The exercise ball is a terrific addition to your home gym or exercise workout routine. By using it regularly, you will strengthen your core muscles which will help you in just about every sports activity you do.
Exercise balls can be awkward to use when you are getting started. They look simple and inviting. What's not to like about a nice big colorful ball, especially compared to weight machines or dumb bells.
However, just wait until you try your first set of exercise ball exercises on the ball. What makes them so tough is that you need to be able to stabilize yourself, and that is no mean feat.
What muscles you can exercise
The great thing about the exercise ball workout is that you can pretty much exercise any body part with it. There are exercise ball exercises for shoulders, neck, biceps, and leg muscles. And exercise balls are great for hip exercises. I was really surprised when I started my core workout just how many hip exercises there are, designed to help you strengthen your hip extensors which in turn help your core and flexibility.
If there is a particular exercise you enjoy, think about how you would do it on an exercise ball. Try it first without weights so that you can see if it might work. For example, when doing bicep curls, try them sitting on the ball. What happens is that your biceps get a workout, as does your core which stabilizes you on the ball.
Or even use the exercise ball for chest exercises. Doing your dumbbell push ups while laying on your back on the ball is a great chest exercise, as well as being good for stabilizing your core.
There are many exercise ball exercises to help with reducing lower back pain. When you use the ball for lower back exercise, you tend to use a lot of muscles which help stabilize your spine. For example, lying chest down on the ball and with your toes ont he ground then raising your back is a great lower back exercise. If you suffer from lower back pain, be sure to talk with your doctor or physiotherapist before using the ball.
Tips on buying an exercise ball
Exercise balls come in a couple of different sizes. The only requirement is that you buy one to fit your size. You don't want to get one that is too big or too small for you, especially since you will be trying to balance on it. You'll find recommendations on the exercise ball packaging to help you pick the right size.
When you first use the ball, you will inflate it with the pump that comes with it. Make sure you put the pump away in a place that you can easily remember! Over time, these balls deflate a little and may need pumping up before you start your exercise ball exercises.
On a couple of occasions, I've been scrambling around at six in the morning trying to find the pump because the ball was too soft.
Tips on exercise ball exercises
My first piece of advice is to take it easy. Do a few exercises without using any weights because it's easy to fall off the ball at first. After a short while, you learn how to balance on the exercise ball and you're good to go.
Other uses for exercise balls
If you do yoga or Pilates, you'll definitely want an exercise ball since it is incorporated into many of the exercises in each activity. One other use I discovered for the ball. It's great for sitting on when watching TV. Maybe your mind is getting numbed from watching the telly, but at least your core is getting a great workout at the same time!
