You will often find the exercise ball being used by physical therapist to treat their patience back pain and help to strengthen core muscle groups. In addition, Pilate's practitioners often use the fit ball in their practice because they are such great training aids.

It is very important to use the appropriate size ball for your height. The ball size recommendation would be: Less than 5'6'' -- 55 cm, 5'7'' to 6'0'' -- 65 cm, over 6' tall -- 75 cm. Another recommendation would be to spend a few cents more and get a burst resistant ball which is designed to support up to 600 pounds of pressure.

The effectiveness of the exercise ball comes into play by engaging the muscles to maintain balance in an unstable situation. Unstable exercises from using the ball has been known to produce significantly more muscle activity of all core muscles.

You can also increase your cardio endurance by simply bouncing on the ball for at least thirty minutes a day. To increase the core muscles of the body, you can also incorporate upper body movements while training on the ball. Experts recommend sitting on a fit ball while working at your desk which benefits the body by forcing proper spine alignment, improve your balance, and improves circulation.

You can get that 6-pack you've always wanted! To compensate for changes in balance, the core muscles (abdominals) are the primary muscles used. This low-key abdominal workout may seem minimal, but considering the amount of time you spend working at your desk will result in strengthening of your ab muscles.

Yoga and Pilates are increasingly popular programs that incorporate the fit ball into the practice. The training aid helps to boost flexibility and increase intensity of the participants. When it comes to working out with the fit ball, the versatility is endless. It can be used for weight training, lower back exercises, increasing flexibility as well as abdominal exercises.