Health Network News

Exercise balls are all the rage and for good reason. They may, in fact, be the single most effective fitness device on the market today. Inexpensive to purchase, easy and fun to use, they are particularly suited to helping you shed excess fat and develop awesome abs. Their proper use will benefit your entire body but. Most importantly, they will strengthen your core muscles. Routines to incorporate in your exercise ball workouts are nearly unlimited and can be very specific in which part of the body they target.

First off, if you don’t yet have an exercise ball (also sometimes called a fitness ball or stability ball) you’ll need to go out and get one. Some are available for less than twenty dollars while others may be as much as fifty or more. Most are about the same — a big, rubber inflatable ball designed to hold weight of up to nearly a thousand pounds — but some come with extras such as how-to videos.

Make sure to get the correct size, determined by your individual height. When sitting on your fitness ball, with your feet flat on the floor, your knees should form a ninety-degree angle. If not, you need to get a different size.

Once you’ve acquired your fitness ball you’re ready to go. Some may elect to enroll in a class at the gym to learn technique or use a personal trainer, but this isn’t necessary. There are plenty of sites online that explain not only the benefits of the exercise ball but exactly how to use it. The good sites have very clear and descriptive pictures and videos that you can look at and then mimic. If your ball came with a video that may be all you’ll need to get going.

And exercise ball is extremely effective in working your core muscles. Core muscles include abdominals (abs) in front of and to the sides of your stomach. They also include certain back, shoulder and neck muscles. The core muscles are responsible for all the movements in your body, and working on them will not only benefit your entire body but make any other exercises you do easier and more effective.

Just sitting on your ball will start to prove why it’s so effective. In order to sit there without rolling off or falling over takes balance and causes your core muscles to contract. Just sitting there, you’re already exercising. However, there is a long list of specific exercises that can be accomplished with the aid of your new device.

There is a long list of exercises available to target specific muscle groups in the body. Trunk extensions are good for the back. Crunches work on the abs. The hamstrings and buttocks will be improved through performing bent knee bridges. The Superman exercise is directed at strengthening the upper, middle and lower back muscles.

The easiest way to learn about effective exercise ball workouts is probably to just go online. You’ll see dozens of sites demonstrating what to do, including pictures and videos. Just get busy. You won’t regret it.