Do you know from where the exercise ball ran up all the way to your gym
? What started off as a simple large puncture-resistant plastic ball made by an Italian plastic manufacturer, called the 'Swiss ball', came to be later used as a treatment program for newborns and later as an imminent element of physical therapy! From there on, today it has developed to become a complete athletic exercise in itself and is used widely for general fitness regime as well as incorporated in yoga exercises as well.
So why did the simple big ball become so much in fashion? Studies have shown that as compared to exercising on flat surfaces, exercising on an exercise ball helps the body to respond automatically to the instability of the ball and helps you to get a better balanced position. Exercising on a ball requires you to involve more muscles in the same workout as compared to doing it on the flat surface. This is where the secret to the use of ball in fitness regime comes in.
The actual good news is that these extra muscles being used while working out on an exercise ball include the abdominal muscles and back muscles which are not usually exercised well in the workout sessions. It is not necessary that you need to exercise on the ball to get these muscles involved. Simply sitting down on the ball could also help you to get them in action as well. The latest trend of the fitness mantra is doing core strength and functional training on such exercise ball for better workouts and less injury.
Make the this ball your favorite tool while working out. You need to choose one that is perfect for your height. You can find this out by sitting down on the ball and making sure that in this position your hips do not appear lower than the knees. If you are obese, you could go for the specialized kind of burst-resistant balls that can support more than even 600 pounds. It is easy to get all kinds of exercise balls at the major department stores and sports goods stores.