Corestrength Training / Fitball

Using a fitball (also known as a swiss ball) is a great way to have fun while improving your core strength.  Our group sessions are designed to encourage you to help train and develop your essential core muscles.

What are Fitball workouts all about?

Generally speaking, if done correctly, exercises done on or with a Fitball can improve corestrength and as a result assist in injury prevention – what every body wants, surely !

Core-strength – what is it?

Collectively the muscles responsible for supporting the lumbar spine the deepest abdominal muscle (transverse abdominus) and the deep back muscle (multifidus), in conjunction with other muscles such as the internal obliques. These muscles work together like a low belt or corset around the spine. When they fail to function effectively, the lower back is unsupported and vulnerable to injury.

More importantly, the pelvic floor works in conjunction with the deep abdominals. So, any exercise that strengthens the deep stabilising muscles also improves the pelvic floor control and vice versa. This is of benefit to everyone, especially those prone to incontinence.

It is difficult to isolate and train “the core” in mainstream exercise, however their correct function is critical for daily activities, posture and any other fitness programme you may participate in. Most sports, in fact all, require a strong well trained midsection to get improved results – this is where the power originates from to perform the action in the most efficient manner!

Personally, in all my years of fitness training of some sort, this is the cheapest, most versatile and most effective piece of equipment that I have ever owned to train all body parts, not to mention the most challenging. Challenging because of the nature of trying to exercise on a ball !!

Exercising with a Swiss Ball/Fit ball offers a wide range of benefits to your body.

• Stabilisation
• Muscle Toning
• Balance
• Co-ordination
• Righting Reactions
• Neuromuscular development
• Postural Awareness
• Cardiovascular Fitness
• Strength
• Joint Mobility
• Flexibility ( stretching)
• Relaxation
• Proprioception (the ability to sense the position and location and orientation and movement of the body)

I hope you will take up the challenge; it is an investment into wellbeing!