A 2007 study published in the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" detailed the effects of exercising on unstable training devices, such as the stability ball. The researchers found that these exercises increased core muscle activation. The exercise ball's association with the word "core," a fitness industry buzzword, landed it a starring role in the general fitness arena. Ball exercise programs enhance balance, strength, flexibility, athleticism and core stability. The ball's shape provides a versatile weight-bench alternative. When it is not in the gym, the exercise ball leads a double life as a posture-enhancing office chair.
Post-Rehab Exercise
Post-rehabilitation exercise enables patients to continue their physical therapy in the gym, without incurring expensive medical bills. The stability ball, with its roots in rehabilitation, provides effective exercise for injuries, such as back pain. Australian physical therapist Paul Hodges reported in the "Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation" his discovery that core activation plays a major role in preventing back problems. A typical post-rehab back exercise program may include supine ball crunches, prone balance exercises done while lifting one arm and the opposite leg and tension-releasing circular hip movements while seated on the ball. For shoulder tension, place your elbow and forearm on the ball and perform clockwise and counterclockwise arm circles. Some physical therapists use supine stability ball hamstring curls as post-rehab exercise for their knee-surgery patients. Place your feet on the ball; lift each vertebra until your spine is in a bridge position. Remain in the bridge as you bend and straighten your legs.
Pilates Ball Exercise
The exercise ball increases the range of motion for some Pilates mat exercises. The bridge, usually performed supine on an exercise mat, is an example. Performing this exercise with your feet on the stability ball increases gluteal, hamstring and core muscle engagement. Your core muscles stabilize your spine. Spinal bridging with your feet on an elevated surface requires additional gluteal muscle activation. Once you reach the bridge position, the ball's rolling movements enable you to bend and straighten your legs to work your hamstrings.
The ball, when used with a resistance band, simulates the Pilates Reformer movements. Sit on the ball in an upright position. Bend your knees and wrap a resistance band around your feet. Inhale to prepare. As you exhale, simultaneously bend your elbows, squeeze your shoulder blades toward each other and straighten your legs. Inhale to return.
Strength Training Exercise
Use the ball in lieu of the weight bench for seated, supine, decline, incline and prone strength-training exercises. Start with the bench press. Place the weight set on each side of the ball. Begin in a seated position on the ball. Walk your feet forward until your lower, middle and upper back are against the ball's surface. Grab your weights, bend your elbows and line the weights up with the center of your chest. Slowly straighten your arms toward the ceiling. Perform 10 repetitions, and then rest your head and upper body against the ball's rear surface to perform the same exercise as a decline press. This works the lower pectoral muscles. Use a lighter set of weights for upper back exercises. Lie prone on the ball, with your feet on the floor. Hold a weight in each hand. Squeeze your shoulder blades together to lift your arms.
References
- "Archives of Physical Medicine:" Altered Trunk Muscle Recruitment in People with Low Back Pain; 1999
- Idea Fit: Instability Increases Core Activation
- Ohio State University Medical Center: Physioball Supine Progression
- National Strength and Conditioning Association: The Effects of 10 Weeks of Lower-Body Unstable Surface Training on Markers of Athletic Performance; 2007
Member Comments