Exercise balls were first used by Mary Quinton, A Physiotherapist from Switzerland. She primarily used them to treat newborns and babies. Now, this elastic soft PVC having a diameter of roughly 35 to 85 centimeters is most often used in physical therapy, athletic training and exercise.

Simply looking at it as a big ball, you must know that it has various uses and functions for you to be fit. Read on to find out how using the exercise ball can help you tone up your body and strengthen your core while at the same time eliminate lower back pain.

Have you ever felt lower back pain especially after lifting heavy objects? Well, an exercise ball could be a solution for it. Ergonomic Lifting can actually teach proper body mechanics and posture while lifting.

• Position the exercise ball against the wall and slightly rest your back on it, with your feet apart.

• Squat down halfway with your hands on the sides and knees bent slightly. Do this without leaning your back into the exercise ball but allowing the ball steer the posture of the back.

• Return to the original position and go over the stance 5 times.

• Intensify the exercise by holding the squat for 10 seconds.

Instead of using an actual chair, you can in fact sit on an exercise ball. Its movement involves muscular response to keep one’s center of gravity and sustain balance on the ball. This is useful in encouraging the deeper trunk muscles which function as the spine foundation and lessen static loading on any part of the spine.

Still hesitant about the efficiency of an exercise ball? Let me tell you that there are experts who include it in their workout guidelines. Craig Ballantyne, for instance, is a famous strength and conditioning coach in Toronto. His Turbulence Training workout guidelines consist of several exercise ball exercises that are specifically designed for a person’s overall transformation.

Here are some of the useful exercise ball workouts that you can perform:

Birddogs with an Exercise Ball

• Dig up your hands and knees while placing the exercise ball under your abdomen.

• Raise, then extend your legs and arms from the floor in unison.

• Get through the middle of your body at the same time maintaining your hips at the same place while keeping balance on the ball.

• Go though for each side 8 times.

• To intensify the stance, you may hold it longer.

Stability Ball Rollout

• Kneel on a mat and rest your hands clinched together on top of a medium-sized exercise ball.

• Lean forward slowly while rolling your hands over the ball. The ball should move away from you while doing this.

• Keep your back straight and stretch as far as you can with the ball.

• With your abs tightened, roll back to your initial position.

The exercise ball is indeed an object of fitness and physical activity. To Learn more about how you you can use the exercise ball in your training routine and incorporate it with other effective routines you can grab a free copy of the FREE 20 Page e-book here at http://musclebuilding.net.au/.