Fitness ball can be a helpful workout tool

I see people using those big rubber balls in the gym all the time. What is the point of them? What muscles can I use them to work?

The big rubber balls in the gym, generically called "fitness balls", are a tool used primarily to develop stabilization and balance. This, when incorporated with weight training, leads to a stronger base (important for contact sports such as soccer and football).

When performing exercises with the ball, the muscles have to work harder to maintain stability because of the convex surface. For example, if you are sitting on the ball and doing dumbbell shoulder presses, you are simultaneously struggling to press the weight up and maintain your balance with your legs and torso. The result of this is a shoulder workout, as well as a workout for all of the little stabilizer muscles in your trunk and lower body.

Doing exercises with a fitness ball can add an extra element of balance to your workout, making it a little more strenuous. It adds variation-an immensely important component to any exercise regimen. It can also improve flexibility. Using an exercise ball can help streamline your physique.

In other words, if you use a fitness ball for a month or two, you should notice a smoother, less blocky musculature. However, one of the worst things you can do is merely replace the benches you use with fitness balls.

First of all, if you want to use them in your workout, you must significantly reduce the weight you use _ with the added element of balance comes an added risk of falling off the ball with heavy weights in hand.

Second of all, there are all kinds of specialized exercises that can be done that target different muscle groups; limiting the use of the ball to a replacement for a bench is severely short-changing the potential it has for improving your physique and balance. While your best bet for finding exercises to target specific muscle groups is to ask a trainer in the gym, listed below is my favorite exercise to do with a fitness ball.

Doing crunches on the fitness ball is a quick and easy way to add intensity to your ab workout. Lie on the ball, placing it as far down toward your buttox as you can without falling off (this may take a few tries, as at first the position is a bit wobbly and awkward). The farther down the ball slides and the closer together your feet are, the higher the intensity of the movement. When you have acquired your balance, crunch up until you feel your lower back press into the ball. Imagine your abs as an accordion while you are squeezing up. Do this with good form ten to15 times and I guarantee you'll see a good burn much faster than if you were doing normal crunches on a plain old mat.

That said, like any one piece of fitness apparatus, the exercise balls are not the be-all end-all to a healthier body and improved physique. However, if used properly, they can help to improve your body and balance. Just ask the trainers in the gym for some innovative and effective exercises to do.



What is a good finishing exercise for triceps? I have been doing kick-backs, but I am getting sick of them.

A good finisher for triceps that you could try is the one-handed extension with twist at the end. Go to a cable stack and set the pulley as high as it will go. Affix the D-handle (the one used for one-handed exercises). Stand facing the pulley, and grab the handle with a palm-up grip and pull it down. Standing straight, keep your upper arm and elbow stationary as you extend your forearm down toward the ground. When your elbow locks at the end of the movement, twist your palm toward your body until it is facing behind you. Focus on squeezing the triceps hard at the end of this motion to really burn in the definition. Don't worry about using heavy weight for this exercise; since it is a finishing movement, form is paramount and should never be sacrificed for heavier weight.