Stability balls provide several ways to engage and tone your core muscles, namely your abdominal muscles and the muscles that support your spine. Exercise balls are inexpensive and easy to store, making them an ideal choice if you want to work out at home and have limited space. Check with your doctor before doing core exercises if you have a serious chronic medical or spinal condition.
Strengthening
Stability balls allow you to strengthen your core muscles without heavy weights or large pieces of equipment. Strengthening your core muscles helps them support your hips and lower back more efficiently. This is particularly important if you suffer from lower back pain or stiff joints. Performing core exercises to strengthen your abdominal muscles helps tone the underlying muscles, giving you a leaner, more fit appearance when combined with regular aerobic activity to burn fat. Your core muscles work to stabilize your body no matter what exercise you perform on a stability ball because your abdominal and pelvic muscles engage to keep the ball steady during your workout.
Balance and Posture
Working out with a stability ball helps improve your balance and posture. As you exercise on the ball, your core muscles activate to keep your body balanced. Performing exercises while sitting or lying on the ball forces you to straighten your spine for stability and comfort, helping promote proper posture. Good posture helps reduce back pain and fatigue and makes it easier for you to exercise and move around as you go about your day.
Comfort
Doing your core workouts on a stability ball provides a greater level of comfort than working out on some awkward machines or performing exercises on the floor. If you suffer from back problems, arthritis or other joint conditions, the cushioning and height of a stability ball can help you tone and strengthen your core muscles without forcing you into uncomfortable positions. It's important to select a ball that is the right size for your height to maximize comfort. Choose a 45 cm ball if you're between 4 feet, 8 in. and 5 ft., 5 in., 55 cm if you're between 5 ft., 6 in. and 6 ft. tall and 65 or 75 cm if you're over 6 ft. tall or have long legs for your height.
Modifications
Working your core muscles with the help of a stability ball allows you to make modifications to make the exercises easier, harder or more comfortable to a greater extent than machinery allows. For example, you can keep the ball under your thighs with your hands on the floor for a beginner's version of a push-up. To make the exercise more difficult, rest the ball under your shins or feet. When performing exercises with the ball tucked under your legs, such as a reverse crunch in which you pull your legs up toward your chest while gripping the ball with your legs, using a larger ball or inflating it more can add weight and resistance to the exercise.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Core Exercises: 7 Reasons to Strengthen Your Core Muscles
- Spine-Health; Exercise Ball Therapy for Lower Back Pain Relief; Thomas E. Hyde, DC; June 2001
- American College of Sports Medicine: Selecting and Effectively Using Stability Balls
- "Good Housekeeping"; Core Exercises for the Stability Ball; Selene Yeager
- MayoClinic.com: Core Exercises With a Fitness Ball
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