Swiss Ball Exercises

Purchasing a large exercise ball is useless without some Swiss ball exercises up your sleeve. The Swiss ball, commonly called exercise ball, Pilates ball, yoga ball, and even  Swedish ball, is an elastic sphere with a diameter from fourteen to 34 inches. The swiss ball is frequently featured in workout routines, classes, and exercise videos. If you can learn some great Swiss ball exercises, that large sphere in your living room might just be more useful than previously thought.

1. Core Crunchers. For this exercise, get on your knees and position your arms on top of the Swiss ball. Move forward, rolling the ball with you, and squeeze those abs. Revert back to the original position and repeat. Similarly, "normal" crunches are done on the Swiss ball by simply lying down on the sphere, crunching, and then repeating.
2. Leg extensions. Lie on top of the ball on the middle of your back, extending the legs outward, one at a time. Do this exercise slowly, alternating from leg to leg after each repetition.
3. Back raises. Lie on the Swiss ball in the prone position (on your belly). Extend your back by raising it up and tightening up all of those muscles, releasing it slowly. Rinse and repeat. "Supermans", which work with your feet at the bottom of the wall and your stomach on top of the Swiss ball, stretch much of the same area as back raises.
4. Sit backs. This is another great exercise for those often over-looked lower abdominals. Literally, the whole point is to "sit backwards" on the Swiss ball, using the abs to stabilize one's self. Use your arms for balance and try to hold the position for five seconds.
5. Pushups. Prop up your feet on Swiss ball, lying prone in the pushup position. Push up normally, possibly one hand at a time (as it's easier like this) and push down. Hold the position for more effect. Being just like regular pushups, these bad boys fire up the mid section, pectorals, and those highly-defined triceps.

There are some great Swiss ball exercises out there, many of which work the core. Different Swiss ball exercises work different parts of the body, firing up much of the stabilizer muscle core while doing so. The Swedish ball is a great tool for personal fitness goals.