What Are Exercise Balls Used For, and Do They Really Work?
It seems like every day, there is a new gimmick being advertised that is guaranteed to help people lose weight and get in great shape. Most of these gadgets don’t really do a whole lot of good, but, some are really good, and catch on with people quickly. One of the pieces of workout gear that has been growing in popularity for the last ten years or so is the exercise ball. You’ve probably seen them in gyms and sporting goods sections at stores. They look like great big giant rubber balls that kids would have a real ball with, no pun intended. And, they provide an excellent workout.
How to Use an Exercise Ball
There are many different ways you can incorporate an exercise ball into your daily workouts. And, if you are not quite ready to get into exercising just yet, you can still use an exercise ball. Start out just by sitting on one instead of a chair. This is not as easy as it looks and will require balance and strength. So, even though you are not really exercising, you are still gaining balance and building strength, and improving your muscle tone. Once you are actually ready to start exercising, you can use an exercise ball for the following:
Yoga – New yoga workouts are being created that use an exercise ball, which greatly increases the benefits of the workout, and helps with the flexibility, balance and strength. There are many stretches you can do with an exercise ball, so it is the ideal tool for a really good yoga workout.
Weight Training – Once you have mastered sitting and balancing on an exercise ball, if you are into weight training, why not get rid of your weight bench and use the ball instead? It will require you to use even more muscles, giving you a much better workout.
Abdominal Training – You can increase the effectiveness of many of your regular abdominal exercises, such as sit-ups, crunches, twists and others by doing them while balancing on an exercise ball. This way, you will get even more of an abdominal workout, and, work your legs as well.
Exercise balls are inexpensive pieces of exercise equipment, and you can use them just about anywhere, even for watching television. If you are into working out, this is one piece of modern equipment that really does work, and one that you should have to get the most from your workouts.
Authored by Aaron Garcia with the px90 Equipment Shop, the best online shop for the Insanity Workout.
