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.
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.
