Havin’ A Ball At Home: Fitness Balls

By Bruce Cohn
Boston Globe, July 31, 2003
 
You’ve watched your neighbor’s kids bounce on them in the yard or seen them advertised on fitness infomercials. Made of vinyl, these brightly-colored, oversized beach balls go by a variety of names, like Swiss balls, stability balls, and body balls. They might look like a silly fad, but if I had to choose a single piece of equipment for a home exercise program, the fitness ball would be it.

Originally developed as a toy in the 1960s by an Italian manufacturer and sold throughout Europe, the ball was first used for rehabilitation in Switzerland and introduced to physical therapists in this country in the late 80s. Now fitness balls have made their way from the world of rehabilitation to the mainstream of fitness training.

It’s easy to see why. They are durable, relatively inexpensive, take up little space and can be used in the comfort and privacy of home. Not only are they versatile-working with them improves strength, balance, flexibility and coordination-but training on a ball forces you to activate your core --the muscles of your stomach, back, hips and buttocks--in ways that floor exercises and even machines do not.

Much of this has to do with the challenge of keeping the ball from rolling out from under you while you sit or lie on it in a number of positions. Once you have mastered controlling the movement of the ball and your body, you can move onto a variety of exercises. But remember this rule of thumb when beginning ball work: stability before mobility.

Buying a Ball:
The ball you use should be burst-proof, firmly inflated and appropriate for your size. The best way to determine if a ball is the right size for you is to sit on it; your thighs should be parallel to the floor or slightly higher. If you don’t have the opportunity to check out an inflated ball before you make your purchase you can use these guidelines: if you are 5’7” or shorter use a 55 cm ball; 5’8” to 6’ tall use a 65 cm ball and over 6” tall use a 75 cm ball.

You should be able to purchase a good stability ball for under $30. Many local sporting goods stores carry them and there are a host of sites on the internet that sell them as well. One of the most reliable suppliers is M-F Athletic at www.performbetter.com. Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for inflating the ball.

Getting Started:
Use your ball on a covered floor (carpeting, rug or mat) and make sure you have enough space to perform the exercises. Begin by sitting on the ball with your feet flat on the ground and arms flexed by your side but not resting on the ball. You may be surprised at how difficult it is to sit up straight and how much work your stomach muscles are doing. As you try to hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds check to see that your chest is up, shoulder blades down, belly button squeezed into your spine and head is directly above your shoulders. Once you can hold this neutral position for 30 seconds, begin raising one knee up and then the other as you pump your arms. You will begin to feel yourself bouncing up and down on the ball; continue this warm-up activity for at least five minutes.

Core Muscle Stabilizing:
Rest your trunk on the ball with your hands and feet on the floor to support your body. Walk your hands out in front of the ball allowing it to roll underneath your legs. Only go as far as you can maintain a neutral position (see above) and hold 30 seconds. The intensity of this exercise is increased by walking out further e.g. so that your ankles are resting on the ball. Do not attempt this challenge if you lose the neutral position.

Now lie on your back with your calves resting on the ball and your arms out to the side and resting on the floor. Tighten the muscles of your abdomen, buttocks and the back of your thighs as you raise your trunk off the floor as a single unit. Hold this position for 30 seconds. When you are ready, you can increase the challenge by placing the ball under your ankles or heels before attempting this bridging exercise.

Core Muscle Strengthening:
Begin in a seated neutral position and walk your feet out in front of the ball allowing it to roll under your spine. Tighten your abdominal muscles and raise your hips towards the ceiling which will put you in a posterior pelvic tilt. Cross your hands to the opposite shoulder and curl up slowly lifting your shoulder blades off the ball. Lower slowly and keep the ball from moving. Unlike an abdominal curl-up done on the floor, you will feel this in your back as well as your stomach. Perform 15 repetitions as slowly as you can. You can increase the intensity by not walking your feet as far out in front and keeping more of your upper back behind the ball.

Turn over and rest your hips and trunk on the ball with your toes planted to support your body. You may find it easier to balance if you press your toes up against a couch or wall and may even drop your knees to the floor. Rest your arms in the small of your back and slowly raise your chest off the ball keeping your neck in line with your spine. Raise and lower slowly for 15 repetitions. To increase intensity extend your arms out to the side.

Lower Body Exercises:
Place the stability ball against a wall at about the level of your belt line. You can now perform a squat by pressing your hips back towards the wall and lowering your body until the top of your thighs are parallel to the floor. The ball should provide adequate support at the bottom of your squat. Try 15 to 20 of these wall slides lowering and raising as slowly as you can. A more intense version of this exercise can be done by standing on one leg at a time and squatting.

Go back to the bridging exercise and keep your hips pointed in the air as you roll the ball along the floor in towards your buttocks. 15 to 20 repetitions will help you work the hamstrings in the back of your thighs. This can also be done as a single leg exercise to increase intensity.

Lie on your side and place the ball between each foot and lower leg. Raise both legs towards the ceiling while keeping them aligned with your trunk. Raise and lower for 20 repetitions then roll over and repeat on the other side.

Upper Body Exercises:
Walk out into the pushup position with your knees or shins resting on the ball. Bend your elbows, draw your belly button in and lower your upper body to the floor as a single unit. Lower and raise for 15 repetitions. For a greater challenge, try resting your ankles on the ball or using just one foot on the ball.

From a kneeling position behind the ball, lean onto the ball and rest your forearms on it with your elbows bent. Shift the weight of your upper body to a spot just above your kneecaps. Draw your stomach in as you lower your body and roll the ball away and back towards you by straightening and bending your elbows. Repeat 15 times. Placing your hands on the ball instead of your elbows increases the difficulty of this exercise.

In truth, this is only a small sampling of the exercises you can do with the ball. And for each exercise shown above there are any number of variations possible. Once you get the hang of it the only limitation is your imagination. So have a ball.

Bruce Cohn is the Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Middlesex School in Concord. He runs FIT-TO-GO Total Sports Conditioning and is a nationally certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Bruce can be reached at 781-316-0061 or brucegym@rcn.com.