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Core Exercise Ball Workout

Health Clubs and Fitness Centres

Core Exercise Ball WorkoutBy Jennifer Adolfs

With so much talk these days about working your "core," you may be wondering what good is a core exercise ball workout.

First, understand what the core actually is.

The core includes the muscles in your body that stabilize and support all your movements.

Your core, or what people used to call your "midsection," is made up of the deep abdominal and back muscles that work as stabilizers for your entire body.

These muscles are the "deep" stabilizing muscles that, although you cannot see them, maintain the core stability in your body.

The exercise ball is a great tool for strengthening the core.

A primary benefit of a core exercise ball workout, as opposed to exercising on a mat, is that your body responds to the instability of the ball to remain balanced, engaging many more muscles to do so.

Those muscles become stronger over time to keep balance.

Core strength is important because the muscles of the lower back and abdomen serve as a solid foundation for day-to-day activities, as well as posture and balance.

Here are some core exercise ball ideas that will get you working these vital muscles.

Use Your Exercise Ball as a Chair. This one is pretty easy. Try sitting on an exercise or workout ball chair in place of a regular office chair. Office dwellers can replace their desk chair with a stability ball.

The constant adjustment and readjustment that your body makes on the ball will work your core muscles -- even sitting at your desk. It feels good and can add a bit of fun to your workday!

EXERCISES

Small Abdominal Curls

Position: Lie on your back with the ball under your knees, knees in line with hips. Be sure your neck is long and place your hands behind your head, with elbows wide.

Movement: Inhale to prepare and begin to drop your chin while your head is still on the mat. Exhale to lift your head, bending the upper body. Inhale and hold. Exhale to return your head to the mat. Repeat 8 times, slow and controlled.

Tip: When you inhale and hold, be sure your gaze is on your thighs, NOT on the ceiling. This keeps your head and neck in the proper position. Also, be sure your fingertips rest lightly behind your head, and you are not using your hands to pull your head up.

The Waterfall

Position: Line on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor, hip distance apart. Hold your ball on your ribcage with both hands. Be sure to maintain lots of space between your feet and your bottom.

Movement: Inhale to prepare. Exhale to lift your head and bend your upper body as you roll the ball up your thighs, over your knees, and down to your shins. Inhale when the ball is at your ankles and begin to roll back, reversing the move you just did.

Exhale to continue releasing backward, rolling the ball over your body, and finally bringing your head back onto the mat. Repeat 6 times, slow and controlled.

Tips: If your feet are too close to your bottom, it will hamper your ability to get the ball up and over your knees. Keep your abdominal hollowed out, and your shoulders down and back.

Single Leg Stretch

Position: Lie on your back, with your head and shoulders lifted off the mat.

Movement: Pull one knee to your chest as you stretch the other leg away from you. Reach the ball to the outside of the bent knee, then switch legs. Repeat for 10 counts on each side.

Modifications: You can also hold the ball in the air above you during the entire exercises, and/or keep your head down on the mat.

Tips: Stretch your legs long, creating length between your feet and hips. Keep eye gaze on your thighs, not the ceiling.

The Push-Up

Position: Lie with your stomach on top of your core exercise ball, then walk out to a plank position with your thighs supported on the ball and your feet floating in the air. Hands are just wider than shoulders, fingertips parallel to your body.

Movement: Inhale to bend your arms, lowering your chest between your hands. Exhale to straighten your arms and press yourself up. Repeat 6-8 times.

Tips: Shoulder blades remain open across your back. Think of your body as one long line. Keep your abdominals connected to avoid swayback, and do not let your head drop, however keep it in line with your spine.

Jennifer Adolfs is an ACE Certified Advanced Fitness Specialist and Certified Mat and Equipment Pilates Instructor. She specializes in working with people who have musculoskeletal issuses, specifically back and joint conditions. Check out the many articles about how Pilates-based exercises can help you and find her exercise ball ebook at: http://www.pilates-back-joint-exercise.com

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Fitness Ball Exercises

Health Clubs and Fitness Centres

Fitness Ball ExercisesBy Jesse Miller

Exercise balls or fitness balls are quite the rave these days. Almost all kinds of fitness regimen have their own routines to perform with the ball. And depending on the fitness discipline, the ball's name also varies. Among its numerous names is balancing ball, stability ball, and gym ball.

The following exercises are aerobic and nature and therefore promote cardiovascular fitness. Cardiovascular well-being is important for the health of the heart and proper blood circulation. So let's get into the core of fitness with these fitness ball exercises:

1. Front raise. Holding the ball in front of you, stand in proper or straight posture with feet hip-width apart. Raise or lift the ball directly above your head extending your arms. Gradually lower the ball back in front of you.

2. Lateral stretch. With your ball still at your front, keep your feet close together this time. Move the ball to one side with both hands holding it, while moving the leg on the opposite side to form a 45-degree angle with toes pointed. Gradually move the ball back to the center. This time, repeat the same steps for the other pair of arms and leg.

3. Overhead stretch. Lift the ball to the ceiling so that it is over the head. Slightly bend towards one side to feel the stretch on the side of your arms and your stomach. Hold the position for awhile and then release by slowly shifting the ball to face the ceiling above your head. Apply the same steps to your other side.

4. Overhead curl. Extend you arms to the ceiling lifting the ball over and above your head. Gradually lowerthe ball towards your back and lift it towards the ceiling to return to the original position.

5. Lower lateral stretch. Hold the ball in front of you with your feet hip-width apart. Move the ball towards your lower side across the hip. Move back the ball towards your center to return to starting position and then perform the routine on the other side.

6. Upper lateral stretch. Keep holding your ball in front of you and your feet hip-width apart. Lift the ball to your upper side above your ear. Return the ball to your front for the first position and then repeat the exercise on the other side.

Do not limit yourself with these cardiovascular routines when using your ball. The fitness ball is quite versatile. You can do strength training with it. Also, core training uses the exercise ball for all its routines to strengthen the midsection or abdomen. Try some of these fitness programs to improve your strength, athletic performance, or simply for your self-esteem.

Finding the perfect Workout Routines takes time and effort. These greatest workout routines is a great place to start if a person is interested in flat abs. The P90X workout routines is also another workout that will assist and help develop flat abs.

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4 Ab Ball Exercises to Add to Your Workout Routines For Toning Abs

Health Clubs and Fitness Centres

4 Ab Ball Exercises to Add to Your Workout Routines For Toning AbsBy Sigmund Kii

To clean up those small parts around your abs for that six pack look, here are our ab ball exercises that you can add to your workout routines for toning. These exercises are for people who just want to tone and strengthen their abs.

Why add Ab Balls to your workout routines for toning? They're aimed specifically for strengthening your abs - they increase your core stability, they exercise your deep ab muscles, and can help with weight loss.

In your workout routines for toning the abs, be sure to correctly select a ball that is good for your height and weight.

1. A Sitting Crunch is an excellent exercise to put in some of your workout routines for toning, especially if you're just starting out. a. To do this, do your greatest to sit on the ball. b. Try and balance yourself and remain stable. c. Then cross your arms across your chest and keep your back straight. d. Now, lean backwards and hold that position for 10-15 seconds. e. Slowly bring yourself back to your starting position. You have just completed 1 set.