Health Network News

There are dozens of devices available out there that promise miraculous results in the area of physical fitness. If you doubt that just turn on any infomercial TV channel for a while. You’re sure to see several ads touting the latest and greatest miracle of engineering design. Some famous people have even lent their names and reputations to some of these devices. If these gadgets work so well, why do you see so many turning up at garage sales? Why, because most of them are not what’s advertised. The exception is the core exercise ball, which may be the most effective piece of fitness equipment on the market.

It’s a big, inflatable rubber ball, made to support a weight of up to 1000 lbs. Also called a fitness ball or a stability ball, it’s used for a program of exercises that has you sitting on it, leaning against it or lying on it during your workout. It’s very effective in its function.

Its use has become so widespread that it’s a ‘must have’ item for personal trainers and exercise gurus. It’s easy to use and inexpensive to acquire. Exercise balls may be the single most efficient means for developing your core muscle groups. Properly strengthening your core muscles will make every other exercise you do more effective.

Your core muscles are the muscle groups that are used for initiating all of your body movements. They are in the center or core of your body, also known as the torso. If you strengthen your core you will be increasing support for all of your body and benefiting your whole self.

What makes the use of a stability ball so effective is the need for your body to balance. Without proper balance you won’t be able sit on this sphere without rolling off or falling over. In order to maintain proper balance, it’s necessary for your core muscles to be continually flexing, which effectively exercises them in proper fashion.

Ever wonder how people acquire those ’six pack abs’? It’s been known for some time that sit-ups won’t accomplish this — besides, doing sit-ups can be traumatic to your lower back and cause serious problems. But exercises done with an exercise ball, including a variation of the sit-up which won’t create injury to the lower back, will tone the exact muscles necessary to give you the abs you’re looking for. The key is working the core muscles… All of them.

Fitness balls are available in various sizes and the proper size for you personally depends on your height. You should be able to sit on the ball, with your feet flat on the ground, and your knees should be at an approximate ninety degree angle. If not, go to a different sized ball. Be aware that the firmer the ball the more difficult it will be to use so beginners are advised to start off with a softer one.

Although originally designed to aid in the therapy of people who had suffered spinal injuries or had neurological disorders, the core exercise ball has evolved become a mainstay of exercise gurus everywhere. Use of the ball is the very best way accomplish beneficial abs exercises to develop awesome abs and, along the way, reduce the fat that’s been hiding that six pack all this time.