Whats the advantage of using an exercise ball?
Exercise balls work on our neglected midsections. “We in the fitness industry have been so consumed with training extremities that we’ve ignored the center of our bodies,” says Patricia Lee, an ACE-certified personal trainer and exercise instructor based in Roseville, California. “The ball forces you to use the core muscles whether you like it or not.” The ball works the muscles that are neglected when you exercise on firm ground. A study published in the journal Physical Therapy suggests that exercises done on a medicine ball give your muscles a greater workout than the same exercises performed on solid ground. Eight healthy men in their 20s did the same curl-up exercises they usually did on a stable surface on the ball and on a “wobblie” board (a round wooden panel with a small metallic rolling ball centered underneath). Electrodes hooked up to their abdomens and backs measured the activity of specific muscles during the exercises. The participants’ muscle activity was two to four ti
