Posted by Nick Valenko | Posted in General | Posted on 05-03-2010
Tags: ab workout, abdominal machine, exercise ball workouts, fitness, fitness machine, Health & Fitness
Unless you\’ve been asleep at the wheel, you\’ve no doubt seen exercise balls around… In stores, on TV, at the gym or personal trainer\’s or at a friend\’s house. They\’re very popular these days and are, arguably, the best single piece of fitness equipment available for getting into shape. They\’re inexpensive to buy, easy and fun to use and amazingly effective at helping you to reduce fat and tone your core muscles, thereby giving you awesome abs. Exercise ball workouts are varied and specific to particular muscle groups.
Exercise balls, also commonly known as stability balls or fitness balls, can be found almost anywhere and are not expensive to buy. They run anywhere from about $20 to as much as $50 or more. The more expensive ones will usually come with extras, such as instructional videos. Basically, it\’s simply a large, inflatable rubber ball made to support a weight of up to half a ton.
It\’s important to make sure you get the right size ball. This will be dictated by your height. If you sit on the ball and place your feet flat on the floor in front of you, your knees should form a right angle. If this isn\’t the case, you\’ve gotten the wrong size. You will need to replace it with the correct size.
Now that you\’ve got your ball, what can you do with it? If yours didn\’t come with an instructional video and you\’re not inclined to go to a gym or a personal trainer who can teach you the correct way to use it, then go to the Internet. There are numerous sites available online which can teach you not only what exercises to do but how to do them and what results you can expect. Many include very descriptive pictures you can follow and some even have how-to videos you can watch to help you along.
The secret of the effectiveness of the exercise ball is its ability to work your core. This includes the muscles of abdomen, the back, the shoulders and some muscles of the neck. These are the muscles chiefly utilized in originating all body movement. Working them will benefit your entire structure and also make other exercises you do more effective and easier to accomplish.
Sitting on a fitness ball is not as easy as it may seem if you\’re a beginner. Because it\’s round and rolls, the tendency is to roll off or fall over. In order to prevent this, your core muscles are called into immediate action in order for you to maintain balance. They will automatically contract and flex, thereby exercising these important muscles. But this is just the beginning. There are dozens and dozens of exercises that can be performed with the use of this device.
Certain exercises have been developed to target specific areas of the body. For example, trunk extensions are meant for the back. Crunches will work the abs. Bent knee bridges help the buttocks and hamstrings. One exercise, called Superman, works the entire back area.
The best advice? Go online and type in the keywords \’exercise ball workouts\’. You\’ll find numerous websites that explain all the hows and whys of using this awesome fitness device. There\’s even one on there put up by the Mayo Clinic and you know those guys must be experts. There are great pictures and videos detailing exact movements to do. With an exercise ball, some desire and determination, you can\’t go wrong.
It will be wonderful fun working out when you begin utilizing the exercise ball workouts today! Easy routines that will help you to meet your goals utilizing exercise ball workouts.