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Exercise Balls

Discussion in 'Health and Wellness' started by Benjamin, Jan 20, 2010.

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  1. Benjamin

    Benjamin Well-Known Member
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    During my volunteer work as a physical therapist I took note that the exercise ball had a lot of practical uses and realized with some imagination it certainly can, and was being put to use as a valuable and fun piece of exercise equipment.

    I recently bought one for myself to practice and experiment with. It kind of makes you feel like a kid playing with a big ball and I think I’m going to have fun with this. Some of the exercises take quite a bit of balance and dexterity and I feel learning them well and adding in a few tricks will provide a fun way to introduce it to future patients. (And the added bonus of working on my own 6-pack :) )

    There is a lot one can do toward working especially on his core, a lot for legs, or even entire body, and it’s also good for developing all the little stabilizing muscles which help provide better balance. They only cost $15-$20 and that often includes a pump and instructional DVD. You can virtually do it anywhere in your home and I’ve found I like messing with it while watching TV.

    There are some general guidelines when going to purchase a ball such as when sitting on it your legs should bent at 90 degrees, but this is not set in stone:

    4'6”–5’0”...........45cm ball (18 in)
    4'11"-5'7"..........55cm ball (22 in)
    5'8"-5'11"..........65cm ball (26 in)
    6' and taller.......75cm ball (30 in)

    The ones I looked at were undersized so I bought the 75cm one. It had a band to put around it for sizing when blowing it up but was getting overly hard before getting to the maximum size. I’m going to check out some other brands and also get different sizes because it is more practical to have a few more sizes available for different exercises.

    Scroll down for a few basic exercises which have been animated:

    http://www.abs-exercise-advice.com/free-fitness-ball-exercise.html#plank

    There are many more exercises to learn and do which can isolate different parts of the body. Add in some dumbbells or tubes and the versatility is almost limitless!
     
    #1 Benjamin, Jan 20, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 20, 2010
  2. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    I have one! It's a 65cm ball. I also use them at the gym, though I can't always get the size I want.
     
    #2 Johnv, Jan 20, 2010
  3. Benjamin

    Benjamin Well-Known Member
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    Do you have a certain routine you do and like? Any particular brand of ball that seems to be good quality?
     
    #3 Benjamin, Jan 20, 2010
  4. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    Yes, ab stretch and lower back stretch. Those are the two I do religiously. I usually do those prior to my upper body routine, but after my cardio routine.

    I say this like I'm a gym rat. I'm really not. I work out 2x or 3x a week, depending on my schedule. and I'm typically at the gym about an hour.
     
    #4 Johnv, Jan 20, 2010
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