Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Fitness Ball - Using It In Pilates

By Julia Channel

Searching for fast results? Combining a fitness ball with your Pilates workout will help you reach that goal while you are having a good time.

The fitness ball elevates you and works stabilizing muscles like no other exercise.

The fitness ball was first known as the "Pezzi Ball" and afterwards became known as the Swiss ball. The diameter of a fitness ball can be anywhere from 35 cm to 85 cm. It is fabricated from an elastic form of PVC to ensure strength enough to withstand the pressure.

Swiss balls were designed primarily for use with newborns and infants, then afterwards as a tool for physiotherapy, although it quickly developed a following in the fitness industry. Whilst they were never originally a part of the Pilates concept, these fitness balls have been enthusiastically adopted by the Pilates fraternity when people realised their actual potential and are now considered as an essential element in any Pilates programme.

Pilates is an excellent way to gain the toned and trim body you are craving and the fitness ball increases the intensity of core targeting exercises due to the balancing requirement. A fitness ball will make your muscles work extra hard because they are working to maintain stability, so you achieve a Pilates workout that is twice as effective with just a little more effort.

How does the fitness ball do this? It works on the micro stabilisers around your spine, strengthening the associated muscles and reducing the chances of future lower back pain. In turn, the strengthened muscles around the spine afford even more overall body strength " you can achieve extended workouts with less fatigue.

The fitness ball also works on the other core body muscles " the abdominal muscles " in much the same way as for the back muscles " toning and strengthening over time.

Using a fitness ball allows you to reduce how many humdrum repetitive exercises you do by spicing up your work out. Forget that hard floor and say hello to some extra bounce!

In search of more? Lowering the weight level is recommended for this routine because a stabilized weight combination intensifies the workout.

It is vital that when you are using a fitness ball in Pilates that you keep good form. The ball makes a normal workout that much more intense, so keep this in mind. Allow yourself the freedom to complete a lower level of reps, maintaining perfect form. The stabilizer muscles will gain strength and in next to no time you will find that you are well past your original fitness levels!

For more information on the benefits of using a fitness ball in your workout program, be sure to visit the website. - 16089

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