Have you ever been flipping through the channels on your TV and come across one of the stations airing infomercials? If so, there’s a good chance you’ve seen at least some of the dozens of ‘latest and greatest’ pieces of exercise equipment continually flooding the market. Most of them, as evidenced by their showing up for resale at so many garage sales, are pieces of junk that don’t really work and are a waste of money. There is one, however, which is anything but. It may indeed be the single best piece of fitness equipment ever developed. It’s called the core exercise ball.
Known also as a fitness ball or sometimes as a stability ball, this device is a large rubber ball that is inflated and will support a weight of nearly half a ton. It’s used in conjunction with specific exercises that have you lying, leaning or sitting on the ball in various positions.
Its use has become so popular in recent years that no serious professional fitness trainer would be without one. They’re inexpensive to buy, easy to learn to use, and possibly the most effective device known for strengthening your core muscles. And developing your core muscles makes every other exercise you do easier and more effective.
Core muscles refer to the muscles within the center or torso of the body. They include the abdominals (in front of the stomach), the obliques (on either side of the stomach), the erector spinae (neck and back), the hip flexors, and lower trapezius (back and shoulders). These muscles are responsible for the origination of all body movements. Strengthening your core benefits and provides support for your entire body.
Here’s why the ball is so effective. In order to sit on it without falling over your core is called into constant action. It needs to continually flex, thereby working the muscles together. Different exercises will target specific muscle groups within your core.
If you’ve ever wondered how some people are able to get those ‘six-pack abs’, here’s some news for you. Sit-ups won’t do it. In fact, this particular exercise has been found to be detrimental to your body, especially the lower back and spine. But a similar exercise, done with the aid of an exercise ball, will help you get exactly what you’re looking for — fat loss and harder abdominal muscles. What’s key is working the core muscles properly.
Fitness balls come in half a dozen different sizes. The size that’s right for you will be determined by your height. Your knees should form a right angle when sitting on the ball with your feet flat on the floor. If not, get a different size. Be advised, also, that firmer balls are more difficult to work with so, as a beginner, you should go for a softer one.
Although originally designed to aid in the therapy of people who had suffered spinal injuries or had neurological disorders, the core exercise ball has evolved become a mainstay of exercise gurus everywhere. Use of the ball is the very best way accomplish beneficial abs exercises to develop awesome abs and, along the way, reduce the fat that’s been hiding that six pack all this time.
Check out how to use a core exercise ball to get into better shape. Get your core exercise ball by shopping online. Head there now to find the best way to exercise.
