A golf exercise ball, also known as a stability ball or a Swiss exercise ball, is an inflatable ball used during workouts as an alternative piece of exercise equipment. No matter what your personal goals may be at the gym, you can achieve them quickly and more efficiently substituting the Swiss exercise ball for the conventional exercise bench. Using this inflatable piece of equipment will help you get in-tune with what your body needs and can even optimize your body’s overall health.

Proper Back Alignment

The Swiss exercise ball was primarily used in physical therapy centers to promote proper back alignment. This piece of fitness equipment is used in conjunction with physical rehabilitation programs to relieve back pain by strengthening and developing core body muscles. While in use, the Swiss exercise ball creates balance instability. As a result, your back will constantly maneuver itself to seek stability which will strengthen back muscles and properly align your spine.

Ultimate Abs

Getting the perfect beach body equipped with six-pack abs is finally an achievable goal with the Swiss exercise ball. Because the ball requires your back muscles and abdominal muscles to work together, the exercises you would normally perform on the floor or work bench double in efficiency. Being that there is an element of fun while using this equipment, precise exercise moves that have been created to target this problem area become easier to complete.

Stretching

Exercise styles such as Yoga and Pilates, focus on stretching your muscles which will, in turn, both tone and define them. Using an exercise ball in conjunction with these styles will ease the muscle stretching process because utilizing the ball allows your body to move in and out of stretching positions fluidly. Additionally, stretching your muscles will keep joints from tightening which can limit mobility at a later stage in life.

Core Stability

Core stability exercises can enhance your body’s mobility and flexibility. A bridge between mind and body is created while working these particularly designed exercise moves. Being able to get in-tune with your body can only promote, not hinder, your overall health. Core stability involves all of the muscles of the mid-section and provides you with the support necessary to properly complete activities from minor daily activities to more advanced activities.

Lose Weight and Feel Great

An added bonus to incorporating the Swiss exercise ball to your workout program is the weight loss that accompanies targeting your body’s core. When you perform exercises that strengthen your muscles, body fat is burned in the process. The results are lean, well-defined muscles. Any exercise performed with the ball ensures efficiency which means your workouts will produce better results quickly.

The benefits to using the Swiss exercise ball are vast. The feeling of working out is replaced with a sense of play and the results are amazing. You don’t need to be an expert to perform the moves designed for the ball which allows beginners and advanced users to enjoy the ball equally. The Swiss exercise ball is versatile and valuable despite its inexpensive price tag.



By: Maxx Johnson

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Body Weight Exercise

Forget about crunches, sit ups, hanging leg raises, russian twists, or stability ball exercises. The drawing-in maneuver to engage the transversus abdominus is the most important core exercise to master if you want to develop core stability.

If you’ve never heard of the transversus abdominus I wouldn’t be surprised. It the deepest of the four anterior abdominal muscles and so you can’t see it. It lies underneath the rectus abdominus (the muscle that forms the 6 pack) and the external and internal oblique muscles.

As its name implies, it runs across the abdomen. It is often referred to as your internal weight belt or your natural girdle because its only job is to brace your lower back and pull in your belly button, like a girdle.

Why is targeting the Transverse Abdominus so important?

A group of physiotherapists in Australia studied back pain by looking at muscle coordination patterns. They wanted to see if there were difference between people with no lower back pain and those with chronic lower back pain. What they found is that when healthy people with no lower back pain move their arms or legs the transverse abdominus is the first muscle to fire.

That’s right! If you move your arms or legs, this core muscle contracts before your arm or leg muscles contract. Your body is naturally wired to be stable around the center first before you can move.

In contrast, people with chronic lower back pain displayed an inability to contract the core muscles before the arm and leg muscles. When you start to move before your spine is stable, more pressure is placed on the joints of the lower back.

This is one reason core training has become so popular. Core training can help to stabilize the pelvis and lower back while taking pressure off the spine.

When a personal trainer says to pull your abs in, they are often referring to drawing in and engaging the transverse abdominus.

You can focus on this muscle during all of your exercises. Maintaining good posture is a key to keeping your joints healthy.

The drawing-in maneuver is very easy to do. You can perform it while sitting in a chair, lying on the floor, standing, or even while balaning on your hands and knees in the quadreped poisition.

Simply pull in your belly button so that it moves towards your back. Hold for 10 seconds, relax and repeat 5-10 times.

This simple core exercise can help to improve your core stability and it’s the most important core exercise to master!



By: Charles Inniss

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Bodyweight Exercise

Core training has become popular as a fitness philosophy because it is a great way to build a strong foundation. Here are 10 Core Exercise Tips.

Tip #1: Activate Your Abdominal Muscles

The abdominal muscles play a significant role in core stability. The deep abdominal muscles contract to stabilize the spine before the arms and legs can move. The drawing-in maneuver and the plank are great exercises to activate the deep abdominal muscles.

Tip #2: Strengthen Your Lower Back Muscles

The lower back muscles often get neglected in fitness programs, probably in part because of vanity. I have never heard someone say, “Do you know any good exercises to get ripped lower back muscles?” In fitness many people are focused on getting 6 pack abs and a flat stomach, and they are neglecting their back.

The back muscles are just as important as the abdominal muscles. If you want to have a strong core, you must have both strong abs and strong back muscles.

Tip #3: Learn to Engage the Pelvic Floor

The Pelvic Floor muscles are most popular when discussing sexual dysfunction or bladder control issues, but they are really important for stabilizing the pelvis lumbar spine. They actually work with the abdominals and back muscles. To engage the pelvic floor muscles you have to contract as if you were preventing yourself from going to the bathroom.

Tip #4: Do Balance Exercises

Balance Exercises are any exercise when you are standing on 1 leg or when you are standing on an unstable surface. Your center of gravity shifts when you stand on one leg, so your core muscles must work harder to maintain your alignment. Balance Exercises are an important part of a core workout routine.

Tip #5: Strengthen your Scapular Muscles and Rotator Cuff

Your core is more than just your spine. Your core is your entire trunk and consists of the shoulder and scapular stabilizers. When your scapula is stable, you will be less likely to get shoulder injuries and you will perform at a higher level. Your core workout should include scapular and rotator cuff exercises.

Tip #6: Strengthen your Gluteus Maximus

The hip stabilizers are also part of the core. The glutes attach to the pelvis and control the position of the hips. When the glutes are weak or inefficient you will have a decrease in pelvic stability and hip stability. Bridges are a great exercise to strengthen the glutes an improve core stability.

Tip #7: Train for Stabilization and Endurance First

Core stabilization exercises are exercises in which there is little to no movement around the spine. When you begin a core program, it is important to first build a solid foundation of stability. If you focus on stability first, you will make greater improvements in strength and speed. The Plank is a great core stabilization exercise.

Tip #8: Train for Strength Second

Once you have a good base of stability, shift to building strength. Strength exercises challenge your abdominal and back muscles through a large range of motion. Crunches on a Swiss Ball and lower back extension on a machine are good strength exercises.

Tip #9: Train for Power and Speed Third

Once you have a base of stability and strength, you can more efficiently develop your speed. In addition, if you have a strong foundation, you will be less likely to get injured and your performance will improve more quickly. Power exercises are done in a fast and explosive way. Medicine ball throws and jumping exercises help to develop the power of your core muscles.

Tip #10: Play with Different Core Exercise Equipment

There are many tools that can enhance your core workout. The Exercise Ball, Reebok Core Board, and the Bosu Ball are all great tools that can challenge your coordination and balance. When you exercise on less stable surfaces, your core muscles work even harder to stabilize your body.

Well, I hope those tips help to give you some ideas about how to improve your core workout.



By: Charles Inniss

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Body Weight Workout

Balance exercises are often neglected in fitness routines, but having good balance is an important part of overall joint health and injury prevention. One of the reasons that balance training is left out of fitness programs is that it has little impact on how your body looks. Instead, balance training is all about how well your body moves. There are a lot of good looking people whose bodies do work well.

Core Training and functional training is all about getting your body to move more efficiently. When your body moves more efficiently, you are less likely to get injured and you will perform regular activities and athletic activities at a higher level.

A balance exercise is an exercise that is done standing on 1 leg. Your center of gravity shifts when you stand on one leg, so your core muscles must work harder to stabilize your entire body over the standing leg. Running is a 1 legged exercise, so any sport or activity that involves running requires good balance.

Another hidden benefit of doing exercises while standing on one leg is ankle, knee and hip stability and strengthening. The small muscles around the foot and ankle really get challenged during balance exercises, and standing on one foot can strengthen the arch muscles. In addition, the small hip stabilizer muscles are strengthened when you stand on one leg, and strong hip stabilizers help to control and protect the knee from excessive stress.

When you have injuries to your legs, your coordination and balance on the injured side generally diminishes unless you work on restoring it. If you have twisted your ankle in the past, chances are that your balance on the side you injured is worse than the side that was never injured.

The same holds true for knee and hip injuries. Generally speaking when you have a leg injury, you avoid putting pressure on the injured side, and this leads to decreased coordination, decreased strength, and decreased balance. It is important to practice balance exercises if you have had leg injuries in the past.

Some simple balance exercises include, just standing on 1 leg for 30-60 seconds. In addition, you can stand on one leg while moving your opposite leg to constantly change your center of gravity. 1 leg squats and 1 leg hip hinges are also good balancing exercises.

Once you have mastered standing on 1 leg and basic exercises such as the 1 legged squat, you can further challenge your balance by using a wobble board, core board, bosu ball, foam pad, or any other unstable surface. Begin by just practicing standing on an unstable surface with 1 leg, and then progress to doing other exercises while standing on some type of core exercise equipment. If you want to have a complete core training routine, include balance exercises into your workout.



By: Charles Inniss

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Body Weight Workout