The muscles throughout the upper and lower back play a vital role in protecting the spine while allowing for dynamic movements and flexibility. The stability ball offers the body freedom to strengthen core and upper back muscles in a controlled manner while keeping these vulnerable areas safe. This minimizes risk of weight overload or overextending these muscles and improper posture. Effectively maintaining strength and flexibility promotes longevity of the spine and avoids unnecessary injuries.
Lower Back Exercises
Lower back muscles primarily include erector spinae, external and internal obliques and the lower area of the latissimus dorsi. A rather simple stability ball exercise is to sit on the ball using a normal seated posture that could be done sitting at a desk. To advance this posture, you can lift each leg individually or extend each arm overhead while keeping postural alignment. Additional exercises include back extensions, stationary plank and walking or plank tuck. From there, more intermediate level exercises include standing side splits for obliques and superman posture with the ball supporting at the center of your body while alternating opposite arm and leg extensions.
Upper Back Exercises
The stability ball is also effective in strengthening the upper back muscles, including latissimus dorsi, trapezius and rhomboid muscles. The plank exercises require stabilizing the upper body and keeping the shoulders aligned, which draws upon these upper back muscles to support your body weight throughout the movements. The ball also can be used to stabilize and support the body while performing upper back pulls lying prone across the ball. Overhead extensions and shoulder shrugs using hand weights from a seated posture are effective for trapezius and rhomboid areas.
Core Strengthening Benefits
The stability ball helps strengthen the core muscles, which play a vital role in stabilizing and protecting the spine. Given the dynamic nature of the ball because of its shape, all exercises essentially require the core muscles to be activated; developing any exercise routine utilizing the stability ball will benefit and build strength in the core muscles, which include those in the abdominal, back and pelvic areas. Core exercises build deep stabilizing muscles that support the lumbar spine, benefiting balance, posture and dynamic movements that are common to everyday activity.
Important Considerations
The size of stability ball plays an important factor in establishing an effective routine. There are a few size options, and your height, and weight are important considerations. Proper technique is essential. One benefit of the stability ball is that it is difficult to perform most exercises without appropriate posture. To balance and stay in a neutral, aligned position using the stability ball, you will learn where you need to be positioned to effectively perform the exercise. Gradual progression in volume and difficulty of exercise should also be considered. Beyond this, the stability ball is an excellent tool for rebuilding back strength and mobility in a supported and controlled manner, even if recovering from a back injury. It also can be a safe way for pregnant women to maintain core strength and lower back mobility.
References
- "Fitness"; Our Top 8 Stability Ball Exercises; Lexi Walters
- MayoClinic.com: Slide Show: Core Exercises With a Fitness Ball
- "Good Housekeeping"; Core Exercises for the Stability Ball; Selene Yeager
- Spine Health; Exercise Ball Therapy for Lower Back Pain Relief; Thomas E. Hyde; Nov. 18, 2010
- Gaiam Life: Balance Ball Therapy: 4 Exercises for Back and Knee Problems; Joelle Klein
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