Balance Ball Exercises

Work your core muscle groups by learning to maintain better balance and stability

When I first heard about balance ball exercises, I was skeptical, to say the least. When it comes to men's exercise and fitness, I am not a "First Adopter" trendy person, the first one to try out the new and untested - the new workout on E! that some star did for some movie, just to make his arms look good for one scene, and then work some other body part the next day for another scene. All with exclusive one-on-one coaching that normal mortals could never afford, of course.

I very rarely jump on the newest fad, and I assumed that was just what this was - a fad. Nonetheless, within a couple months a few of my friends got really interested in i, and as usually happens, it showed up in the WeHo Gyms. At that point, it's time to give any new exercise routine a try: they finally convinced me to try it out for myself. I was not expecting to like it that much, but I figured that I would humor them.

My initial experience with balance ball exercises completely transformed my outlook on personal fitness. It is amazing how much you can get done with just one inflatable exercise ball, with careful work and practice. The first time I tried out some simple balance ball exercises, I found the exercise uncomfortable and awkward, just trying to make my muscles "fight" to keep balance on/across the ball. I was doing exercise ball situps, which are not very easy if (like me) you have trouble with balance. I kept falling over and I felt extremely clumsy. Nonetheless, I couldn't deny that it had given me a really good workout for the core muscle groups which hadn't been utilitzed as much in my previous abs routines. My abs burned even though there had been no strain on my back or neck.

I tried some other balance ball exercises for a couple weeks, and within the first few days I began to get used to the workout. I have to admit that they have done wonders for me so far. The idea behind balance ball exercises is actually pretty simple and elegant. Basically, because they make you stabilize your body instead of just lifting weights in a linear fashion, balance ball workouts are a more natural way of exercising. They use a wider variety of muscles. As a result, they increase core strength. You don't just build mass, but lean, powerful muscles.

When you are first beginning balance ball exercises, it can be helpful to have someone show you the ropes, and to spot you and make sure you don't roll off and injure yourself. Nonetheless, that isn't absolutely necessary. You can learn everything you have to off of a balance ball exercise video. The movements are usually pretty simple and straightforward, and a good workout instructor will go over the most common mistakes that people make. I would not, however, recommend getting involved in balance ball workout based on a book alone. It can be pretty difficult to learn how to do movements - even simple ones - from a book. It is always better to take a class or watch a movie.