FitBALL® stability ball training for
weight loss
Your core keeps you stable, so a
well-developed core lets you use less energy
on daily tasks. When performing Swiss ball
workouts for weight loss, you should choose
exercises that recruit as many muscles as
possible. The more muscles recruited in an
exercise, the higher your caloric expenditure
will be. Also, the larger the muscle worked,
the more calories you will burn while
performing exercises. All exercises performed
on the ball recruit more muscles due to the
instability of the ball, but there are some
exercises that can help you more than others
with your weight loss goal.
Not all stability ball exercises are on the
ball. Passing the Swiss ball between your
hands and feet with this modified V-up
exercise is a very non-traditional way to
challenge your core and burn more calories:
While lying flat on your back with the ball
in your hands and your hands over your head,
bring the ball up while simultaneously
raising your legs from the ground to meet in
the middle forming a "V" with your arms and
legs. Then exchange the ball between your
hands and your feet. Repeat for 8-20 repetitions.
Travel workout with the ball
With airlines charging more and more to take
extra bags and weight, the perfect trip would
be to a spa or resort with a state of the art
fitness center. Unfortunately, when traveling
for business it's impossible to be sure there
will be fitness facilities at your
destination, or that they'll be open when you
need them.
Luckily a FitBALL® Fitness
Ball can be inflated and deflated very
easily for travel. When traveling, just
deflate the ball and put it into your luggage
to take your fitness ball workouts with you
wherever you go. There are a number of
challenging core strengthening exercise ball
routines you can perform anywhere you're
staying. Put together your favorite exercises
into your "travel" circuit and perform the
entire circuit two to three times for a full
body Swiss ball workout.
The beginner FitBALL® Exercise Ball
workout should be short and simple
A common mistake is launching straight into
an advanced hour long exercise program
without any guidance. When beginning an
exercise program, your core muscles will be
in need of strengthening and your core weak.
In the beginning it is natural for your
balance to be shaky, as your muscles and
nervous system are working together to
balance and strengthen your core abdominal,
low back, pelvis and hip muscles.
The stabilizer muscles that surround your
joints are recruited when performing
stabilization exercises, which improves your
overall balance. This also helps in strength
training, since often it is the smaller
stabilizer muscles that give out before the
larger, stronger primary muscles when lifting
weights.
Begin with a workout of exercises that are
safe to do without professional guidance.
Purchasing a dvd, taking a class or even a
session with a certified personal trainer is
a great way to safely expand your exercise
ball workouts.
Incorporating active rest into your
exercise ball workouts for fat loss
People are discovering that FitBALL® fitness
balls, or stability balls, are one of the
most effective means of strengthening their
core but are under-using them for fat loss.
Combining core training and fat burning into
your exercise ball routines with active rest
will strengthen your core and burn fat more
efficiently and in less time.
The impact of Swiss exercise balls for weight
loss can be maximized with active rest for 30
seconds in between each set. Active rest is
exactly what is sounds like, a rest period
that is active and is only recommended for
advanced users. Active rest is plyometric and
aerobic based movements performed in between
sets of traditional fitness ball workouts
which will burn more calories and help to
keep your heart rate at its target heart rate
reserve of 60-90% which will help you to burn
more fat.
The focus of fitness ball workouts is to
train the core and the nervous system to
stimulate a specific pattern of muscle
contractions. Active rest should be performed
explosively without weights for approximately
30 seconds between each set. Be sure to take
an actual rest break as needed.
Welcome to the July issue of the
HealthBounce. This month, we are
spotlighting one of our new educational
resources available for free on our
website-
