Exercise Balls?

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farewellantic
farewellantic Posts: 27
in Fitness and Exercise
So I am not dumb, I have just never used it before. I am large in the middle but it isn't too terrible. Paired with cardio, will doing various exercises on an exercise ball help my flabby middle vicinit?y

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  • SunLove8
    SunLove8 Posts: 693 Member
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    So I am not dumb, I have just never used it before. I am large in the middle but it isn't too terrible. Paired with cardio, will doing various exercises on an exercise ball help my flabby middle vicinit?y

    Check out some vids on Youtube using the ball. It has tons of vids for free that you can go along with and get a great workout in. It WILL help your core (middle section) and you will probley be sore after the first time because most likely you won't be use to working out these muscles; but keep it going and you will see awesome results (do it 3x's a week if you can)...really!!!
  • HealthyishWithMaggieG
    HealthyishWithMaggieG Posts: 397 Member
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    I took an introductory yoga (w/ exercise balls) class and it was one of the toughest workouts I've ever done... mostly because I was just really out of shape and I'd barely done any yoga before it. But, it was a really good workout. Unfortunately, my yoga studio doesn't offer it in the regular class schedule, so I didn't keep up with it. So, now, I use my ball for my office chair and love it!
  • NimMuse
    NimMuse Posts: 2
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    From my understanding (disclaimer, I am not nor never will be a fitness expert), they help more with sit ups by decreasing stress on your joints while still allowing you to do exercises like sit ups. From my experience sit ups on an exercise ball are harder (read: more exercisey) and tend to work more areas of the midsection, especially since they allow a wider range of motion than standard flat on your back type sit ups.
    So, a long answer later, yes.
    Good luck!
  • farewellantic
    farewellantic Posts: 27
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    Awesome. Thank you so much. I know that there are videos, but I just wanted to know the effectiveness of the ball workouts.
  • flukes9
    flukes9 Posts: 78 Member
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    Yes, definitely it will help tone your middle and back. There are lots of ways to use the ball for an ab workout. (ex. sitting on it and walking your feet out until your upper back is on the ball and you're like a table....also lying on your stomach on the ball and walking your hands out in front until your feet are on the ball and you're in a push-up position) These are just a couple good ab-toning ways to use it, but of course you will still need cardio to burn fat.
  • farewellantic
    farewellantic Posts: 27
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    From my understanding (disclaimer, I am not nor never will be a fitness expert), they help more with sit ups by decreasing stress on your joints while still allowing you to do exercises like sit ups. From my experience sit ups on an exercise ball are harder (read: more exercisey) and tend to work more areas of the midsection, especially since they allow a wider range of motion than standard flat on your back type sit ups.
    So, a long answer later, yes.
    Good luck!

    I am just kind of afraid to fall off of the stupid ball! I know, weird fear. I am not even that far off of the ground! Thank you though. I will get right on that. I think I have a workout ball around here somewhere..
  • mideon_696
    mideon_696 Posts: 770 Member
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    I find exercise balls, or FitBalls, to be a good addition to an exercise.
    eg, i'll occasionally use them with something like Dumbell bench press, or pushups. Just adds more muscles into the equation.
    I see a lot of people using them for cruches and the like also. Doing plyo pushups with your feet on them is awesome. makes you use your core even more for balance.

    So yeah cant see why it would help out.

    Also try doing your core exercises on cardio days. Like i normally do 30 minuites of cardio(whatever im doing), then 1 set of leg raises and 1 set of back extensions etc, then back to cardio. I read a science guy's theory on it somewhere....lol.

    Give them ago, see how you like it.
  • HealthyishWithMaggieG
    HealthyishWithMaggieG Posts: 397 Member
    Options
    From my understanding (disclaimer, I am not nor never will be a fitness expert), they help more with sit ups by decreasing stress on your joints while still allowing you to do exercises like sit ups. From my experience sit ups on an exercise ball are harder (read: more exercisey) and tend to work more areas of the midsection, especially since they allow a wider range of motion than standard flat on your back type sit ups.
    So, a long answer later, yes.
    Good luck!

    I am just kind of afraid to fall off of the stupid ball! I know, weird fear. I am not even that far off of the ground! Thank you though. I will get right on that. I think I have a workout ball around here somewhere..

    Oh, you probably will fall off. Expect it. It gets easier with practice though. If you have a yoga mat, put it down under the ball to give it some traction so it won't slide out from under you.
  • SunLove8
    SunLove8 Posts: 693 Member
    Options
    From my understanding (disclaimer, I am not nor never will be a fitness expert), they help more with sit ups by decreasing stress on your joints while still allowing you to do exercises like sit ups. From my experience sit ups on an exercise ball are harder (read: more exercisey) and tend to work more areas of the midsection, especially since they allow a wider range of motion than standard flat on your back type sit ups.
    So, a long answer later, yes.
    Good luck!

    I am just kind of afraid to fall off of the stupid ball! I know, weird fear. I am not even that far off of the ground! Thank you though. I will get right on that. I think I have a workout ball around here somewhere..

    The ball is a GREAT way of getting Stability. It takes a week or so, but you'll get it. I asked my first Pilates instructor if I'd POP the ball (LMAO) and she looked at me and laughed cuz you can't pop it. THAT was my worse fear; however, after one of her sessions, THAT was my fear, but a good fear :) It really is an awesome workout and really tightens the core and glutes; makes muscle and in the process of making muscle, it burns fat. All around a great deal!! Good luck :)

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