You can achieve this and reduce your risk of sports injuries when you strengthen your core. We can expect such a wide range of benefits because no matter what sport you are involved in, they all require your trunk muscles to perform the same critical function - the efficient transfer of energy between the lower and upper extremities through a stable core. Training for a high performance core is now considered a necessary component of conditioning programs for high performance athletes. The training concepts described on this web site represent the ultimate evolution of sport specific training. As an athlete with excellent core stability you will generate greater power, and strength in any off balance situation.You will run, swing, jump, and swim with greater efficiency. You will be able to apply the strength you have developed in the gym more effectively in functional and competitive situations.
Whether you have never exercised a day in your life or you're a professional athlete, you can benefit from strengthening using the exercise ball. The free exercise ball exercises presented here represent a combination of the latest concepts from both the physical therapy realm and the physical conditioning world and are accompanied by illustrations. We try to review both the theory and rationale behind the ball exercises and present them with detailed instructions and photographs. I've included 173 exercise ball exercises with over 300 illustrations detailing exercises that require nothing but a ball. I've included a variety of sample programs for individuals with different levels of experience and involvement in sports. As a physical therapist I am regularly approached by my patients for a good source of free exercise ball exercises. Web sites I recommend are sparse, brief, incomplete, and full of advertising. I decided to start this tremendous web site to fulfill this need for free exercise ball exercises.
Core Stability Exercises for Athletes
Strength Training Most regular free weight exercises can become exercise ball exercises by incorporating dumbbells, barbells, and cables. When you are performing chest press, flyes, triceps extensions, or other bench exercises on a bench, the friction between you and the bench, and your feet on the floor provides stability for you trunk; therefore, you tend to more or less isolate those particular prime movers. The same exercise performed on an exercise ball now additionally targets your stabilizing musculature thereby challenging you to maintain your balance and posture. For more information on strength training using the exercise ball click here for more. The best part of an exercise ball workout is that you will use many muscle groups in synergistic patterns. This is much more functional and will carry over into obvious strength gains you can see in the gym and in your everyday activities. Each exercise is variable. By slightly changing your body position or a limb position you change the effort and introduce new movement and challenges to your body. We all know that to continue progressing in an exercise program we need to introduce new challenges. Golfing A lot of people have an idea of what core strengthening entails. Most of them believe it is some form of abdominal exercises. What exactly is the core when it comes to the golf swing? Simplistically, it is the center region of the body that includes the hips, abdominals, shoulders, deep neck and scapular muscles. The core is considered the muscles that link the moving limbs of the body to the trunk. Listing all the muscles that constitute the "core" could easily fill a page. It is not just the muscles that make up core stability, but also the neural connections and ligaments. The main trunk stabilizing muscles are described here. The core is particularly important in golf because it is a rotational sport. The club swings around the core. Your centre of gravity lies in your core. Training with exercise ball exercises allows for the development of greater balance, endurance, and the ability to generate more power in the swing. An efficient golf swing allows you to perform equally well on the first hole and the 18th hole. This requires you to develop high endurance in the core muscles. Endurance exercises (typically high repetition, low resistance) with the exercise ball allow you to perform the same movement over and over without experiencing pain or fatigue. When looking at the golf swing, the core is considered the "power house". It is responsible for balance and providing most of the rotational power (torque) to generate club speed. Your golf training must also include exercises for power. From back swing to follow through, it is the core that plays a large part in swing execution. Weakness in the core will cause reduced balance, power output, and stability resulting in compensations using other muscle groups causing less accuracy, less distance, and potential injury. For more information on the use of the exercise ball in improving golf performance click here. Hockey Whether you play competitively or just enjoy the occasional stick and puck games on the local arena, these simple exercises will help you skate faster and stronger. Hockey is all about balance. The hockey player must balance between left and right skates, upper and lower body, cardio and strength, style and intensity. Click here for exercise ball exercises specific for hockey. Skiing Yo don't want to wait for the snow to fall before you start training for the ski season. Skiing requires us to maintain a stable upper body while rotational forces are exerted on our lower body on unstable footings. You need strength, endurance, balance and coordination. A good training routine can go far to prepare you for the slopes by preventing injuries, improving performance, and helping to avoid days of muscle soreness after your first ski trip. Exercises like squats, push ups with the ball, and single leg squats with the ball need to be included in basic training for strength. Developing lower extremity and core power will allow you to recover more quickly coming out of a turn. Exercise ball exercises help you transfer force from one leg to the other and develop dynamic balance. Click here to see exercise ball exercises particularly good for the skier. Swimming Exercises for strength training in swimmers must involve the major muscle groups swimmers use to propel themselves through the water. Studies have shown that the amount of force and power that a swimmer can apply with each stroke during 22.75 m of sprint swimming is very closely connected to their speed. It is wise then to engage in activities that improve muscular power, at least for sprinting events. The major muscle groups used include those that bring the swimmers' arms from a position overhead to their hips. They are the pectoralis major muscles of the chest, the latissimus dorsi, the rhomboids, the trapezius, and the anterior deltoids. The inward sweeps of their arms are accomplished by biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis,and supinator. The teres major and minor of the upper back are also used. The muscles that sweep the arm out and up from under the body are the middle and posterior deltoids. The triceps and anconeus are the primary muscles involved in extending the arms at the elbows. Most of these muscles originate on the trunk. If you don't have adequate stability of the trunk, you can't possibly generate power through their insertions. Exercise ball exercises will strengthen those muscles that give you a strong stable core from which to generate that power and force. The downbeats of flutter and dolphin kicks, the upbeat of the backstroke and knee extension in the breaststroke are accomplished by the knee extensors (quadriceps) and the hip flexors. The upbeat of the kick is made possible by contraction of the hamstrings and gluteus maximus. These muscles also extend the legs in breaststroke and during hip extension when they are starting and turning. Breaststrokers also require strength in the adductor muscles that are responsible for squeezing their legs together during the propulsive phase of their kick. Again, most of these muscles originate in the trunk, spine, or pelvis. To generate force at one end of the muscle you must stabilize the other end. Exercise ball exercises will strengthen those muscles that give you a strong stable core from which to generate that power and force. Click here to learn more about how exercise ball exercises can improve your swim times. Throwing For competitive or recreational athletes involved in baseball, tennis, or basketball, shoulder disorders, especially rotator cuff injuries can e debilitating. Individuals who have shoulder instability as a result of congenital laxity, repetitive microtrauma (from repetitive throwing) place increased demands on the rotator cuff as it attempts to keep the humerus centered in the glenoid (ie socket). If the rotator cuff fatigues, it may no longer center the humeral head in the socket resulting in impingement and tendonitis or worse, a tear. Rotator cuff injuries in sports are usually due to microtrauma from repetitive movements. Primary impingement results directly from overhead motions, secondary impingement is related to underlying shoulder instability. Your physical therapist will use a variety of physical maneuvers to assess pain, muscle weakness and shoulder stability if you are suffering from shoulder pain. Coaches and athletic trainers can help develop and carry out sound programs for preventing rotator cuff injuries. Preseason conditioning should address the flexibility, strength, and endurance of the shoulder muscles, particularly the scapular stabilizers and external rotators of the rotator cuff. Exercise ball exercises should be included in any shoulder strengthening and stabilization program especially if the athlete is involved in repetitive throwing. Click here for exercise ball exercises that will strengthen your throw and prevent injuries. Posture Correction Adopting good posture not only makes you feel better, but also makes you look younger, and more confident. Initially you will probably find it difficult to maintain good posture for any length of time, but with exercise ball exercises and postural muscle strengthening this effort will become easier. Symptoms of poor posture can include the following: back pain, body aches and pains, protruding belly, rounded shoulders, bent knees when standing or walking, a head that leans forward, headaches, and muscle fatigue. The exercise ball can be used to help strengthen the core simply by using it as a chair for several minutes a day. This is otherwise known as "active sitting". The size of the chair should keep your feet on the floor while you sit, with your arms resting comfortably on the desk. When you sit on the ball chair, you should keep your legs forming a 90 degree angle at the knees. Any more or any less will mean that the chair isn't right for you.Your weight is a very important factor when choosing this type of chair. If your weight compresses the chair and flattens it, you need to get a bigger ball chair. If you happen to be very light in weight, you can under-inflate. Even though these are great alternatives to a standard office chair, you should consult a physical therapist before you purchase one. If you've had any back problems or surgeries, you want to get a physical therapist's advice before you make that final purchase. For more information on sizing click here. It's tough to keep the attention of children in the classroom. Studies have shown that using ball chairs in the classroom actually enhances concentration while improving balance and coordination. You can use it to actively strengthen all the muscles that stabilize your spine with the exercise ball exercises presented here. Postpartum Exercise The post partum period is an ideal time to incorporate exercise into lifestyle changes. New responsibilities, physical changes, and competing demands for time may make exercise seem impossible. By emphasizing weight control, stress reduction, and other benefits, women can establish healthy exercise goals for the rest of their lives. Obstacles to postpartum exercise include physical changes, competing demands, lack of information about weight retention, fear of interference with breastfeeding, and stress incontinence. Women who are eager to exercise may be unsure of when it is safe for them to resume exercise. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology notes that the physiologic effects of pregnancy may persist for up to six weeks postpartum and therefore, advises a gradual resumption of activity as tolerated. Your medical doctor will tailor their recommendations to your previous level of fitness and any complications you may have experienced during pregnancy and delivery. Exercise ball exercises are a good way to start any exercise regime to reclaim those abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. Click here for more details. Weight Control Burning fat is a common goal in today's society. Everywhere you turn, there is someone telling you that they have found the "better mousetrap" when it comes to weight control. Eat this. Take that pill. Buy this piece of exercise equipment. The fact of the matter is that in order to burn fat and control your weight, you have to follow three basic principles. Eating the right foods, focusing on getting a quality workout, with exercises like these stability ball exercises, and making sure that you get enough rest for your body to recover are the keys to weight control success. Ignore any one of these things, and your fat burning efforts may not live up to your expectations. For more information, visit Build Muscle and Burn Fat. Exercise balls are also known as stability balls, physio balls, therapy balls, fitball, Swiss balls, ab balls, fit balls, balance ball, fitness ball, gymnic balls.
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