Swiss Balls Make You Fit!

New ways to exercise are always being invented, but there is a new game in town that is all the rage – balance balls. Some of the reasons for the explosion in popularity of this type of exercise are that it’s extremely portable, it’s very low impact (therefore it’s very quiet), it doesn’t require much space and it doesn’t cost much.

Probably the most popular exercise ball in use at the moment is the Swiss ball. This is an inflatable ball usually around 65 or 75 cm diameter. Many folks simply use this ball in place of their chair at work. when you are sitting on a Swiss ball, there is a natural tendency to make small rocking movements which works the core and provides a small amount of exercise even while just sitting around.

But when it is used in the course of normal exercise the Swiss ball is an amazingly versatile piece of exercise equipment. Most of the exercises using the Swiss ball primarily work the core but all of these exercises work the secondary muscles at the same time and it’s also possible to emulate the same kind of exercises that you can do on home gym equipment.

The first time I encountered a Swiss ball was at the gym where the instructor showed me how to do press ups with my feet balanced on the top of the ball. The natural tendency is for the feet to roll off to either the left or the right of the ball, therefore as well as the usual benefits of doing press ups, the core is constantly working while trying to stop the feet from rolling off the sides of the ball.

Most of the Swiss ball exercises use the same principle – a part of the body is balanced on the top of the ball and gravity tries to encourage this part of the body to roll off the side of the ball. This may sound quite basic and you might assume that there aren’t many exercises that can be done in this manner. But you simply have to do a quick search on youtube for the term Swiss ball exercises and very soon you will find that there are literally tons of different exercises that you can usually do with a Swiss ball.

In fact, once you have tried attempting these exercises and learning new ones you will probably begin inventing your own fresh ones before long. Going back to the press up with your feet on top of the Swiss ball, once you have attempted this you will notice that it not only works the core, but it adds a new dimension to the upper body work that you do. As you will discover while doing press ups the whole of your upper body will eventually start to quiver and shake because of the extra forces transferred from the feet all the way down the body to the arms. This is one of the key reasons why using the Swiss ball for exercise is so effective.

As mentioned, there are loads of floor exercises that can usually be done with the Swiss ball. But if we jump ahead to the more advanced levels one of the most difficult but most beneficial methods of using the Swiss ball is to carry out exercises while standing on it. This is not recommended for beginners as it can usually be particularly hazardous. Once you are ready to attempt these advanced exercises, you should first learn to kneel on the Swiss ball. Once this has been achieved, one can progress to standing on it.

Again, by searching youtube you will locate some excellent examples of exercises that you can usually carry out while standing on a Swiss ball. When searching, you will find that they have a variety of names such as Swiss balls, balance balls and exercise balls. One of the most important things to consider while attempting to master the skill is that when the ball throws you off the landing can usually be particularly painful, therefore safety mats should be used to start at all times. Obviously, the natural tendency is for the legs to slide off the side of the ball which is the equivalent of your feet going from under you – just like when slipping on ice. Please bear this in mind because the main reason for exercising is to improve your health, not to damage it.

When you have conquered standing up on a Swiss ball, you will be a Swiss ball master and will have developed amazingly strong core and legs and an amazing balance ability.