Swiss Ball Exercises
A Swiss exercise ball is a large inflatable rubber ball, which is used in a variety of exercise and training regimes, as well as for medical rehabilitation treatments and other medical treatments. Its primary use is to strengthen the core muscles of the stomach and back through a variety of exercises. Swiss ball exercises have become extremely popular over the last 10 years, mainly due to the fact that the balls are inexpensive to purchase in comparison with many other items of fitness equipment, and they are considered to be a very safe way to exercise.
Main Swiss Ball Exercises
- Swiss Ball Ab Exercises – There are a variety of different exercises that solely concentrate on building the abdominal muscles. The advantage of using a Swiss ball to do this is that it actually enables you to train up the full abdominal range, and not just the central muscles, which are trained with standard sit ups.
- Swiss Ball Core Exercises – Building up the core muscles with Swiss ball exercises is a safe and low impact method. A strong lower back and stomach is necessary for many different activities, and the Swiss ball offers an excellent way to build muscle.
- Stretching and Loosening Up – For many people who spend large parts of the day sitting at a desk, the back and shoulders can become very tight and uncomfortable. The Swiss exercise ball can be used to loosen up the muscles and free up tension in the back. Many people use the exercise ball at home in the evening for this purpose, and it can even be used whilst watching your favorite program on TV.
- Weight Training – For those who are looking for an all round exercise and weight-training program, the exercise ball workouts can be used to great effect when in conjunction with dumbbells. As well as training the arms and shoulders, the core muscles are worked extremely well.
- Birth Training – Pregnant women have found the ball very useful for carrying out low impact exercises in the weeks before birth, and it has been said to relieve discomfort and pain in the abdominal area.
- Balance – Some exercises are great for improving balance, and half an hour of balance exercise on the ball is said to be more effective for the core muscles than carrying out 100 sits ups.
It is possible to use this type of exercises to build up strength in the muscles after an injury or for those who cannot take part in strenuous activity or exercises, which induce a lot of impact on the body. This has been great for those who were previously unable to exercise much after back or neck injuries. There are now even exercise classes and aerobic classes, which extensively use the Swiss ball exercises as part of the class, and Swiss ball exercises for men are now more popular than ever. The Swiss ball exercises are not limited to independent use, as the balls can be used in conjunction with weights to train the core muscles at the same time as the arms and shoulders. So hurry and try one of these home exercise machines. You will definitely feel good and healthy with proper diet.