The Swiss ball, also called the physio ball or gym ball, was invented in the 1960s and originally used as a physiotherapy tool for infants. It has since become a popular piece of equipment for fitness programs, as well as neurological and orthopedic therapy in North America. Incorporating a Swiss ball into your exercise routine can help improve your posture and core stability, as well as stretch and strengthen your muscles.
Posture
The Swiss ball is a good tool to improve your posture and the neural alignment of your head, shoulders, ribs, pelvis and legs. It can be used to correct the poor coordination of breathing and posture that comes from living a sedentary lifestyle. An easy exercise for aligning your sitting posture can be done by sitting on the ball with a straight back while tightening your lower stomach muscles and pressing your shoulder blades back.
Stretching
Stretching is an important part of warming up before exercise. The Swiss ball can be used to stretch awkward areas, such as your spine, shoulder, piriformis, gluteus and hip flexor muscles, as well as major muscles, such as your quadriceps. Stretch your hip flexor muscles by standing in a lunge position with the ball under your back thigh. With a straight spine and your weight on the ball, push your pelvis forward until you feel the hip flexor of your back leg stretch. Repeat this stretch on your other side before moving on to new stretches.
Core Stability
The Swiss ball is well known for its use in building core stability, strengthening muscles in your abdominal and lumbar regions. Your core stability is regulated by a variety of muscles in these areas that control your trunk and hip movements, as well as the stability of your spine while you are moving other muscles. Although there is limited evidence to show that the Swiss ball is better for core stability than other methods of exercise, it can be a fun way to spice up your workout. An example of a stability exercise is doing inclined pushups with your hands on a Swiss ball.
Strength Training
The Swiss ball works multiple muscles at once. You can add it to your exercise routine to strengthen your arms, legs and trunk. Use a Swiss ball to do tricep dips by squatting, with your hands on the ball behind you and your fingers pointing forward. Slowly raise and lower your body by straightening and bending your elbows. Other strength-training exercises that use the ball include Swiss ball squats, crunches, wall pushups and hamstring curls.
References
- "Swiss Ball for Strength, Tone, and Posture"; Maureen Flett; 2004
- Sports Injury Clinic: Swiss Ball Exercises
- "Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation"; Core Stability Exercises On and Off a Swiss Ball; Paul Marshall et al.; February 2005
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