Could an Exercise Ball Help You to Tone Up all Over?

Whether you are looking to decrease your weight or increase your fitness, or indeed both, it is essential that you find the right workout for you. Whilst exercise of any kind will do wonders for your wellness and wellbeing in a general sense, to really get into shape you want to make sure that you are targeting your routine towards the areas of your physique that you really want to tone up – and to do this you have to use the right equipment.

 

You’ve probably seen the big, inflatable gym balls rolling around the place and wondered what on earth they could possibly contribute to your fitness. Well, the answer is – a lot. Using one of these special gym balls to help you work out can increase your fitness and tone up your body in all kinds of amazing ways.

 

For a start, when you are balancing on a ball you have to engage all kinds of muscles other than the ones you are using. So, to use situps as an example, when you are doing situps on a ball rather than on the ground you are not only exercising the muscles that are involved in doing a situp, you are also exercising a whole lot of other core muscles to keep you from falling off the ball at the same time!

 

One exercise that you can do using a smaller gym ball is something called a star reach, where you place the ball on the ground next to you and then you lean over completely to one side, placing your hand on the ball. You then lift the opposite leg off the ground and throw out the opposite hand in a star shape. This is great for toning up the legs.

 

You can also try grasping the ball between the top of one calf and the hand on the same side and then doing a ‘v sit’ where you balance on your bottom with your legs in the air, and use your core muscles to keep the ball on your leg.

Categories: ball, Core Muscles, exercise, ground, gym, gym balls, hand, muscles, nbsp

Banish Your Back Fat For Good With These Easy Tips

Back fat can be very unsightly. Some women just naturally carry a lot of extra fat on their back, and when they wear tightly cut tops or dresses, this fat has a tendency to bulge out of the sides. When women want to lose weight and improve their fitness, they are often determined to focus some of the toning effects on the back area.

 

The wellness and wellbeing of your back muscles is important not only for the way you look but for helping to improve your posture, relieving back pain and improving your overall core strength. There are specific exercises that you can do to get your back muscles into shape, and this should result in a lean and toned silhouette that looks fantastic in any strappy dress or top.

 

Firstly, try a plank-to-row maneuver. Start in a pushup position and hold a weight in each hand – you can choose the weight that suits your current fitness levels. Next, shift all of your weight onto your left arm and pick up your right arm to the level of your side, retaining your hold on the dumbbell. Make sure that you hold your abs tight the whole time, and keep your hips squared to the ground. Do 10 – 12 reps of these dumbbell lifts and do the same thing again on the other side. As your strength increases, you can use heavier weights.

 

You could also try an inverted modified row. Find a secure bar that you can hang from the underside of. Put your feet flat on the ground and bend your knees until they are in a 90 degree angle and then keep your back totally straight. Pull in your abs at the belly button and keep your core tight. Pull up with your arms until your chest is lifted up to the bar, hold for the count of two and then lower yourself back down. Do 10 – 12 reps and repeat three times.

Categories: back, Fat, fitness, ground, hold, nbsp, weight