Fitnessball exercises for weight loss

To get rid of extra pounds, you need to burn calories from food (and also those that have accumulated in your body as fat). This is impossible without movement. To do this, you can ride a bike, jog in the morning, go to the gym or swimming pool. Or you can buy a big ball in a sporting goods store and learn how to do exercises on a fitball to lose weight.

Physical exercise of muscles is the main condition for physiologically correct increase in the metabolic rate, that is, acceleration of metabolism.

A fitball is a special gymnastic ball that allows you to keep your muscles toned and get rid of extra pounds quite quickly. Exercises with a ball are quite effective, and these types of physical activity are the safest compared to others. A fitball is recommended even for pregnant women, patients with spinal problems, and the elderly. People with varicose veins can also exercise on a fitball, since the load on the legs during exercise is minimal. The uniqueness of this ball is that during exercise you need to maintain balance, which strengthens all muscle groups, and also exercises the vestibular apparatus, while even those muscle groups that remain unused during other loads work. Exercises for weight loss in the pool include exercises not with a fitball, but with a regular ball, which has normal dimensions, a fitball is usually used for exercise in the gym.

Fitball Exercises for Weight Loss: Choosing the Right Ball

The Swiss ball, Pezzi ball or fitball - an elastic ball of impressive dimensions - is used today all over the world. However, it would be more correct to call these wonder balls Italian, since the idea of their production came to the mind of the Italian plastics manufacturer Aquilino Cosani in 1963.

Adults became interested in fitball exercises in the early 80s, and they were first used for rehabilitation of disabled children and treatment of newborns with cerebral palsy by the English physiotherapist Mary Quinton, who worked in Bern (Switzerland). Then the baton was picked up by the Swiss Suzanne Klein-Vogelbach, a physical education teacher at the Basel Conservatory and later a physiotherapist. She founded a school of physiotherapy at the local hospital - for treatment of adults with orthopedic problems - and developed her own method of functional kinetics.

Now you know that the fitball is a real therapeutic ball, not an advertising gimmick. And in order for fitball exercises for weight loss to be effective in the fight for slimness, you need to buy the right ball.

Gymnastic balls come in different sizes (from 45 to 95 cm in diameter).

Fitballs come in different sizes, and the ball should be chosen according to your height:

• for heights up to 155 cm, the ball diameter should be 45 cm;
• for a height of 156-170 cm, the diameter of the ball should be 55 cm;
• for a height of 171-185 cm, the diameter of the ball should be 65 cm;
• If you are 186 cm or taller, choose a larger ball - 75-85 cm in diameter.

In addition, you can choose the right size of the fitball as follows: sit on the ball and make sure that when your legs are flat on the floor, the angle between your shin and thigh is right (i.e. 90°). This will help you maintain balance, put less stress on your joints, and maintain correct posture.

Benefits of Fitball Exercises for the Whole Body

There are no contraindications for doing exercises on a fitball for weight loss. On the contrary, exercises on an orthopedic ball are useful for everyone, regardless of age and gender, as they put a load on the main muscle groups, and do not overload the joints. Moreover, maintaining balance, we constantly strain the muscles, which increases the efficiency of burning reserves in fat depots.

Exercises on a fitball for weight loss, which are performed "lying on the ball", are very useful for the lumbar spine, especially with sedentary work. Specialists in therapeutic physical training and fitness claim that exercises on a fitball improve the blood supply to all organs and their work, increase the tone of the muscular system and the flexibility of the joints, relieve tension and contribute to a cheerful mood. In general, there is a benefit for the whole body.

Effective Fitball Exercises for Weight Loss

Exercises on a fitball help to strengthen all muscle groups, since the ball is not stable, as a result, the muscles will be tense throughout the entire session. Such exercises help to effectively combat fat deposits on the abdomen, buttocks and other parts of the body.

Also, a special set of exercises has been developed for exercising on a fitball, aimed at training a certain group of muscles. Exercises with a fitball are especially good for strengthening the hips and abs. In addition, exercises on such a ball contribute to good posture and strengthening the skeletal muscles. With regular training of the gluteal muscles, after a while you can almost completely get rid of cellulite.

Before training, you need to do a little warm-up to warm up your muscles (step in place with a ball in your hands (regular and high hip), 10 to 20 squats with a ball in front of you).

The following exercises will help you tighten your abdominal and thigh muscles:

• lying on your back, fix the ball between your feet (legs extended). Holding the ball, raise and lower your legs;
• lying on your back, fix the ball between your thighs and squeeze the ball as much as possible, then relax the muscles;
• standing straight, squeeze the ball between your thighs and squeeze your muscles hard for about a minute, you need to do 2-3 approaches, after each exercise, without changing position, you need to do 25-30 jumps.
• put your left foot on the ball, take a stable position, stretch your arms forward. Keeping your balance, you need to do 20 squats, then you need to change your leg. In total, you need to do 2-3 approaches.

To strengthen the abs:

• Lie on your back on the ball, place your feet on the floor at a 900 angle, throw your arms behind your head, and do 30 crunches in three sets.
• Lie down on the floor, put your feet on the fitball, bend your knees at a 900 angle. Do 20 crunches, trying not to lose the ball (2-3 sets).

To strengthen the buttocks:

• lying on your back, bend your legs at the knees and place them on the ball, raise your pelvis and squeeze your buttocks as much as possible at the highest point;
• Lie down on the ball with your stomach down, legs and arms at the bottom. Slowly raise your straight legs, then return them to the starting position.

The most effective exercises are those with continuous movement, for example, you can do jumping jacks while sitting on a fitball, starting with a small rise above the ball and ending with a full rise. It is good to do this exercise for about two minutes without stopping.

Now we offer you a set of effective exercises on a fitball for weight loss.

[ 1 ]

First

Lie down on the ball with your stomach, legs straight with your toes resting on the floor, arms down in front of the ball – resting on your palms. Raise your right and then your left legs alternately (without bending the knee!), holding the leg in the raised position for 5-6 seconds. Breathing is optional. Perform 10 times with each leg.

Second

Lie down on the ball with your stomach, legs straight with your toes on the floor, hands behind your head. With your feet on the floor, tense your abdominal muscles and, as you inhale, bend your lower back, holding the position for 3-5 seconds, then, as you exhale, return to the starting position. Repeat at least 10-15 times.

Third

Sit on the fitball, legs bent at the knees, feet shoulder-width apart, arms behind the head. Start stepping forward with your feet, rolling the ball from under your buttocks to under your lumbar region. Hold the position for 3-5 seconds and slowly return to the starting position. Do 10 times.

Fourth

The initial position and the beginning of the movements are similar to the previous exercise, but we roll the ball further – under the shoulder blades, and the buttocks almost touch the floor. The number of repetitions is 5 times.

Fifth

Lie on the floor, hands under your head, both legs bent at the knees, feet and calves lying on the fitball. As you inhale, raise your shoulders and back, trying to touch your knees with your chest and hold the ball with your feet. As you exhale, smoothly return to the starting position. Repeat at least 10 times.

Sixth

Lie down on the floor, lower back pressed to the floor, hands under the head, both legs bent at the knees, feet and calves lying on the fitball, and the ball itself touches the back of the thighs. Strain the abdominal muscles and, lifting the pelvis, pull the legs to the chest - holding the ball between the back of the thighs and calves for 3-5 seconds. On the exhale, return to the starting position. Perform 5-10 times.

Seventh

Lie on the floor, arms straight behind the head, legs straight, fitball held between the calves of both legs. As you exhale, lift the ball with your legs while simultaneously lifting your head and shoulders. Hold the position for 3-5 seconds and slowly return to the starting position. Perform 10 times.

Eighth

The initial position and the beginning of the movements are similar to the previous exercise. As you exhale, lift the ball with your legs, then bend your knees and pull them to your chest. Hold the position for a few seconds and return to the initial position. The number of repetitions is 10-15 times.

Ninth

Lie down on the floor, straight arms lie along the body (palms pressed to the floor), legs are straight, calves and heels are on the top of the ball. As you exhale, lift the pelvis, hips and lower back up so that the body rests on the shoulder blades and heels, forming a straight line. Hold this position for 3 seconds and as you exhale, return to the original position. Number of repetitions - 15.

Tenth

Kneel down, back straight, feet shoulder-width apart, palms on the ball. Smoothly bend forward (without bending your back at the waist) and roll the fitball from your palms to your elbows. Then just as slowly (with a straight back!) roll the ball back and take the starting position. Perform 10 times.

Reviews of fitball exercises for weight loss

Judging by the enthusiastic reviews of fitball exercises for weight loss left by visitors to fitness clubs and their websites, exercises with this Swedish-Italian ball not only invigorate and energize, but also have a very positive effect on the entire body. According to one of the ladies who does fitball exercises for weight loss on her own, the main thing is that the exercises are regular. And she admits that the weight loss is still insignificant, since she started training quite recently, but her gastrointestinal tract has improved, and now she does not use laxatives.

And my back started to bother me less after working in the office...

More movement – fewer extra pounds. Don’t forget about it: ride a bike, jog in the morning, go to the gym or swimming pool. Or you can… buy a big ball and start doing exercises on a fitball to lose weight.

Reviews of exercises for weight loss on a fitball indicate the high effectiveness of the exercises. With the help of such unusual exercises, you can not only diversify your workouts, but also get a huge amount of positive emotions.

Currently, there are different types of fitballs - with pimples, with handles for holding, etc. It should be noted that if you have cellulite, you should not give preference to an ordinary gymnastic ball. Exercises on balls with a rough surface will allow you to get the expected effect painlessly and quite quickly.

For swimming lessons (for example, when describing a figure eight), small balls are usually used.

Weight loss exercises in the pool combined with training on a fitball show an effective and fairly quick result. Water treatments help relieve tension, tighten muscles, in addition, water makes a soft but very effective massage and helps to achieve an ideal shape. Exercises on a fitball help to strengthen all muscles, improve posture, help to remove extra pounds.