Archive for 2011

Buying and caring for your Swiss Ball

by Gareth Hanson in Swiss ball exercises with No comments

Here’s my guide to buying an looking after your Swiss Ball.

Buying your Swiss Ball

Thera-Band Anti-Burst Swiss Balls From Amazon

Swiss balls can be bought for less than $10 and as much as $50. I bought mine from Amazon, they’re cheap and have a great selection. I chose this one (mainly because of its anti-burst quality, making it safe to use with weights), but you don’t have to choose the same one. Don’t be tempted to just buy the cheapest one though. Ideally you want a ball that is durable and can cope with both your body weight and your weight if you’re holding dumbbells. Continue reading →

Gym ball abdominal exercises – Swiss ball jackknife

by Gareth Hanson in Swiss ball exercises with No comments

Jackknifes are amazing for targeting your lower abdominal muscles, and as with all gym ball exercises, the ball provides instability which your body must correct. This means it’s a great core strength exercise too.

Start by kneeling with the swiss ball behind you. Place one foot then the other onto the top of the ball so that you’re in a press up position with both feet on top of the ball, hands placed slightly wider than shoulder width. Just allow your feet to rest naturally on the ball, you don’t have to balance on the ends of your toes.

Once you’re stable, keeping your back straight, draw your knees toward your chest. Breathe out, hold the position for a second or two before returning to the start. Repeat for as many reps as feel comfortable (up to 10 – 15) per set.

My good friend Jane demonstrates the technique beautifully in the video below.

Training at home? A swiss ball is an effective replacement for a weight bench

by Gareth Hanson in Swiss ball exercises with No comments

I recently quit going to the gym!

No, I didn’t give up on training. Quite the opposite in fact, I’m training more. I’ve started rock climbing, and I couldn’t afford to pay both gym and climbing wall subs. Even though rock climbing gives me a great workout, it primarily loads the agonist (pull) muscle groups, so it’s still really important for me to have a workout which trains the antagonist (push) muscle groups. Failure to do this would result in an imbalance in my physique, which could lead to injuries.

So what did I need to buy to kit out my home gym? Did I need to spend thousands of dollars on weights, weight benches and machines? Of course not! I could have managed with just a Swiss ball, but I went a little further and purchased some dumbbells too.

Have I ended up compromising my workout? No! here’s my rundown to training my full body using my Swiss ball and dumbbells. Continue reading →