Exercise balls were never part of Joseph Pilates original vision, as the technology had not been developed during his time. As soon as exercise balls were created, people began to understand the power they added to the workout. Exercise balls for Pilates were quickly embraced by the Pilates community, and are now considered must have pilates equipment.

Everyone knows that Pilates is a great way to tone and sculpt your body through core targeting exercises. The Pilates exercise ball intensifies those exercises by adding a balancing requirement to each workout. Now your muscles must work twice as hard to stabilize while execute each workout. This way you get twice the pilates workout without only a little more effort.

The exercise ball activates and strengthens the micro stabilizers around the spine. The strengthening of these hard to target muscles has a dramatic effect on reducing future lower back pain problems.

An exercise ball for Pilates is also fun. It allows you to add variety to the workouts, so they do not get old and repetitive. The exercise ball brings you up off the ground, so you do not have to worry about the hard floor anymore. It will literally bring the bounce back into your Pilates workout.

If you really want to take your exercise ball workout to the next level, you can even add weights. Keep in mind that you should start out with a much lower weight than you can usually lift, as the weight lifting and stabilization combination will greatly intensify the workout. Before you know it, you will see a dramatic increase in the weight you can lift because the strengthening of the stabilizer muscles will greatly increase your overall strength.

When using your Pilates exercise ball the most important thing is to keep good form. This is the real secret. The exercise ball makes your typical workout harder. When using it for the first time, many people try to do the same number of reps and their form suffers because it is a more difficult exercise.

The key is to calm the ego and let yourself complete fewer reps, but with perfect form. Your new stabilizer muscles will quickly develop and before you know it you will surpass your fitness plateau. You will be able to workout harder both on and off your pilates exercise ball then you have ever worked before.

We hope these Pilates Exercise Ball secrets will help you take your work out to the next level. Pilates is the safe and effective way to shape and tone a new you.