Posts Tagged ‘Pilates exercise Ball’

Fitness Ball Exercises

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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Pilates Exercise Balls

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.

Pilates Exercise Ball

Using Pilates exercises can help to improve your health and fitness. However through use of a Pilates exercise ball these improvements can happen even faster. The main reason for using this piece of Pilates equipment helps to raise your body of the ground so you then have to use the stabilizing muscles within the body to prevent you from falling off it.

Theragear Pilates Mini Ball, Purple, 9 Inch
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As we all know Pilates is a wonderful form of exercise that helps to tone and so sculpt your body because exercises are used that target the bodies core muscles. By including the use of a Pilates exercise ball in your workouts this will further intensify the exercises further because of the balancing element.

As you use this ball you will find that each time you workout on it the muscles you use normally are required to work much harder to ensure that you remain stable. Yet although the muscles are being made to work harder the effort you are putting into these exercises isn’t much more than you would need without use of the ball.

When you begin using this kind of ball in your workouts you will soon discover that muscles that have lain dormant are now being used. This form of exercise is very helpful to improve your spine as it causes the micro stabilizers around this part of your body to become strengthened. As these muscles become stronger then the chances of you suffering from back problems in the future will be reduced.

Many people find Pilates quite a boring exercise regime and generally choose to give it up after a number of weeks. However, but using an exercise ball when doing a Pilates workout will make the time more enjoyable. This is because you are able to vary what you are doing when exercising.

The problem with repetitive exercises is that over time the muscles that were being worked can only be improved by doing more strenuous workouts. However, using a Pilates exercise ball can help to ensure that the exercises are not repetitive.

For those who find just using a Pilates exercise ball alone is not sufficient to improve their body’s condition should take it to the next level. For these people they should consider using weights as they perform the various exercises on the ball. But as with any new exercise it is important to start off with small weights initially and as you begin to feel stronger so increase their weight.

By including the use of weights the exercises that you were originally doing will be intensified further. However, when using weights with your Pilates exercise ball don’t expect to see results immediately it is going to take you time and effort to really see any changes. But carrying them out on a regular basis will not only make you look but feel good as well.

When using a Pilates exercise ball for the first time you must be aware that you need to retain the right form as you do the exercises. What you should not be doing when using such a piece of fitness equipment for the first time is complete the same number of reps as you would doing the exercise normally.