves as you do the various exercises. This will also help to ensure that you are focusing more on the exercise and in turn this will help to ensure that you do each movement correctly.