Exercise Balls

Q. What do you think of those exercise balls? And what are they supposed to be good for?

To tell the truth they look dangerous (but fun) to me.

A. Exercise balls are designed to exercise multiple muscle groups at the same time.

Since it is very difficult to stay positioned on the ball correctly at all times, your abdominal core must work overtime simply to keep you up right - so in that sense, it is a great work out!

However - for the same reason (because they are so hard to stay positioned on) they are extremely dangerous! Many, many people fall off exercise balls and I have heard of some people getting hurt quite badly.

The best solution if you are interested in trying these out is to look for a ball with a special base that keeps it in place. It looks like a round elephant drum (like the kind the elephants stand on in the circus!) but has a hole in the middle. That way the ball stays secure while you get the benefit of the global core work out.

If your health club does not have a ball base - ask them to get one. It will make the balls safer for everyone.

Or call 216-292-6363 ext. 236