The therapy ball is also known as a Swiss ball, exercise ball, stability ball and strength ball. No matter what you choose to call it, the underlying principle behind it is the same. The body is in an unbalanced environment that can in turn incorporate a high amount of muscle fibers to maintain stability. The whole body can be worked on the therapy ball, and it can also be used to do corrective exercise.
Chair Replacement
Sitting at a desk chair for long periods of time every day can cause you to develop tight muscles and poor posture. You can sit on a therapy ball all day in place of a regular chair. This will force you to sit upright and engage your core muscles to prevent yourself from falling over. The end result is a stronger core, a straighter back and more calories being burned than sitting in a chair.
Weight Training
Conventional weight training exercises utilize dumbbells, benches and chairs to work the upper parts of the body. The therapy ball ball can be used in place of the chair and bench for exercises such as chest presses, seated shoulder presses, lateral raises, bicep curls and tricep extensions.
Back Pain
Therapy ball exercises can be utilized to improve the flow of blood and nutrients to the spine and also strengthen weakened muscles. They are done in a slow and controlled fashion so there is not too much pressure on the spine. An example of an exercise is seated circles. To do these, sit on the ball with your feet about shoulder width apart. Keep your back straight and roll your hips backward slightly. From this position, roll your hips around in circular motion. Go several times clockwise, then go counterclockwise.
Push-ups
Push-ups are a common and popular body weight exercise. They can be made more challenging by doing them with a therapy ball. Place your hands on the ball and perform push-ups to target your lower chest. Place your feet or shins on the ball and hands on the floor to target your upper chest. In both cases, your core will be heavily recruited to hold yourself stable.
Squeezes
Isometric contractions are characterized by not having any lengthening or shortening of a muscle. The ball can be used for isometric exercises by squeezing it as hard as you can. The chest, adductors and hamstrings are all examples of muscles that can be worked by squeezing the ball. The adductors are the muscles on the inside of the inner thighs.
Swings
Although the ball might not be heavy, it can still be used as a weight on its own. Side chops are an example of this. To do these, stand in a wide stance and pick up the ball with your hands right in the center. Straighten your arms out in front of your body and rotate the ball from side to side. Keep your back straight and head in line with the ball the whole time.
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