The Swiss Ball

[sound]

I can’t recommend this form of exercise highly enough. It is extremely gentle and yet helps to develop strength, balance and co ordination and most importantly it is fun!! … I use it twice, maybe three times a day and it is habit forming ... it is also easy to deflate and take with you along with a bike pump and spike if you are going away from home for any length of time. I think I am definitely addicted lol I purchased mine 4 yrs ago for $12 and it is still like new …
There are a few tips for using the ball … obviously there is no shortage of info on the net which is easy to access …

**The ball must be inflated to such a degree so that when you sit upright on it your thighs are parallel to the floor.

**I use a yoga mat under mine because it gives my feet a better grip and I am also working on a slate floor which is not very forgiving …

**I tend to ‘dive’ onto the ball to begin with and allow it to roll along the underside of my body while stretching my arms out and allowing my hands to slide along the floor in front of the ball. When the ball is under my ankles I pull it up with my feet and kneel on it, while still supporting myself with my hands on the floor. Then, several times I stretch my legs out, rolling the ball with my feet and then draw it back in again. This is brilliant for strengthening stomach muscles and needs lots of care that the spine doesn’t do all the work.

**The same exercise can be repeated and instead of kneeling on the ball once it is drawn up under the pelvis, using the stomach muscles to lift the pelvis up into a V shape …

**The ball can also be used as a means of support while doing push ups using the arms. The further away from the pelvis the ball is the higher the degree of difficulty

**The hamstrings can be stretched by laying stomach down on the ball. With hands placed on the floor in front of the ball, the feet are placed as close as possible behind the ball and the legs slowly straightened.

**The ball can also be used for doing sit ups. Once again, the position the ball is placed (under the body) will determine degree of difficulty. If the ball is directly under the butt it will be more difficult to balance and sit up than if the ball is place higher up under the lower back. Sit ups can be done with arms outstretched or tucked in under the chin.

**Last tip is if you exercise in drawstring pants make sure you tuck the string in otherwise it may well be the last exercise you do :D

Those exercises are probably as clear as mud ... here is a link to an excellent set of videos which show exactly how the ball is best used ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVBddP5oW8Y

[Ciqala]

I enjoy doing lower abdominals with swiss ball, laying on back on the floor, and having the ball between either the legs, or feet, and lifting the ball up into the air with straight back, and straight legs for repetitions, can even move it side to side for side abdominals.

[sound]

Hi Ciquala ... I haven't tried lifting the ball with my feet but I will ... there are so many groovy ways to use it ... sometimes I use it to sit at the computer ... it is tricky trying to type while bouncing though lol ... as an aside we have the same birth date only 28 yrs apart lol ...

[sound]

Well I tried your suggestion Ciquala ... I have just come out of surgery not so long ago so didn't try to overdo it ... I did 10 lifts and yes i could feel it working .. brilliant ... thanks ... :hug3:

[Jules]

Well soundybaby .. I take me bloomin hat off to ya .. I've got one of these balls .. all lilac n pretty n everyfin! :D .. can I use it? can I hellaslike! can I sit on it without falling off? can I heck, I can't even get on the thing without help and a great deal of laughter at my expense! the rotten sods lol. I even tried it at the gym I joined. Was with a personal trainer twice a week for 3 weeks - ended up in hospital for 3 weeks lol. Long story I won't bore you with, but suffice to say I've been told not to use a gym again lol. As for betty (the ball!) .. she's away in the shed until I get the guts up to have another fight with her lol :) .. but fair play you guys! I'm well n truly impressed! :D

[sound]

Hehe Jules .. too funny lol ... not funny that you ended up in hospital of course ( lol what were you trying to do? swallow the darn thing :D ) I am not sure what else to suggest other than to maybe sell it hahaha :hug:

[Jules]

LOLOL KATE what ARE you trying to say? I've got a big gobby? LOL (you wouldn't be far wrong! :D) and sell it? Nooo can't do that -the thought of being beaten by a bit of rubber! shudders .. ah well as they say,God loves a tryer lol xx

[sound]

Nah you will get the hang of it sooner or later lol just practice on the grass or something first up although thats not much good cause it might get punctured lol ... just keep it in the shed for now hahaha

[Ciqala]

Awesome that we have the same birthday, i've never found anyone with the same day as me! I'm glad you liked the lower abdominal exercise, it's sort of like martial art training leg lifts, but with a swiss ball, and yeah, don't overdo with surgery!

Swiss balls are great for learning balance, the easiest way if you can't balance much, is to just sit on it, and lift one leg and keep it as steady as possible, and just practice. Or just lay on it, and use it to roll around and have fun.

I also really enjoy, balancing on it with just my knees, and no hands! Which is a great exercise for core strength too, and really fun to learn! How I mastered that, was starting from a sitting position on the ball, keeping a firm flat hands stance on the ball, and shifting my weight onto my knees. As this happens, the ball will roll, so you try to steady it, as much as possible, or just use your knees and hands to walk on it, as it rolls. Also fun to do! Then once you manage to get your knees planted firmly, and the ball sitting still, slowly try to straighten up and lift the hands up. Keep hands in front at all times, you can reach out to the ground every time you feel like your going to fall, and use your hands to stabilize it.
You can also achieve the same stance, by the exercise you posted, diving out onto the ball, but instead of using feet to bring it in, try and balance on it with your knees, and push yourself up and balance on the ball.
I really like all the sorts of balancing tricks you can do.

[sound]

Hi again Ciqala :hug3:
I must say after a few weeks of doing the lifts with my legs i can feel a huge difference in my abs ... I find the bent leg lifts are enough ... when i try them with straight legs i end up getting a bit of a rock happening and it just doesn't feel right ... maybe my back isn't strong enough yet to keep my torso still. I already do the kneeling one you described but there is no way i can then kneel hands free in an upright position lol I mean sure i could but it would be a one off experience hahaha ... how long have you been using the ball?

[sound]

I just found this thread again and couldnt help but bump it up. I am in the midst of writing a program i can use with my clients ... the service have agreed to purchase Swiss Balls and Yoga mats ... I thought i would call it 'On The Ball' ... the name 'We've Got Balls' also sounded ok but the manager opted for the first one :D ...

[tealily]

I love swiss balls! They're so much fun and so great for building core strength and improving proprioreception. :)