The core is the collective term used to describe your abdominal muscles, waist and lower back -- in essence, your entire midsection. These muscles work independently to control the movements of your spine or together to create intra-abdominal pressure that supports and braces your spine from within. There are a number of exercise devices to condition your core muscles, but one of the most effective is the stability ball. It offers a number of significant benefits to regular users.
History
Stability balls are not new and have been used by physical therapists for rehabilitation since the 1960s. In the late 1990s, fitness expert and author Paul Chek aggressively promoted stability balls and brought them to the attention of the fitness industry and introduced the concept of core conditioning to the masses. Core stability training is now a mainstream element of many people's fitness routine, and stability balls are a common sight in gyms and in homes.
Improved Balance
Stability balls wobble during use. This extraneous movement means you have to make constant small adjustments to your position to avoid falling off the ball. This constant wobbling develops your balance. Balance is defined as your ability to maintain your center of gravity over your base of support and is an important skill in everyday life and most sports.
Increased Range of Movement
Many traditional core exercises that are performed on the floor limit your range of movement and prevent you from extending your spine. Spinal extension is an important part of developing the health of your back and the condition of your core muscles. Activities such as throwing involve a significant extension of your spine, so it makes good exercise sense to perform this movement when exercising. The convex surface of the stability ball allows you to safely extend your spine, a movement not possible in most floor-based core exercises.
Increased Muscle Fiber Recruitment
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, or ACSM, the constant wobbling of the stability ball increases muscle fiber recruitment. This means core exercises performed using a ball are often more intense than the same exercise performed on the floor. This is especially beneficial if you find floor-based core exercises too easy and need a greater challenge. You can also combine many stability ball exercises with medicine balls, cable resistance machines, kettlebells and dumbbells to make them even more demanding and therefore effective.
Example Exercises
Almost every exercise performed on a stability ball utilizes your core, but some exercises place an emphasis on these important muscles. Stability ball crunches, twisting crunches, hip bridges, mountain climbers, planks, side planks, supine twists, roll-outs and pikes are all well-known and effective exercises that target your core. You can find instructions on how to perform these and other exercises in the Resources section.
Caution
Stability ball exercises are demanding and are not ideally suited to beginners. Rushing into core exercises such as stability ball planks before you're ready may result in lower back injury. Make sure you progress slowly in terms of workout intensity and volume. If you experience any discomfort in your lower back, regress the exercise you are doing and build back up again slowly. Poor technique can result in serious injury, so if you are in any doubt as to how an exercise should be performed, seek advice from a personal trainer or fitness coach.
References
- "Low Back Disorders"; Stuart McGill; 2007
- "Awesome Abs: The Gut Busting Selection for Men & Women"; Paul Chek; 1997
- "ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2009
Member Comments