Because of the improvement of some muscles (waist, back and pelvis), this sport has also been widely promoted. Fitness ball is no longer just a physical therapy, but also a new fitness exercise. Fitness balls come in different sizes, ranging in diameter from 45 to 75 cm. Adults use big balls. The material for making fitness balls is PVC.
Fitness ball has many uses and advantages: it is suitable for all people to exercise (including those who need rehabilitation treatment), with good fitness effect (especially for spine and pelvis) and good injury recovery and rehabilitation function (with remarkable curative effect on low back pain diseases). Fitness ball is relatively safe during exercise and is not easy to get hurt. Fitness ball can improve people's flexibility, strength, balance, posture, cardiopulmonary function and so on.
People who see the fitness ball for the first time often regard it as a circus prop or a child's toy. Actually, it's much more difficult to play than you think. Traditional fitness training is carried out on a flat and solid surface, but when you stand, sit, kneel or lie on a spherical and soft surface, your sense of space and muscle use will be very different. You will instinctively keep your body balanced, which will "activate" the "responsible and stable" muscles that seldom exercise and make your body exercise, so it is also called "balance ball". Physiologists believe that fitness balls can exercise the muscles of the chest, abdomen, back, buttocks and legs, and play an important role in maintaining body balance, improving body posture and preventing sports injuries.
Exercise with fitness balls should be carried out under the guidance of coaches and follow the principle of step by step. When you start practicing, lean the ball against the wall to reduce its flexibility. You can try to sit on it first Don't think this is a simple matter. Few people succeed the first time. When you sit on the ball, you will involuntarily straighten your back and stretch your shoulders back. This is your body's instinctive reaction to prevent falling, and it is also the correct sitting posture. Some companies have replaced the chairs in the office with fitness balls, just to let employees exercise the correct sitting posture at work. Pregnant women can also exercise their abdominal muscles by sitting on the ball, thus making the delivery more smooth. After you are familiar with the ball, you can slowly try some difficult moves, such as "golden rooster independence" on the ball, stretching your hands when lying on or on the ball, kneeling on the ball, and doing push-ups with your legs on the ball.
One of the reasons why fitness ball is popular in America is that its fitness effect is better than traditional methods. Texas State University conducted an experiment on 55 women aged between 20 and 40, and trained them with various means and equipment during 65,438+00 weeks. The results show that the increase of muscle strength of women trained with fitness balls is 25%-50% higher than others, and their coordination and balance ability is obviously better than others. Some weightlifters have developed their abdominal muscles and back muscles after training with fitness balls, and their competition results have also been significantly improved.
According to the survey of San Diego Health and Fitness Association, fitness ball has become the fastest growing item in American gyms. 1996, only 16% of the health rooms offered fitness ball classes, and this year the number rose to 60%. In addition, due to the increasing number of obese Americans in recent years, family fitness has become a fashion. Compared with the 5,000-yuan walking machine and the 2,000-yuan rowing machine, tens of dollars of fitness balls should be the most cost-effective health investment.