Although they look like they belong on a beach or in a playground, exercise balls can be a challenging and beneficial addition to a variety of workouts. Inflated stability balls can often hold several hundred pounds of weight and you can sit, lie, roll, slide or lean on them during a workout. Whether you use the balls to exercise the arms, legs or abdominals, exercising with exercise balls can have several benefits that extend far beyond your workout.
Core Stability
As you move through life, your core muscles are responsible for stabilizing and supporting your body during every movement. Your body's core is composed of three muscle groups: the deep muscles in the abdomen, the lower back muscles that support the lumbar spine and the lower back muscles that control pelvic balance. When attempting to strengthen your core, you must strive to achieve a balance between the back and abdominal muscles. When you are performing core exercises on the ground, it is quite difficult to achieve this balance. However, using an exercise ball automatically creates balance between these two muscle groups. When you use an exercise ball, every single core muscle is constantly engaged to maintain balance and prevent you from falling to the ground.
Improved Posture
Although your grandmother may have insisted that you sit and stand with a seriously straight back, this old health tip could actually harm your spine. Rather than flattening or straightening your back entirely, allow your back to display its natural curves. A healthy back has three natural curves when you are using proper posture. The back should dip in slightly at your neck, bulge out slightly at your middle back and dip in again at the lower back, just above the buttocks. When you exercise with a stability ball, the ball allows your back to maintain its normal posture throughout the exercise. In fact, regularly exercising with an exercise ball can help to train your back to align properly. As the spinal muscles become stronger and your back becomes familiar with its natural curves, you will likely notice that your posture greatly improves.
Back Health
If you suffer from back injuries or back pain, using an exercise ball can protect your sensitive spine during exercise. When you exercise with your back on the ball, such as during crunches or chest presses, the inflatable ball helps to support the tender muscles in your lower back. In fact, the exercise ball helps to stretch the spine, often providing instant relief from back pain.
Better Balance
During traditional exercise, muscle groups are targeted individually. While some exercises work only the biceps, another exercise might work the hamstrings and quadriceps. As a result, it is quite easy to develop an imbalance among your muscle groups. According to the Exercise Ball Workouts website, many people have a significant imbalance between the muscles along the front and back of the body. Since you use the muscles in the front of your body more frequently, they tend to be stronger than the muscles along the back of the body. A muscle imbalance can easily lead to poor posture, balance problems and injury. Since an exercise ball workout requires you to engage every muscle group, it can help to eliminate muscles imbalances.
References
- Busy Womens Fitness: Benefits of Using a Stability Ball in Your Training
- Exercise Ball Workouts: The Health Benefits to Exercise Balls
- Pilates-Back-Joint-Exercise: Pilates Exercise Ball Workout: See and Feel the Benefits
- American Council on Exercise: Strengthen Your Abdominals With Stability Balls
- MayoClinic.com: Slide Show: Core Exercises With A Fitness Ball
- "Fitness" Magazine; Our Top 8 Stability Ball Exercises; Lexi Walters
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