It has many names. Some people refer to it as a Stability Ball, Swiss Ball, or Physioball.
There are 3 main reasons people perform abdominal exercises on an exercise ball.
When doing abdominal exercises on the ball. #1 Your abs work harder. #2 There is more Range of Motion. #3 There are greater improvements in your balance, coordination, and stability.
In studies comparing floor crunches to ball crunches, researchers found that the abdominal muscles worked harder during crunches on the ball. Some of this is due to the increased range of motion through the spine when you perform crunches on an exercise ball.
When you are lying on the floor, your spine flattens out slightly and this decreases the range of motion of the exercise. However, when you perform abdominal crunches on a ball, your hips are extended and your back is slightly extended which leads to greater range of motion and increased muscle work.
Lastly, because the ball is less stable than the floor, your abdominal muscles must also work to keep you balanced.
There are additional benefits to exercising on a ball. Some people find that ab crunches on the exercise ball are more comfortable than other crunch positions, like the floor. And, some people think it is more fun and mentally stimulating, which helps to combat exercise boredom and burn out.
It may seem intimidating at first, but it is not that difficult to master. I generally begin by teaching my personal training clients the basics, such as the drawing-in maneuver, floor crunches, and the floor plank. But as soon as they master those ab exercises, I teach them abdominal exercises on the ball.
Some of my favorite abdominal exercises with a stability ball are regular crunches, alternating oblique crunches, stability ball roll-ins, and side crunches on the stability ball.
I truly think the exercise ball is one of the best pieces of ab exercise equipment. And if you had to buy one tool to effectively work your abdominal muscles I would recommend an exercise ball.
I think buying a ball is a better investment than buying an as seen on tv ab machines. Many of the as seen on tv products over promise and under deliver, and they are all one dimensional.
An exercise ball is a versatile and inexpensive piece of equipment, and it is a tool I use often with my personal training clients.
If you have never used an exercise ball, there is no time like the present to learn something new!
There is no question, people want flatter abdominals. Whether it is a woman who just had a baby, or a man who wants to impress someone, or anyone in between. While most people have good intentions when it comes to building their "six pack" not as many people can find the time or dedication to really follow through to see real results, and usually give up. To remedy the problem there are several ideas that can help a person wanting to get a flatter abdominal but cannot find the time or energy to do intense abdominal exercises.
For as many people that want to do abdominal exercises, there are just as many people, probably more, that like to watch television. This is a perfect time to do abdominal exercises. During commercials, or every ten minutes if there are no commercials, try lying on the floor and doing as many abdominal exercises as possible during the break. If you have not done abdominal exercises in awhile, it is best to start slowly, but eventually make it a game, and try to get more repetitions in each time. By following this simple plan, it will help your body in several different ways. First of all, there is no extra scheduling involved, for most people, watching television at some point in the day is natural so no extra time is taken out of the day to do abdominal exercise. The second thing this strategy helps with is that the human body should not remain motionless for more then thirty minutes anyway, by getting up and doing abdominal exercises every few minutes it really boosts up the bodies metabolism.
Another good time to do abdominal exercises is first thing in the morning. Try rolling out of bed, maybe literally, and lie down on the floor and do as many repetitions as possible in a set amount of time, even just five minutes. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that exercising first thing in the morning may be more beneficial to a person then trying to exercise other times of the day. While there are many reasons for this, one valid reason is that it gets the metabolism going for the day after a nights sleep. Since most people are extra concerned about the appearance of their abdominal, it seems logical to start the day with a good set of abdominal exercise.
Of course, for those that are able to dedicate time each day to exercising, their routine should include abdominal exercises. There are some reports that say that muscles need time to rest, so only exercise a particular group of muscles every other day, while other reports say that abdominal muscles are ok to exercise everyday. One way to answer the question on when to do abdominal exercises, every day or every other day is first listen to your body. If the abdominal muscles are sore, rest them, if not then maybe one day work on them more intensely then the next day, but try to include at least one set of abdominal exercises daily.
There is good reason for wanting to develop strong abdominal muscles, besides for appearance sake. This is the core of your body. If it is not strong, the rest of your body will suffer. The good news is that most abdominal exercises can be done anywhere with absolutely no machines or gadgets. With a little diligence and some creativity, there are plenty of times throughout the day to sneak in abdominal exercises.
Both Charles Inniss & Li Ming Wong are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Charles Inniss has sinced written about articles on various topics from Abdominal, Fitness and Lose Weight. Dr. Charles A. Inniss, Jr. is a physical therapist and personal trainer.For free pictures and detailed descriptions of abdominal exercises with an exercise ball visit his website. Charles Inniss's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.
Li Ming Wong has sinced written about articles on various topics from Search Engine Marketing, Abdominal and Blogging. To discover over 27 more abdominal fat loss and metabolism-boosting secrets, go to to download a FREE report revealing the strategies of. Li Ming Wong's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.