Exercise Balls are Silly?

**Carcano** · 04-20-12, 05:25 PM

I think they are silly...who wants to dispute this???

I'm talking about the big inflatable balls that people roll around on in exercise classes.

Seriously, what can you do with these things that you cant do using your own body weight on a mat???

**spidergoat** · 04-20-12, 05:26 PM

Sexy time?

**Bebelina** · 04-20-12, 06:33 PM

Yeah, they're silly. I never go near any of those.

**wynn** · 04-21-12, 03:58 AM

Originally Posted by Carcano

Seriously, what can you do with these things that you cant do using your own body weight on a mat???

Train equilibrium skills. Very important.

**Asguard** · 04-21-12, 05:56 AM

Um sit on them as a computer chair to strengthen your core mussels?

**Carcano** · 04-21-12, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by wynn

Train equilibrium skills. Very important.

Whats an example of equilibrium skill?

**Carcano** · 04-21-12, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by Asguard

Um sit on them as a computer chair to strengthen your core mussels?

You mean the muscles used to keep from flipping over?

My niece bought a big 75cm ball recently and I tried to mount it...sitting on top in the lotus position. I only made to half lotus before ending up on the floor.

I think women like them because they look like beach balls...they are fun to bounce.

**Asguard** · 04-21-12, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by Carcano

You mean the muscles used to keep from flipping over?

My niece bought a big 75cm ball recently and I tried to mount it...sitting on top in the lotus position. I only made to half lotus before ending up on the floor.

I think women like them because they look like beach balls...they are fun to bounce.

Umm no, my sister is a physio and she recommends them even just as a computer chair because unlike a normal chair you don't slump and stay still, you are forced to use your back mussels the way they are intended. Not sitting on it cross legged, siting on it like a chair

**Carcano** · 04-21-12, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by Asguard

Umm no, my sister is a physio and she recommends them even just as a computer chair because unlike a normal chair you don't slump and stay still, you are forced to use your back mussels the way they are intended. Not sitting on it cross legged, siting on it like a chair

Ok then...something else they are good for is deep knee bends...because you can lean back against them as they roll up and down the wall.

**~~Chipz~~** · 04-21-12, 11:10 PM

Exercise balls are perhaps the best Yoga assistant out there. If you're not at the point where you can back-bridge, the ball allows all the flexibility with none of the pain.

**Carcano** · 04-21-12, 11:22 PM

Originally Posted by Chipz

Exercise balls are perhaps the best Yoga assistant out there. If you're not at the point where you can back-bridge, the ball allows all the flexibility with none of the pain.

Doing a back bridge requires strength in the lower back erectors, glutes and quads to some extent...and enough length in the psoas muscles.

Bending back over a ball isnt going to develop any of these things imo.

Doing simple hip extensions is the best way to work up to a back bend for someone who's WAY out of shape. Sometimes I do hip extensions with a light barbell (30lbs) held over the hip joints.

**wynn** · 04-22-12, 01:45 AM

Originally Posted by Carcano

Whats an example of equilibrium skill?

Not falling to the ground after having tripped.
Being able to regain your balance without falling, after it has been disturbed by an outside force. (Ie. if someone pushes you or hits you, you manage not to fall; or if you're riding a bicycle and there are inavoidable holes or other obstructions on the road, you manage to keep your balance.)

The sense of balance weakens as we age; older people are more likely to fall and sustain injuries and fractions.

**wynn** · 04-22-12, 01:51 AM

Originally Posted by Carcano

Bending back over a ball isnt going to develop any of these things imo.

Perhaps not, but it can give you a feeling of what doing a bridge is like. In exercise, this can be very important, so as to have some sense of what the goal looks and feels like that one wants to accomplish.
In this sense, the exercise ball functions the way training wheels and swimming aids for children do.

**~~Chipz~~** · 04-22-12, 02:32 AM

Originally Posted by Carcano

Doing a back bridge requires strength in the lower back erectors, glutes and quads to some extent...and enough length in the psoas muscles.

Bending back over a ball isnt going to develop any of these things imo.

Doing simple hip extensions is the best way to work up to a back bend for someone who's WAY out of shape. Sometimes I do hip extensions with a light barbell (30lbs) held over the hip joints.

I'm talking about flexibility rather than strength building. Typically I start an intense workout regiment in the Spring of each year. I've found not doing the stretching exercises associated with Yoga, I develop much slower and imbalanced. I'm no expert in kinesthetics, but I do know from my experience flexibility is at least equally important as strength. Medicine balls aid people, for that reason...they're great.

**Carcano** · 04-22-12, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by wynn

Not falling to the ground after having tripped.
Being able to regain your balance without falling, after it has been disturbed by an outside force. (Ie. if someone pushes you or hits you, you manage not to fall; or if you're riding a bicycle and there are inavoidable holes or other obstructions on the road, you manage to keep your balance.)

The sense of balance weakens as we age; older people are more likely to fall and sustain injuries and fractions.

I'm sure you're right...the best balance exercise is simply to stand on one foot and close your eyes.

**Carcano** · 04-22-12, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by Chipz

I'm talking about flexibility rather than strength building. Typically I start an intense workout regiment in the Spring of each year. I've found not doing the stretching exercises associated with Yoga, I develop much slower and imbalanced. I'm no expert in kinesthetics, but I do know from my experience flexibility is at least equally important as strength.

The great flexibility impediment to back bends are psoas muscles that are too short.

This causes an exaggerated lordosis or concave curvature of the lower spine.

The cure is to do hip extensions as noted above, which stretches and lengthens those muscles to the point where you can actually lie flat on your back with no empty space under your lumbar region.

**~~Chipz~~** · 04-23-12, 03:12 AM

Originally Posted by Carcano

The great flexibility impediment to back bends are psoas muscles that are too short.

This causes an exaggerated lordosis or concave curvature of the lower spine.

The cure is to do hip extensions as noted above, which stretches and lengthens those muscles to the point where you can actually lie flat on your back with no empty space under your lumbar region.

Ech...

Well what I recall from gymnastics they used something like this for both improving flexibility and as an assistant in learning back handspring's.

And in yoga they assist people doing back bend's with something like this

Why you have some vendetta against exercise balls I don't understand. They help people.

**Carcano** · 04-23-12, 06:24 AM

Originally Posted by Chipz

Why you have some vendetta against exercise balls I don't understand. They help people.

Entertain more than HELP.

Huggable and fun to play with.

**~~davekm~~** · 06-07-12, 04:51 AM

This is silly and unadvisable, but running into a wall with an exercise ball creates a massive rebound effect. I did it when I was young and nearly fell out of window 3 metres behind me.