Pilates Balls

Pilates balls, otherwise known as exercise balls, fitness balls and Swiss balls are large balls that run from 55 cm to 75 cm in size.

They are used for many types of fitness programs such as regular exercise, physical therapy, yoga and of course Pilates.

This type of exercise ball is widely used in Pilates classes all over the world. Even though Joseph Pilates did not invent the exercise ball it is certainly used quite frequently with his exercise program.

There are many different types of exercises that can be performed on the Pilates balls. Some of the most common ones would be the pelvic curl and spinal stretch.

People use the exercise ball as a balance ball, to teach stability and it is used as a court challenge. When people use this ball for the first time they feel unstable on it as well as off-balance.

You have to use all of your core muscles in order to be able to stay on the ball maintaining smooth movements.

It can be quite a challenge for people when they sit upon the ball to try to balance themselves, then to add exercise with it can really spice things up.

You can actually test your own core strengths when using the Pilates ball to do such exercises that involve your hips and legs on the ball. Trying to keep the rest of your body stable on the mat helps for you to increase the difficulty there for giving you a better workout.

There are many ways for you to use an exercise ball:

-  By squeezing the most lately you can use it for resistance exercises.

-  It's easy to increase the difficulty of your exercises just by simply adding leverage or balance challenges.

-  It is easy to use all of their floor muscles in a subtle way to help keep your balance on the ball.

-  Many instructors use these types of balls to help with neuromuscular feedback.

-  You can even use an exercise or Pilates ball right at your task. More and more people are finding they like to use them in place of chairs as it helps to keep their spine active as well as her abdominal muscles tight.

How to use the Pilates Ball for Leverage and Balance

There is virtually an unlimited amount of ways to incorporate the use of the fitness ball into your Pilates workout.

It is very important to stay focused on what the end result does. You can add your own personal twist to your exercises by simply experimenting with instability of the ball. You can use the instability of the ball to your advantage as it will help you, giving you leverage challenges.

Let us take a look at the Pilates exercise called The Hundred. To incorporate balance into your this exercise you can prop your legs up on the ball. To give yourself leverage you can hold the ball in between both of your ankles.

Some examples of how to incorporate the exercise ball bodies are listed below going from easy to difficult:

Easy
   -  Do a spinal stretch exercise while your hands or waste on the ball. Allow the ball to roll out with the movement of the exercise.
   -  Do a pelvic curl with your legs on top of the ball and a tabletop position.

Moderate:
   -  For a more moderate effect you can do The Hundred exercise with your legs bowl propped up on top of the ball.
   -  You can also do the plank exercise with the ball by balancing your hips on the ball.

Difficult:
   -  To make your workouts more difficult you can do an open leg rocker with the Pilates ball, trying to keep the ball in between your ankles.
   -  Another difficult challenge would be to do a roll up while holding the Pilates ball in your hands.

How to do a Spinal Stretch with Pilates Balls

This final stretch is a great exercise will help you coordinate your movement and briefing which makes for better overall exercise experience. The spinal stretch is used as a subtle way to warm up your abdominal muscles as well as your spine.

The difficulty level on this exercise is considered to be easy. It takes about five minutes to do.

To begin this exercise you want to lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent. You want to be sure to keep your knees, feet and ankles all aligned and about as far apart as your hips.

You will start this exercise in neutral spine. That is where the natural curvature of your spine is used so that you are not pressing your lower back into the mat.

Next you'll want to start with sequential breathing. When you inhale you want to bring in the air into your chest first then move to your stomach ending at the pelvic floor. Then you will exhale by releasing the air out from the bowel of your pelvic then up through your stomach, finishing off through the chest.

Next you want to inhale and while you're exhaling you will start the pelvic tilts by using your abdominal muscles, pulling the center of your stomach down into your spine. You want to continue at this action so your abdominal muscles will be pressing the lower spine into the floor while in his pelvic tilt position you want to keep your pubic bone a bit higher than your hip bones. You can do this by keeping your back against the floor and your pelvis tilted.

While inhaling, you want to press down with your feet which will allow you to start a tailbone curling up towards the ceiling. You'll start by raising your hips, lowering your spine next and finishing off with the middle of your spine.

You'll be resting on your shoulders, even with your shoulder blades. You will find that between your hips and your shoulders you have formed a beautiful straight-line.

Be sure not to arch past this point and use your hamstrings and abdominals to help support this movement. When you exhale again concentrate on using your stomach to control how you roll your spine back down to the floor.

You want to start with your upper back working your way down. Concentrate on each vertebrae until finally your lower spine is on the floor. When you inhale again get ready to repeat the exercise by starting the pelvic tilts on your next exhale.

This exercise is good to be repeated at least three to five times.

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