Core Strength Training

Balance board benefits are not just for athletes

Balance boards were originally created for athletes to build balance and core strength and to practice board sports in the off season. Today balance boards are found in nearly every health club.

The original core strengthening boards fall into two categories, rocker-roller boards and wobble boards. The main difference is that wobble boards are multi-dimensional while rocker- and roller-boards only move in one plane. Rocker boards are boards attached to a fulcrum, while roller boards rest on an unattached cylinder for added instability.

Today many of the uses for the balance board are being discovered by new audiences. Many people are stepping on to develop their balance and core strength. Wobble boards and other balance boards are flying off the shelves along with their core training DVDs. Balance and core strength training gives you great abs, but the long term health benefits are why everyone truly needs to get on board.

Core training with stability balls and wobble boards trains your body and mind

Using a stability ball and balance board can help to develop balance, coordination skills, weight distribution and core strength. Another major benefit to stability ball and balance board training is that it prepares your body for when you're older. Fitness is about more than just looking great, and by beginning to increase your core strength and balance now, you can prevent sports injuries, especially to the ankle and knee. FitBALL® Exercise Ball core training and balance training can also help you to avoid injuries and falls in your old age.

Balance board workouts work your brain too, so you can relax at the end of the day. If you really want to give your brain a workout, grab a medicine ball and step onto a balance board to really challenge your core and mind. Stability training expands neural networks that enable the left and right hemispheres of the brain to communicate with each other, cultivating a healthy self-awareness.

How to choose the perfect starter balance board

Balance boards were originally produced for skiers, then surfers and snowboarders, to practice their skills in the off season. As a beginner, the Bosu ball is the perfect starter balance board for you to challenge your core strength. A BOSU® ball is a core exercise ball that looks like a Yoga ball that has been cut in half and mounted on a flat plastic platform. The ball is used in two ways: Flat side down which is more stable, and ball side down which is more unstable. When the BOSU® is placed with the ball side down it becomes a balance board when the user stands on the flat platform side.

The BOSU® ball, when laid on the flat platform side, can be used exactly as a Yoga ball. In additional to traditional ball exercises, it can also be used as a step, which is considered core training because the instability of the half-ball challenges the core.

Challenge your core strength with a balance board for improved balance and coordination

The more often you challenge your core by using a Balance Board, the better your agility and reaction skills become. The Fitter® Classics balance board improves ankle range of motion, and improves joint mobility and facilitates balance and overall body awareness by integrating muscle development and proprioceptive training effectively into one core strength training program. It promotes:

• Improved balance and coordination.
• Better proprioceptive awareness for injury prevention.
  
• Increased core and upper body strength.
  
• Improved flexibility and agility.
  

Using a Balance Board daily can improve your health and well being.

A balance board is a simple piece of exercise equipment that can have a great impact on your overall health. Balance boards can help you maintain a better spacial awareness for a long and healthy life by improving your equilibrium. We often take for granted that it takes a lot of balancing acts to get through the day. From getting out of bed and balancing on one foot while putting on a sock, to simply walking, almost everything we do takes balance. Using a balance board daily, regardless of your age or ability will improve your balance.

If you want to add balance exercises to your day, try balancing on one leg and then the other when brushing your teeth, or practice your balancing act walking along curbs.

How to train your core like an athlete with medicine balls

The best way to look like an athlete is to train like an athlete, and athletes train in ways specific to their sports. Swimmers swim and runners run, but they all hit the gym and have the following training goals in common: endurance, speed, agility, power, flexibility and core strength. One thing they are doing different than most non-athletes in the gym is incorporating medicine ball exercises into their workouts.

Medicine balls greatly differ in weight. They are often the size of a basketball or soccer ball and can be used as a substitute in nearly all traditional lifting exercises. There is nothing more functional than a medicine ball workout, and you can take any workout you have now and substitute the medicine ball for your traditional dumbbells and begin seeing the benefits immediately.

Unlike traditional weights, medicine balls can and should be thrown, caught and rolled to develop your traditional and core strength, agility, power, speed and flexibility.

Old is new with Medicine ball strength and core training

Medicine ball training is one of the oldest forms of strength and conditioning training. Used for training the core, they first appeared nearly 3000 years ago. Medicine balls have been used for injury prevention and rehabilitation since ancient Greece and boxers before and ever since the release of Rocky have used medicine balls to strengthen their abdominal muscles, as well as arm, chest, and leg muscles. These benefits used to be reserved only for athletes in the know, but today you can enjoy the same valuable fitness benefits of ball training without the hazards of the boxing ring.

When it comes to developing incredible core strength, medicine balls are very popular. Almost all lifting exercises can be performed with a medicine ball, as well as some that can't be performed with anything else. Medicine ball training works wonders for your entire body.

Core exercises build abs and other core muscles

Stability balls add a level of instability which automatically challenges your core and helps build balance and posture. Most exercises you can perform on the floor can be performed on the ball. Focus on tightening your deepest abdominal muscle during each core strengthening exercise.

The most common core exercise performed on the ball is the abdominal crunch. Abdominal crunches are a classic core exercise that can be performed on the floor, a Swiss ball or with the added resistance of a medicine ball. Other core-strengthening exercises are leg lifts, as well as front and side bridges.

Start here if you've never tried a core strengthening exercise on a stability ball

If you've never tried core exercises on a fitness ball before, here's one to try. First, find a correctly-sized fitness ball. When you sit on it, your thighs should be parallel to the floor. Then, with your legs spread a little apart, lean back until you're relying on your abdominal muscles to support your upper body, and stay that way while you take three breaths.

Try core strength workouts with a FitBALL® Exercise Ball. Simply sitting on a fitness ball and gently bouncing works your abdominal, back and thigh muscles. If you replace a computer chair with a fitness ball and use it correctly (not letting your back or shoulders slump) you can improve your posture while working on your core.