Many people own a swiss ball and it sits in the corner gathering dust. More useless than a treadmill because it can't serve as a rack for hanging your pants or storing your shoes. Most people place it in a corner because it has the tendency to roll into the center of the floor just as you walk in the room because it wants to play. Much like a cat or dog after you have returned home from a day at work.
Unlike your favorite pet, you can simply kick it back to the corner where it belongs and you can mark up one more day of exercise. Yea, right!
The Swiss Ball was developed by Aquilino Cosani in 1963. A few years later it began to gain popularity as a training tool for newborns and infants. It developed its name from its use as a physical therapy tool by a British doctor who was based at Basel, Switzerland.
Join me below for more uses for this versatile exercise equipment.
First a few necessary evils on this rainy Monday morning.
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A primary benefit of exercising with an exercise ball as opposed to exercising directly on a hard flat surface is that the body responds to the instability of the ball to remain balanced, engaging many more muscles.[7] Those muscles become stronger over time to keep balance. Most frequently, the core body muscles — the abdominal muscles and back muscles — are the focus of exercise ball fitness programs.
Every since I was 2 or 3, I have always liked a round ball. I don't know why. I still do. My Uncle Howard use to come visit us on Sunday afternoons when I was barely old enough to sit up on the floor and roll a softball toward me. It took all of one afternoon to learn to roll it or push it back. Unlike my English Springer Spaniel, Nevada, who continues until this day to think that the ball I throw is for him to play "keep-away".
As I grew up I played dodge ball, baseball, softball, marbles, tennis and finally my real love, basketball. Hey, I am from North Carolina. What is it about a round ball that is so fascinating.
My primary focus in losing the 45 #'s that I have lost over the last 2-3 years has been walking, jogging, skipping rope, punching a 100 # bag, and weight lifting 2-3 days every week. However, hardly a day goes by that I don't pull out the swiss ball and do a few exercise. When my wife and I built our home over 30 years ago, we argued over whether we could afford to have a full basement. I won. Today, my office is downstairs and right next to it is an 18' x 36' exercise room that also serves as a bedroom area if we have multiple guests over. So when my neck gets tight, or my back needs adjusting, I head to the weight room and roll out the swiss ball to the center of the room.
I thought today I would simply present a few videos of my favorite exercises on the ball. There are hundreds that will not be presented so I would encourage you to research them, buy a swiss ball, and have fun. After all it is round and it wants to play.
First, my favorite source for swiss ball videos is RidgelineFitness. As you will see from the videos below, they offer great advice and almost perfect form in all exercises. I'll share about 5 of my favorite exercise that I do daily just to relax and get away from the computer for a few minutes.
The hamstring curl is not a beginner exercise. There are many more that are simpler but I have always had lower back problems and this exercise has solved that issue for me. You will notice that Adam Ford will constantly recommend that you "squeeze" at the maximum contraction point for any exercise. I can't emphasize enough that you need to follow his directions. If at the top of the move, you tighten your glute muscles (yes, there is a muscle there), you will feel the exercise the next day.
Alright, you knew the crunch was going to be included. Many people buy the ball simply to do this one exercise yet they often do it incorrectly. Why spend countless hours doing crunches incorrectly. Again, as Adam indicates you should focus on technique and do 3-4 sets of 6-8 crunches. Many people pound out 20-25 at one time without stopping. That's just wrong. Again, at the top of the crunch, focus on the squeeze of the abs. Place your hand on his abs and feel the muscles working. They are there and if we continue to work them, they will finally come out to visit us.
For the back extensions, I normally use one of the beds in the weight room as a counterpoint for my feet. They fit correctly under the endrail and allow me to focus on my back and glute muscles. If I really feel brave, I'll slide more forward on the ball so that only my thighs and hips are on the ball and then I'll hug a 25# plate to my chest with folded arms. 4-6 reps with the weight is all I can take if you slowly raise yourself and hold at the top for 1-2 seconds. Squeeze those glutes and keep your abs tight.
This next exercise is more of a stretch than an exercise. My hips are always extremely tight and I have little flexibility. I do it very slowly and I have finally gotten to the point where I can have my knees hit the floor while my middle back stays firmly in place. Make sure to place your arms wide to give yourself stability and use them to hold your back still and let your hips rotate. You will really feel the obliques pulling and stretching if you do it correctly. I often feel my spine slightly pop the first time I do it if I haven't done it for a couple of days.
The final exercise is difficult and I can normally do 4-6 with good form but I get muscle cramps in my hams very easily and I have to quickly roll off the ball. Notice that Adam places his toes on the ball which is much more difficult than having your shins on the ball. However, if your shins are on the ball, you become much more vertical when you pull in almost like standing on your head. I don't like that sensation so I'll normally place my toes on the ball and just do fewer reps.
In conclusion, I would encourage you to "bookmark" this Youtube listing of Adam's swiss ball exercises. There are several more exercises that you can do with the ball than even what he offers here. One of favorites is do squats with the ball at my lower back as I lean slightly against a wall. Spread your feet shoulder width apart and 12" or so in front of the ball. This gives your back support as you do squats and allows you to stay completely upright. I normally hold 15 or 20# dumbbells in each hand and do 10-15 in a set or until my thighs start to burn from lactic acid buildup.
Thanks for listening and I hope if you don't have a swiss ball, you will consider one. Make sure to buy a ball based upon your height and what works well for body type. Also, you can change the "give" of the ball easily by changing the pressure in the ball. It is probably my favorite piece of exercise equipment.