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Roll Your Way to Better Abs

Posted December 3, 2007 at 12:30 PM by Denise Musumeci

Section: His Fitness, Alt. Therapies, His Gear & Apparel, Equipment, His Health, Physical Health

Looking for a great way to tighten your abs and shape up? Are crunches and other methods just not cutting it? Try using an exercise ball. Also called a Swiss ball, the exercise ball is a great tool to strengthen your abs and, according to About.com, they can also help you stretch those hard-to-reach muscles as well and improve your balance and coordination.

Not only does the exercise ball do great things for your abs, hard-to-reach muscles, coordination, and balance, the exercise ball is used to treat lower back pain and is used in rehabilitation programs. It helps strengthen and develop the core body muscles that help to stabilize the spine.

Spine-health.com says that the exercise ball adds an element of instability to your work out that you do not get from floor exercises. The body responds to this instability to keep balanced on the exercise ball. Overtime, the muscles used to keep you in balance become stronger.

Numerous workout routines can be done with the exercise ball. How do you know which one is right for you? First, check with your physician to see if the exercise ball is right for you and ask for some advice on which routines will benefit you the most.

The routines you choose also depend on which aspects of your body you want to improve. If you want to improve your balance, sit on the ball with your back straight and shoulders square. Move your hips clockwise, and then switch to counterclockwise.

A few workout routines recommended by About.com include the Ab Roll, Back Extension, Butt Lift, and the Ball Balance. Follow this link for further details and more exercises: About.com. Using these exercises overtime will improve the strength of the muscles worked by the exercises you choose.

Bindependent.com offers some tips for many aspects of your workout. Try coordinating these tips into your daily workout routine:

Using your exercise ball to build strength:

To get in position to do push-ups:

1. Lie across the top of the ball face down, with your abdomen on the ball.
2. Place your hands palm down on the floor, directly beneath your shoulders.
3. Extend your legs straight behind you.
4. Keep your chin down so the back of your head is parallel with your spine.

To do a push-up:

1. Slowly lower your chin to the floor, bending your arms at the elbows.
2. Slowly raise yourself back to the starting position.
3. Tip: Make sure your chin is down, and the back of your head is parallel with your spine.

Using your exercise ball to increase flexibility:

1. Begin in a near-sitting position with your ball behind you.
2. Curl backwards and move your feet outward until you are lying comfortably over the exercise ball.  Your head, neck, back, and shoulders should be arched over the ball and supported by it.
3. Extend your arms out at your sides so they are parallel with the floor.
4. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds while breathing normally - don’t hold your breath.
5. Lower your arms to your sides and roll back to the starting position.

Always remember: do not bounce on the ball, twist or rotate your spine, and stop and reposition yourself if you are losing your balance.

Research sources and for more information: [exercise.about.com]; [spine-health.com]; [bindependent.com]

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Tags: abs, back problems, balance, coordination, exercise ball, exercise tools, flexibility, lower back strength, swiss ball, workout routines

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