Exercise Ball dvd, Videos, Buy Order.

John C. March asked:

Exercise balls have become more popular among the general exercising public over the past 5-10 years. They can now be found at most gyms, and their relative low cost means that they are available to the home user, as well. Working out with an exercise ball is a lot of fun. They are easy to carry, easy to learn how to us, and they are great for doing exercises as a group.

Exercise balls are made out of elastic, soft PVC with a diameter ranging from 15-35 inches. They are mainly used for physical therapy, athletic training and physical exercise. The exercise ball is also known as the Swiss ball, balance ball, birth ball, body ball, or fitness ball.

Exercise balls help improve the efficiency of your workouts because they force your body to use micro-muscle movements to stabilize itself during exercise. The result is that you burn more calories and get stronger muscles than if you were to just sit on the floor or on a bench.

If you are interested in getting stronger ab muscles and have (or can get) access to an exercise ball, you are in luck. The exercise ball is great for building stronger stomach muscles and helping you get that washboard look. Here are three exercise ball ab workouts you can try at home or at the gym:

Face-Up Position

This one provides you with a great ab workout. Here’s how:

1. Lie with your lower back on resting on the ball, face-up.
2. Put your arms across your chest or behind your head.
3. Use your abs to lift your body (torso) off the ball, swaying slightly so that your torso moves in the direction of your hips. Make sure to keep the ball stable: you should not roll the ball.
4. Lower back down while stretching your abs, then repeat for 15 reps.

Abdominal Tuck

1. Get into a push-up position, placing the ball under your knees. Your hands should be flat on the floor.
2. Bring your knees toward your chest as the ball rolls toward your ankles.
3. Return to the starting position. Be sure to stay balanced on your ball.
4. Do this for about 10 reps.

Balance Exercise

This one works your stomach muscles less directly than do the other two. However, the act of forcing your body to remain balanced on the ball will give your stomach a good workout.

1. Sit on the ball while placing your hands on your hips.
2. Stretch out your spine. Trick: imagine a string pulling your head upward.
3. Keep your feet together on the ground, just in front of the ball.
4. Lift one foot off the floor and hold this position for 3 to 5 seconds.
5. Now switch legs and repeat 8 times with each leg.

Exercise balls not only provide you with a great workout – they are also a lot of fun to use. Get yourself an exercise ball or try one at the gym next time you are there. Your abs – and your entire body – will thank you.

exercise ball workout

Jennifer Adolfs asked:

With so much talk these days about working your “core,” you may be wondering what good is a core exercise ball workout.

First, understand what the core actually is.

The core includes the muscles in your body that stabilize and support all your movements.

Your core, or what people used to call your “midsection,” is made up of the deep abdominal and back muscles that work as stabilizers for your entire body.

These muscles are the “deep” stabilizing muscles that, although you cannot see them, maintain the core stability in your body.

The exercise ball is a great tool for strengthening the core.

A primary benefit of a core exercise ball workout, as opposed to exercising on a mat, is that your body responds to the instability of the ball to remain balanced, engaging many more muscles to do so.

Those muscles become stronger over time to keep balance.

Core strength is important because the muscles of the lower back and abdomen serve as a solid foundation for day-to-day activities, as well as posture and balance.

Here are some core exercise ball ideas that will get you working these vital muscles.

Use Your Exercise Ball as a Chair. This one is pretty easy. Try sitting on an exercise ball chair instead of a regular office chair. Office dwellers can replace their desk chair with a stability ball.

The constant adjustment and readjustment that your body makes on the ball will work your core muscles — even sitting at your desk. It feels good and can add a bit of fun to your workday!

EXERCISES

Small Abdominal Curls

Position: Lie on your back with the ball under your knees, knees in line with hips. Be sure your neck is long and place your hands behind your head, with elbows wide.

Movement: Inhale to prepare and begin to drop your chin while your head is still on the mat. Exhale to lift your head, bending the upper body. Inhale and hold. Exhale to return your head to the mat. Repeat 8 times, slow and controlled.

Tip: When you inhale and hold, be sure your gaze is on your thighs, NOT on the ceiling. This keeps your head and neck in the proper position. Also, be sure your fingertips rest lightly behind your head, and you are not using your hands to pull your head up.

The Waterfall

Position: Line on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor, hip distance apart. Hold your ball on your ribcage with both hands. Be sure to maintain lots of space between your feet and your bottom.

Movement: Inhale to prepare. Exhale to lift your head and bend your upper body as you roll the ball up your thighs, over your knees, and down to your shins. Inhale when the ball is at your ankles and begin to roll back, reversing the move you just did.

Exhale to continue releasing backward, rolling the ball over your body, and finally bringing your head back onto the mat. Repeat 6 times, slow and controlled.

Tips: If your feet are too close to your bottom, it will hamper your ability to get the ball up and over your knees. Keep your abdominal hollowed out, and your shoulders down and back.

Single Leg Stretch

Position: Lie on your back, with your head and shoulders lifted off the mat.

Movement: Pull one knee to your chest as you stretch the other leg away from you. Reach the ball to the outside of the bent knee, then switch legs. Repeat for 10 counts on each side.

Modifications: You can also hold the ball in the air above you during the entire exercises, and/or keep your head down on the mat.

Tips: Stretch your legs long, creating length between your feet and hips. Keep eye gaze on your thighs, not the ceiling.

The Push-Up

Position: Lie with your stomach on top of your core exercise ball, then walk out to a plank position with your thighs supported on the ball and your feet floating in the air. Hands are just wider than shoulders, fingertips parallel to your body.

Movement: Inhale to bend your arms, lowering your chest between your hands. Exhale to straighten your arms and press yourself up. Repeat 6-8 times.

Tips: Shoulder blades remain open across your back. Think of your body as one long line. Keep your abdominals connected to avoid swayback, and do not let your head drop, but keep it in line with your spine.

exercise ball workout

Paul Elms asked:

The exercise ball is becoming a more popular piece of equipment in both professional and home gyms. It is extremely versatile and can be used by both novices and experienced fitness enthusiasts.

The main advantage of using exercise ball workouts is that they can be used to strengthen the core muscles of the body. These are the muscles of the abdomen and lower back, which maintain posture. Even if you are performing an exercise on the ball that is not directly targeting these muscles, they will still be working to maintain stability.

You can use your exercise ball either by itself or with weights. Popular exercises that do not require weights include those that specifically target the muscles of the abdomen. These are popular with people that are aiming to build a ‘6-pack’.

One of the best exercises to perform for the abdomen is the abdominal crunch. This is similar to performing a crunch without a ball but you are working harder to maintain stability. Other exercises to perform include the side crunch to concentrate on the oblique muscles and the reverse crunch. This latter exercise involves you lying on your back on a floormat and lifting the exercise ball between your feet.

There are also a number of exercises that you can perform with weights. Using an exercise ball instead of a weights bench adds interest to your workout routines and also adds a degree of difficulty because you have to maintain stability in addition to lifting the weight. You should be able to perform the workout correctly on the bench before progressing to the ball.

A good exercise to perform is the chest press, which targets the muscles of the chest (the ‘pecs’). Use a pair of dumbbells and maintain the thighs and upper body in a straight line when performing this exercise. Another useful exercise to perform is the seated dumbbell curl. By sitting on the ball you are providing a workout for your deep abdominal muscles in maintaining posture as well as targeting your biceps.

Other exercise ball workouts that you can perform with dumbbells include the facedown lateral raise, which exercises the upper back and shoulders. While in the facedown position you can also perform the external rotation, which targets the deep rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder.

exercise ball workout

Mary Jane Dempsey asked:

The exercise ball has become a widely use exercise equipment, that aid in the strengthening, flexibility and balance of the users. The ball causes the body to adjust to the ball’s instability, and in order to stay balanced the muscles have to contract. This process does not occur on a flat surface. The core muscles, muscles found in the abdomen and back, are the most effected while using the ball.

There are many exercise that you can do with the Swiss ball. One exercise the aids the abdominal muscles are crunches. By placing your lower back at the top of the exercise ball, you will need to become stable. When you are stable (meaning that you aren’t wobbling around on the ball), start pulling your top half of your body upward. Do these while you keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Another wonderfully effective workout to do with the ball, are knee tucks. This is done by starting in the push up position with the ball underneath your shins. You will then cause the ball to roll toward your hand by tucking your knees underneath your body. This will cause your back to bend and your abdominal muscles to engage.

Floor planks are a challenging exercise that targets the core muscles. Doing these planks with an exercise ball makes this workout much more challenging and effective. The position of the exercise ball plank is similar to the floor plank except you balance your forearms on the ball. To make this even more challenging, make small movements in all directions and try to hold your balance.

exercise ball workout

What is Yamuna Body Rolling?

Yamuna Body Rolling is a fitness concept geared around exercise balls. It is a combination of yoga and ball-based exercise practices. Yamuna has specifically designed their equipment to work safely and effectively. Anyone who has experience with yoga, stretching exercises, or general fitness can see benefits from this method.

We all know the benefits of a professional massage. One of the main advantages of a massage is the way the massagers uses his or her hands to move around the muscles and loosen them. Unfortunately, most of us do not have access to a full time masseuse.

The issue with most muscle tightness lies in the tendons, where the muscle attaches to the bone. Many people concentrate on stretching the muscle but ignore the tendons, which is where most of the stress lays. Yamuna Body Rolling focuses on the muscles from tendon to tendon, releasing all tightness from the muscle.

Body rolling involves using six and ten inch balls with the exercise. The ball lays on the floor and the body rolls over it, using the body’s weight to work the ball into stressed muscles. Consider the ball as a replacement for the masseuse’s hands. The ball works the muscle from connection point on one bone to the other. The gradual rubbing and elongation is the benefit. The balls work to eliminate muscle tension by softly kneading the tissue, releasing stress and improving circulation. Think of it as a cross between a massage and yoga stretching.

Most routines can be done in a matter of 15 minutes, and Yamuna includes DVD routines with all of there products. It can easily become a daily routine for muscle relaxation. Check out Yamuna Body Rolling today.

Find out more about Yamuna Body Rolling.

Yamuna Body Rolling is an easy way to improve your fitness and health.

meredithpm13 asked:


Can you really work your abs and get toned by switching an office/computer chair for an exercise ball?

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Siraco&Sophie asked:


I am wanting peoples opinion on which workout DVD do they think is one of the best? Does the ones with the exercise ball work good? Also what is the best thing or machine to buy for your abs? I had a baby and really want to lose this belly.

Samantha

Take a look at the many benefits you receive from an exercise ball workout designed to challenge your core strength, balance, and to have fun.

1. Balance – An exercise ball workout incorporates the added challenge of balance while you are doing a workout with bands, dumbbells, or a core workout such as Pilates.

2. Core Strength – Each exercise you do in your exercise ball core workout incorporates having to stabilize the core before you can begin to work the extremities like your arms or legs.

For instance, if you are trying to perform a push up using the exercise ball as you walk out into position you need to make sure the abdominals are engaged or you will roll right off the ball.

An exercise ball squat is a great way to strengthen your legs. Position the ball on the wall and lean your lower back into it. As you bend your knees to a sitting position you’ll feel the ball roll up your spine. If you are not engaging your abdominal muscles you will roll off the side of the ball.

3. Progressive Exercises – The dynamic nature of your workout on the exercise ball allows you to progressively increase or decrease the intensity of the exercises by making slight adjustments in your body position.

As you walk your upper body farther out off the ball the more weight you will be pushing and the harder the exercise will become. Supporting more of your body weight on the ball will make it easier to do push ups.

4. Greater Range of Motion – For many abdominal exercises the ball allows for a greater range of motion, which helps to increase your flexibility and strength in the muscles. An abdominal curl where you roll your spine back over the ball is a greater range than you would achieve on a flat surface.

5. Dynamic Transitions – The rolling aspect of the ball allows you to roll into positions with ease and a more challenging transition to another exercise. For instance when doing an exercise ball Pilates workout you can transition from a side stretch or oblique lift right into kneeling side kicks on top of the ball working the abductors of the thighs.

6. Improves Breathing Techniques – When doing an exercise ball Pilates workout, once again the dynamic transitions allow for more focused and deep abdominal breathing techniques.

7. Convenience – The exercise ball workout can be done anywhere. At home, when you travel, at the in-laws, in the yard. All you need a small amount of floor space and a ball. Most of the balls can be deflated and easily filled up with a foot or hand pump so you can pack them along anywhere you go.

8. Fun! – The big round ball adds an element of play to your exercise ball workout. Fun is an important aspect of any fitness routine because it inspires and motivates us to exercise.