Exercise balls are large, colorful balls made of rubber. When inflated to their proper size, exercise balls -- also known as stability balls -- function as a low-tech and adaptable exercise tool. Originally designed for injury rehabilitation, exercise balls enjoyed a surge in popularity as a workout device during the 1980s. Today they are a common sight not only in physical therapy environments but also in fitness facilities. If you are new to using stability balls, seek advice from your health care practitioner or a personal trainer on ball selection and correct technique.
Concept
The idea behind the stability ball is to create an unstable environment in which to perform exercises. The lack of stability requires your body to engage a greater number of muscles to complete the exercise while maintaining your balance. Improving your balance by exercising on a stability ball also helps teach you awareness of your body's movements, and this awareness, in turn, helps improve your balance even more.
Advantages
Exercise balls are particularly effective at strengthening your core, the muscles that girder your trunk, and include your abs, hips and low back. Because your trunk is the center from which movement of your limbs originates, strengthening the muscles that support your torso may help improve your athletic performance, explains the Sports Fitness Advisor website. A strong torso with a well-supported spine may decrease your chances for acute and chronic low back pain as well as help keep you free from injury. In addition, stability balls may help increase your flexibility and improve your posture.
Warnings
While their advantages far outweigh their disadvantages, stability balls require you to be cautious so you do not injure yourself if you lose your balance while exercising. Keeping the ball on a padded workout mat or placing the ball near or between sturdy objects may help mitigate the risk of the ball moving unexpectedly, recommends the American College of Sports Medicine. Because stability balls are inflatable, they may rupture if they roll over something sharp. Placing the ball on an exercise mat as you work out helps prevent the possibility of the ball popping.
Examples
Crunches and planks on an exercise ball are torso exercises appropriate for beginning and advance athletes alike. In addition to providing an effective core workout, exercise balls may substitute for the floor or a bench when lifting weights. As with trunk exercises, weightlifting on a stability balls recruits stabilizer muscles that challenge you to a greater degree than similar exercises on a stable surface. Bench presses and shoulder presses adapt easily to an exercise ball for upper body workouts, and single-leg and double-leg bridges and hamstring curls on an exercise ball provide an intense lower body workout.
References
- American College of Sports Medicine: Stability Balls
- American Council on Exercise: Strengthen Your Abdominals With Stability Balls
- Sports Fitness Advisor: Stability Ball Exercises for Core Strength
- MayoClinic.com: Slide Show: Core Exercises With a Fitness Ball
- American Council on Exercise: Exercise Library
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