Inexpensive and fun, this is the kind of training equipment that can diversify your strength training program. It allows you to exercise balance and strengthen the deep muscles key for balance.
Benefits of Swiss ball exercises
The versatility of a large, inflatable ball was first noticed by Swiss physiotherapists. Hence the official name of this gymnastic accessory that can be a great addition to your own home gym. Today, it often accompanies rehabilitation exercises that support the development of children, as well as strengthening and helping to relax pregnant women and those post-partum. Athletes of various disciplines also rely on it, but what are its advantages?
- Activation of deep muscles responsible for correct posture and supporting the spine
- Make most basic exercises difficult by forcing you to tense your core muscles to maintain balance
- Improving your sense of balance and motor coordination
- Reducing the tension and soreness of your back and neck muscles
- Tension headache prevention
- Improving joint mobility
- Ideal for fast-paced circuit training
- It is suitable for exercise for everyone - children, people undergoing rehabilitation, even seniors.
How to use it?
You should sit on it. If you have a right angle at both the hip and knee joints by leaning on it with your weight, the size is designed to be perfect. If it's an obtuse angle, that's fine too. An acute angle means that the ball's diameter is too small, and that diameter will not serve you well, and you will not be able to do many exercises on it correctly. When choosing a ball, especially when shopping online, you can use the following cheat sheet:
- a ball with a diameter of about 45 cm will be suitable for children (under 150 cm tall),
- a ball with a diameter of 55 cm should be chosen by people with a height of 150 to 160 cm,
- a ball with a diameter of 65 cm, persons measuring from 160 to 170 cm,
- a ball with a diameter of 75 cm is suitable for people with a height of 170 to 185 cm,
- 85 cm ball for very tall people, over 185 cm.
The ball should not be too soft but, it must be springy enough to bend slightly when sitting on it and not completely collapse. Remember; It is not a seat cushion, but an exercise device.
Exercise suggestions – you up for the challenge?
Push-ups
Hands resting on the ball, feet on the floor. We make traditional push-ups in sets of 12-15. The tighter the hands, the more difficult the exercise.
Pocket knife
The opposite position to the previous exercise - hands on the floor, feet (also lower legs) on the ball. By stabilizing the position and firmly tensing the abdominal muscles, we try to pull the ball - the hips rise, the knees come closer to the chest.
Mountain run
In the "plank" position, you rest your forearms on the ball. Your feet on the ground, you stabilize the position by tightening the muscles of your abdomen and buttocks. You alternately bring your knees up towards your chest, maintaining a fast and consistent pace.
Backstop
Stand with your back to the ball, bend one leg at the knee and rest it on the ball. Keep an upright position. By bending the leg on which you are standing at the knee, as if we were doing a conventional lunge and at the same time move the ball as far back as possible, extending the leg resting on it we can really target our hamstrings, glute, and quads. Return to the upright position. Do a dozen or so repetitions, change the leg.
Back extensions
Lie on the ball with it under your stomach. Feet fairly low to the ground. Place your palms on the floor in front of the ball. Lift both straightened legs up so that they become in line with your body. In this exercise, you tighten your lower back muscles and buttocks. Like any exercise, split this into Sets and Reps according to your other training.
Hip Ridges
One of the most popular ball exercises. We sit on the floor, the ball behind our back. One leg bent at the knee, one foot on the floor. The other leg is straightened at the knee, slightly raised above the floor. We raise our hips firmly up until the thighs and torso (based on the height of the shoulder blades against the ball) are parallel to the ground. The glute muscles work very hard in this exercise.
Exercises with the use of a Swiss ball force the muscles responsible for stabilizing the entire body to work. Rather, the ball should not be used for weight-bearing exercises, such as bench press, flies. For bench press, cable pulls and other strength-based training, check out our full range of products and equipment. These are isolated exercises that require a very stable position provided by the training bench. The use of weights in training with the ball - especially the larger ones - is simply risky and may result in injury.