Pro Fitness Gym Ball

For as long as I can remember I have gone through phases of doing sit ups every morning or every night with not a huge amount of effect, I have even tried those machines which work your muscles for you, all of which had limited effect. However last year our gym changed premises and was completely kitted out with new equipment including what looked like large inflatable balls, something that children would play with, however these balls are very effective at toning muscles and increasing stability. Intrigued by the fitness balls and how they worked I decided to do a bit of research and invest in my own (there was no way I could roll around the gym on one of those)

History of the Fitness Ball Stability balls have been around since the beginning of the 1900's by therapists during rehabilitation of neurological patients, it was then made by an Italian toy maker in 1960 and sold under the name of Gymnastik, later renamed again it became widely supplied to rehabilitation centres for the use on patients. However stability balls are now widely available to everyone whether it is at a gym or for the use in your own house, they are not only used by therapists in specialist centres or as parts of specialist programmes. Their advantages became recognised in the 1990's by athletes, they were used to help train and condition them, since then they have been widely used in the sports/ fitness community.

The Pro Fitness Ball (this is the make I purchased) is basically a large silver inflatable rubber ball, and that is it!!!!! The one I have is 65cm in diameter, I think this is about the average size for the fitness balls, however I do know you can get them in different sizes as my gym, has a small, medium and large one. The Pro Fitness Ball comes with a small plastic pump to inflate the ball when you are ready to use it. The ball itself is made from a strong durable rubber type material which is very strong, it can hold the weight of 19stone 10lbs or 125kg, when you fist sit on the ball you can feel it flatten a little under you but it will not burst or split, providing you do not weigh over the recommended weight that the fitness ball can hold, it will easily take your weight. The Pro Fitness ball is also very easy to care for, the rubber material is so simple to keep clean simply wipe over with a wet cloth and dry, I just wash mine with plain water to keep it clean.

You can buy a fitness ball in a lot of sports shops nowadays they really to seem to have increased in popularity, however I bought mine from Argos and it only cost me 6.99 which personally I thought was a excellent price, especially as I get so much use out of it, it really was worth the money. The price really does depend on where you buy it from, however from what I have seen they have all been around the same sort of price, I think the small fitness balls are a little cheaper with the larger ones being a bit more expensive as you would imagine.

How The Pro Fitness Ball Works & Its Benefits The Pr Fitness Ball is so effective because it works multiple muscles at the same time, it works the muscles you are focusing on (eg stomach muscles by doing sit ups) however by performing this exercise whilst balanced on the fitness ball your body has to work different muscles at the same time in order to keep yourself stable and balanced on the ball. So going back to the sit ups, a sit up performed on the floor will help to tighten your stomach muscles as expected, however performing a sit up style exercise whilst sitting on the fitness ball will work all of your core muscles as your body balances itself to stop you falling off of the ball. Two of the main areas that the stability ball helps is the abs and the lower back muscles, because the ball is unstable to sit on. Using the Pro Fitness Ball can help improve a variety of fitness aspects such as -

Alignment - As previously mentioned the ball is unstable and use different muscle groups to help maintain balance this helps to improve the natural motor reflexes of the body including those which are not usually used in everyday activities or regular exercises. By aiming to achieve proper balance while exercising on the Pro Fitness Ball over time your bodies general alignment will be greatly improved.

The Abs - As mentioned the abs and lower back muscles are definitely improved by the use of the Pro Fitness Ball. You can perform different exercises on the ball which will improve these areas, also just the actual balancing on the ball will also help to tighten and tone the muscles in these areas.

Muscle Strength and Core Stability - The use of the Pro Fitness Ball can help to relieve and prevent back pain as well as work all the major muscle groups, regular use of the Pro Fitness ball will increase the muscle tone, strength and endurance as well as flexibility. The body has major muscles in the back and deep within the abdomen, by using the Pro Fitness Ball it does not matter how deep these muscles are they will still be exercised, this is something that cannot be guaranteed with regular exercises.

Stretching - You do not have to perform actual exercises with the Pro Fitness ball but could use it to stretch before and after a workout, the ball makes it very easy to move in and out of different stretch positions without straining yourself.

Weight Loss - By working your muscles you will loose body fat and in turn lose weight. By using the Pro Fitness Ball you will definitely work your muscles, ones which probably wouldn't get much of a work out by performing regular exercises, so this simple piece of equipment will definitely help you to loose weight.

Exercises There are a variety of exercises that you can perform using the Pro Fitness Ball, some of which I have not mastered myself, however below are a few of the simple ones, ones which even I can do. You can even perform a cardio workout using the Pro Fitness Ball by carrying out sitting jumping jacks on the ball, now this is not something that I have tired as I think I would end up on the floor but I have been informed it is possible, maybe after a bit more practise I will give it a go but for now I generally stick to the simpler exercises, they are just as effective.

Exercise 1 Lay on the ball with your hands behind you head as if you were on the floor doing a sit up, start to lift your shoulder blades off of the ball and at the same time twist your left shoulder towards your right hip and repeat twisting your right shoulder to your left hip. This exercise can be performed without the fitness ball, however by introducing the fitness ball you will increase your workout by making your body work harder by trying to keep itself balanced and in place on the ball whilst performing the sit up style exercise you need to constantly adjust and use those muscles in order to remain balanced and in place on the ball, therefore these muscles are constantly working whilst using the ball as well as the muscles which you are focusing on during that particular exercise you are carrying out.

Exercise 2 This is like a reverse sit up and I see so many people up my gym performing this exercise I decided I should give it a go. You lie across the ball, with the ball under your stomach and your feet on the floor for balance (easier said than done) Lying face down you then begin to lift your chest up off of the ball, similar to a sit up but the other way around. I found balancing and performing this exercise harder than the regular sit up on the ball. Again more muscles are used and your balanced improved as more muscles are used not only for the exercise itself but also to help keep you balanced on the fitness ball.

Exercise 3 This exercise is basically the same as squats, you stand with your back to the wall with the fitness ball in the centre of your back, keep you feet hip width apart. You then begin to lower yourself down allowing the ball to go with you, once your knees are at 90 degrees return to your original position, a and then repeat. Again the same principle as with the other exercises you will use a variety of muscles performing this exercise with the Pro Fitness ball compared to without it.

The Pro Fitness ball is suitable for the whole family, it is even suitable for children to use, one thing that was recommended when I bought my pro Fitness Ball was to start off with the ball softer as the harder the ball the harder it is to use, having the ball more inflated is more suited to those who have had a lot of experience at using the ball, beginners should have it softer making it much easier to use. The ball does come with a small instuction leaflet.

My Pro Fitness Ball Experience I have to admit that I am now not to bad on the Pro Fitness Ball, probably not the most stable person ever but I am getting there. However the first time I tired a Pro Fitness Ball was not such a success, I found it very difficult to balance on and could hardly perform 1 sit up, every time I tried the ball would start to roll from under me, I was convinced I would never get the hang of it. My fianc even tried the ball and attempted to perform the reverse sit up (exercise 2) all he did was roll forward so that his feet were off the ground and his head was on the ground, not the position you should be in. Anyway I persevered with it and have now started to show some improvement. Whilst it is not the easiest of things to use straight away it does work, you can definitely feel the benefits of it, and you can feel the different areas that have been used after working out on the ball. It really does use muscles that regular exercise would not. Overall I would definitely recommend the Pro Fitness Ball it was an excellent price for a very good piece of gym equipment, it can be difficult to use at first but stick at it, it does become easier the more you practise. What ever your goal is whether its to tone, lose weight or strengthen muscle the Pro Fitness Ball is ideal for this. it is a piece of gym equipment everyone should try.

(Also published on Dooyoo & Ciao under the same user name)

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