Add a Swiss Ball to Your Exercise
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by: Guest
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The swiss ball, to many people, is a new exercise gadget that will probably run it's course over time, as do so many other exercise devices.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The swiss ball has been around at least since 1965, when a number of swiss physical therapists were using the swiss ball with children with cerebral palsy. It is being widely used by physical therapists all over and is now found in most exercise studios.
Most exercises you currently do can be performed on the swiss ball. Switching the exercise to the ball makes most exercises more effective as your body's core muscles need to work throughout the exercise to stabilize yourself, keeping you from falling off the ball.
Take the crunch, for instance. When you do a crunch on the floor, you basically feel the exercise in the upper portion of the abs. When you perform that same crunch on the swiss ball, your midsection muscles come into play, working to keep you steady. Another benefit is your leg muscles also need to be brought into the picture. You can feel the tension in the leg muscles as you perform the crunch.
Now do a pushup on the ball. Place your hands on the ball, near the top about shoulder width apart. Get into a pushup position. Lower your upper body until your chest grazes the ball, then return to the starting position. This is one repetition. As you perform this pushup, your upper body needs to work hard to keep you from falling off the ball. Your arms, shoulders, abs; your entire body is getting a workout. The result is better results in less time. The chances are you are not going to be able to perform near as many pushups on the ball as you can on the floor, but you are going to immediately feel the additional benefits you receive.
You can even do dumbbell exercises on the ball, but you should hold off on these until you can comfortably perform your regular exercises on the ball.
For a bicep curl, sit on the ball. Do your curls as normal. You will feel your core muscles being brought into play. You have just increased the efficiency of this exercise. Try doing your triceps curls, your shoulder lifts, and your other dumbbell exercises to continually work your ab muscles as you perform each routine.
You should not view the swiss ball as a product that will soon disappear. The ball works. You will get a better, more efficient workout in less time and the results will show. The cost of the ball is minimal. Be certain to purchase a anti-burst swiss ball and start to incorporate a few of your exercises onto the ball. In no time you may find this is your favorite piece of exercise equipment.
Related: Add a Swiss Ball to Your Exercise
Additional information:
A stress test helps a doctor find out how well your heart handles work. As your body works harder during the test, it requires more oxygen.
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