Training With A Strength Ball

Strength ball training involves both stability balls and medicine balls. Although the stability ball, also known as the Swiss, is evolving as a cutting edge exercise tool today, the use of a ball in exercise actually dates back to the 2nd Century A.D. 

Todays stability ball was developed in the early 1960’s as a children's toy. It was then adopted by physiotherapists  as a means of improving patient’s proprioception and balance. Strength and conditioning professionals and personal trainers often use stability balls in their programs.

Strength Ball Training is useful for all populations, as it can be easily adapted to meet a variety of needs and goals. Balls of various sizes, inflation densities, and loads, exercise variations, and the dynamic stabilizing load enable new users and veteran athletes alike to enjoy exercises appropriate for their skill levels.

There are numerous methods of progressing the level of difficulty when using the stability ball exercises.

Change the base of support:

By decreasing the base of support for a exercise, you can increase the challenge of balance. You can achieve this by increasing the inflation of the ball, which will result in a smaller base of the ball support. You can also change the base of support by removing an arm of lever from the ball or ground.

Change The length of the lever:

as you alter the length of your lever arm from short to long, you increase the difficulty of the exercise. An example would be Ab crunch medi ball throw:- 

 Throwing from the chest is easier than using a longer lever and throwing overhead. Your trunk can also be the lever arm between the floor and the balls contacts. a short rollout is easier than a longer rollout. Minor changes in body position can make a dramatic difference inlevel of difficulty by changing the co-ordination, effort or forced required.  

Increase range of motion:

by increasing movements from small to a larger range, you can increase the difficulty of the exercise. 

Speed of movement:

Changing the tempo of an exercise changes the result. Very slowly movements keep the muscle loaded under tension longer and help build strength and stability. Fast dynamic movements tend to build power. The tempo of movement also makes the exercise easier or more difficult. Most Experts suggest that moving faster is more difficult, but there is no general rule here. Some exercise done more quickly are much more difficult. Still other exercises done very slowly require much more strength and balance. Know that speed of movement alters the demands.

Add resistance:

You can increase the intensity of an exercise by adding some form of loaded resistance, such as a medicine ball, free weights, or resistance bands/tubing. Strength tubing needs to be long enough to accommodate whole-body moves, it also needs to be strong enough to offer enough resistance. It should come with a protective sleeve to make the tubing more durable. 

Close your eyes:

by closing your eyes, you increase the proprioceptive demand in the body, flooding other sensors and receptors positioned to give feedback on changes to muscle, ligaments, ligaments, tendons, and joint position. removing visual feedback overloads your proprioceptive system, forcing those “minibrains” to work harder and improve. this adds a level of difficulty, but you should take caution. Some of the exercises will require spotting by a strength coach, trainer or training partner.  

Sizing:

Most manufacturers of stability balls make sizing recommendations based on your height. one general rule that has been stated is that when you sit on the ball your thighs should be parallel to the floor. if they are below parallel level, you will be forced to use poor posture for many of the exercises. 

In your fitness facility you should see a variety of different sized balls : 

here is another size guide for personal use;

6’4 and taller = 65cm and 75cm balls 

5’10 - 6’3 = 55 cm and 65cm Balls

5’9 and less = 45 and 55 cm balls

The Benefits Of Strength Training

Dieters often shy away from strength training, such as lifting weights, out of a fear that it will make them bulk up. Only a decade ago exercise prescription typically consisted of cardiovascular conditioning and flexibility training. But during the past few years more and more studies have shown that sensible strength training produces many health and fitness benefit. Strength and Functional training is needed to build and sculpt the most muscular, symmetrical and injury-free physique possible.

This type of training is exercise that uses resistance to strengthen and condition the musculoskeletal system, improving muscle tone , endurance and function. Strength training is valuable to add to your workout routine. People of all ages and fitness levels can benefit from resistance training. Here are some compelling reasons for you to start a strength training workout right now:

• Control your weight: When you gain muscle through strength training, you can actually condition your body to burn fat more efficiently. This is because muscle tissues require more energy to sustain than fat, so muscle burns more calories. Also, after strength training, your body continues to burn calories as it recovers from your workout. Strength training can increase your metabolic rate by up to 15 percent, which can be enormously helpful for weight loss and long-term weight control. Regular strength training is just as important as cardio exercise for losing fat and getting fit.
• Prevent heart disease: When you strength train, you improve the condition and resilience of your heart muscle, protecting it from stress by keeping it strong. A study found that aerobic capacity of the cardiac patients increased when they did strength training three times a week as part of their rehabilitation program. American Heart Association (AHA) recommend strength training as a way to reduce risk of heart disease. However, due to lack of current research, strength training is not recommended for moderate to high-risk heart patients.
• Increase bone strength: After the age of around thirty, your bone mass starts to decrease at a rate of one percent per year (higher for post-menopausal women). Adding strength training to your workouts is the best way to increase your bone mass density. This can help reduce or even manage osteoporosis and arthritis. Research has found that regular weight lifting can increase bone mineral density by 13 percent in just six months. Also, a study conducted at Tufts University showed that strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk for fractures among women aged 50-70.
• Fewer injuries: Well-balanced muscles reduce the risk of injuries that result when a muscle is weaker than its opposing muscle group. With more muscled body, stronger bones, tendons and ligaments, your body has a considerably reduced chance of sustaining injury.
• Greater flexibility: Poor balance and flexibility contribute to falls and broken bones as people age. By performing exercises that move your joints through their full range of motion, you can significantly improve their strength and flexibility, keeping you steady on your feet. According to a study, strength training can reduce risk of falling by as much as 40 percent in older people.
• Improved posture: Due to extra musculature, greater bone, tendon and ligament strength and the introduction of proper stretching, your posture will be much improved. The stronger your muscles are the straighter you will stand and sit.
• Improve blood sugar control: Number of people with type 2 diabetes is climbing steadily. Fortunately, studies now show that lifestyle changes such as strength training have a profound impact on helping people manage their diabetes. According to a recent study, 16 weeks of strength training produced dramatic improvements in glucose control comparable to taking diabetes medication.
• Anti-depressant: Strength training has also been shown to be a great antidepressant, to help you sleep better, and to improve your overall quality of life. A Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counseling did. However, it is not known if this is because strength training produces a helpful biochemical change in the brain or if people feel better when they are stronger. It is most likely a combination of the two.

On a more basic level, it is important to understand that proper strength training may help you to look better, feel better, and function better. The trick is to get going and be consistent.

Dealing with D.O.M.S

Do you know what to do after exercise to speed your recovery from a workout? Your post exercise routine can have a big impact on your fitness gains and sports performance but most people don't have an after exercise recovery plan.

Most people exercise for the benefits they get from their workout: improved sports performance, better endurance, less body fat, added and even just feeling better. In order to maintain an exercise routine it's important to recover fully after exercise. Recovery is an essential part of any workout routine. It allows you to train more often and train harder so you get more out of your training. Do you have a good after exercise plan?

Why Recovery After Exercise Is Important
Recovery after exercise is essential to muscle and tissue repair and strength building. This is even more critical after a heavy weight training session. A muscle needs anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to repair and rebuild, and working it again too soon simply leads to tissue breakdown instead of building. For weight training routines, never work the same muscles groups two days in a row.

10 Ways To Recover Quickly After Exercise
There are as many methods of recovery as there are athletes. The following are some of the most commonly recommended by elite coaches and sports conditioning experts .

Rest. Time is one of the best ways to recover (or heal) from just about any illness or injury and this also works after a hard workout. Your body has an amazing capacity to take care of itself if you allow it some time. Resting and waiting after a hard workout allows the repair and recovery process to happen at a natural pace. It's not the only thing you can or should do to promote recovery, but sometimes doing nothing is the easiest thing to do. 

Stretch. If you only do one thing after a tough workout, consider gentle stretching. This is a simple and fast way to help your muscles recover. 

Cool Down. Cooling down simply means slowing down (not stopping completely) after exercise. Continuing to move around at a very low intensity for 5 to 10 minutes after a workout helps remove lactic acid from your muscles and may reduce muscles stiffness. warming up and cooling down are more helpful in cooler temperatures or when you have another exercise session or an event later the same day. 

Eat Properly. After depleting your energy stores with exercise, you need to refuel if you expect your body to recover, repair tissues, get stronger and be ready for the next challenge. This is even more important if you are performing endurance exercise day after day or trying to build muscle. Ideally, you should try to eat within 60 minutes of the end of your workout and make sure you include some high-quality protein and complex carbohydrate. 

Replace Fluids. You lose a lot of fluid during exercise and ideally, you should be replacing it during exercise, but filling up after exercise is an easy way to boost your recovery. Water supports every metabolic function and nutrient transfer in the body and having plenty of water will improve every bodily function. Adequate fluid replacement is even more important for endurance athletes who lose large amounts of water during hours of sweating. 

Try Active Recovery. Easy, gentle movement improves circulation which helps promote nutrient and waste product transport throughout the body. In theory, this helps the muscles repair and refuel faster. 

Have a Massage. Massage feels good and improves circulation while allowing you to fully relax. You can also try self-massage and foam roller exercise for easing tight muscles and avoid the heavy sports massage price tag. 

Take an Ice Bath. Some athletes and myself swear by ice baths, ice massage or contrast water therapy (alternating hot and cold showers) to recover faster, reduce muscle soreness and prevent injury. The theory behind this method is that by repeatedly constricting and dilating blood vessels helps remove (or flush out) waste products in the tissues. Limited research has found some benefits of contrast water therapy at reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)

. How to use contrast water therapy: While taking your post-exercise shower, alternate 2 minutes of hot water with 30 seconds of cold water. Repeat four times with a minute of moderate temperatures between each hot-cold spray. If you happen to have a spa with hot and cold tubs available, you can take a plunge in each for the same time. 

Get Lots of Sleep. While you sleep, amazing things are taking place in your body. Optimal sleep is essential for anyone who exercises regularly. During sleep, your body produces growth hormone (GH)which is largely responsible for tissue growth and repair.

Avoid Overtraining. One simple way to recovery faster is by designing a smart workout routine in the first place. Excessive exercise, heavy training at every session or a lack of rest days will limit your fitness gains from exercise and undermine your recovery efforts.

Listen to Your Body for a Faster Recovery
The most important thing you can do to recovery quickly is to listen to your body. If you are feeling tired, sore or notice decreased performance you may need more recovery time or a break from training altogether. If you are feeling strong the day after a hard workout, you don't have to force yourself to go slow. If you pay attention, in most cases, your body will let you know what it needs, when it needs it. The problem for many of us is that we don't listen to those warnings or we dismiss them with our own self talk ("I can't be tired, I didn't run my best yesterday" or "No one else needs two rest days after that workout; they'll think I'm a wimp if I go slow today.").

Why Women Have To Train Differently To Men:

We live quite rightly in an age of equality where we are slowly but surely tearing down many of the traditional barriers that exist between men and women. Despite this though, there are still some areas where differences do, and will continue to, exist and exercise is one such area.

Physiologically speaking, women and men are different, no real news flash there, but these differences even affect how we exercise. There are many differences in women which make it mandatory for women to have a different exercise pattern from men. These differences are:

• Women have different ratio of lean muscle to fat: Women have a lower ratio of lean muscle, also the areas where women need strength is very different from a man. Women's muscles respond very differently to exercises as not only there is less muscle but the biological response to exercises is quite different.
• Women's needs are different: Women need to retain some fat on their face, especially because women are prone to hollowed checks and under eye wrinkles. This gives a soft younger look. Where they need to reduce fat is the chin and the under the jaw line.
• Women have a very different fat distribution from men: This is because of hormones. Men's fat is under the hormones  insulin and testosterone. Women's fat cells are under the influence of estrogen and progesterone Unlike other hormones, the female sex hormones fluctuate along with the menstrual cycle. Anyone with a basic knowledge of biology would know that they affect many aspects of a women's body like the fat metabolism, food cravings, fat deposition, water retention and emotions.
• Women's body has different angles: The center of gravity is lower and the way a woman walks, sits and carries the weight is  different. This is because the way the pelvic bones and the bones of the arms are aligned are at a different angle than a man. Some exercises of women need to be done differently for women to actually benefit from them. Range of movement is also different. Ask anyone from the fashion apparel industry and they will know the exact details in centimeters.
• Women need strength in different areas than a man: The first is abdomen, particularly the lower abdomen. This is the area where the woman pushes during childbirth and after childbirth this area becomes weak. The corresponding area is the lower back. The lower back of a women takes a lot of pressure and as women wear heels and with excess weight the pressure increases. The lower back needs special exercises. The women also needs to exercise pelvic floor muscles to ensure that before and after childbirth these muscles do not become very lax and weak.
• A woman needs to maintain strength in the core muscles: These are muscles which maintain the torso strength. Another special area of focus in women should be the spine. The spine in a woman is generally very flexible, but with age it tends to become rigid which is one of the major reasons of accelerated aging. The spine is the core of all the nervous impulses network of the body and with aging the spinal alignment gets affected.

To summarize, women need different exercise machines, different kind of exercises, a different exercise routine which is responsive to her cycles, a different diet, different body treatments for her skin and a fair bit of traditional time tested techniques like Yoga and Pilates along with an sensitive coach/guide who understands a women's biology and can motivate her consistently.

10 Nutritional Tips For Weight Loss

1. Start a food diary, writing down everything you eat and drink.It will help you identify the eating habits you want to change and the habits you should hold on to.

2. Cut your calories gradually, not drastically.

For example: Put skim milk on your breakfast cereal, instead of 2%; have vegetable soup rather than cream soup for lunch; and at dinner, use Balsamic salad dressing rather than a rich blue cheese. These small calorie cuts won't leave you feeling so deprived, and you'll be better able to sustain them.

3. Try a new fruit or vegetable to help pique your interest in eating more of them.

The produce department, frozen-food section and ethnic grocery stores are places to look for variety. Try a dragon fruit. Aim to eventually eat at least two brightly coloured fruits or vegetables at both lunch and dinner.

4. Get your whole grains.

Switch from white bread to whole wheat, eat a whole grain breakfast cereal or try something different, such as bulgur, barley, brown rice, kasha or quinoa. These grains are nutrient- and fibre-rich and contain disease-fighting antioxidants.

5. Snack smartly.

Eating every few hours is a good way to manage your weight, keep hunger at bay and keep your blood sugar under control. Choose snacks that are nutrient-rich and low in calories, such as low-fat yogurt with fruit, raw vegetables with bean dip, cereal and milk, fruit and a handful of nuts or a yogurt-and-fruit smoothie.

6. Eat more fatty fish.

Fatty fish – such as salmon, mackerel, trout and sardines – are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which lower your risk of heart disease and may also keep your brain healthy as you age. If you're new to eating fish, start with canned salmon or tuna in a sandwich, and order some grilled fish or try sushi or sashimi when you eat out.

7. Bone up on calcium.

Regularly include milk, calcium-fortified soy or rice beverages, yogurt, lower-fat cheeses, almonds and green vegetables in your diet.

8. Eat breakfast every day.

It really is the most important meal of the day: it will give you more energy, help you to think better – and it can even help you manage your weight.

9. Eat more beans or lentils.

They make inexpensive meals that are low in fat, high in fibre and protein, and packed with nutrients. Try lentil soup, vegetarian chili, and bean salad and dips, or add beans to pasta sauce or tacos.

10. Make sure you have the tools to make your healthy-eating goals work.

Stock your kitchen with your favourite healthy foods and remove the treats that might stand in the way. Have some healthy cooking tools on hand, such as a nonstick pan, grill pan, blender or food processor, salad spinner, vegetable brush, nutcracker, spice grinder and some sharp knives.

The Risks Associated with the Fad diets, dieting and other weight loss products.

A diet designed to promote healthy weight loss promotes a weight loss of no more than 2 pounds - or one percent of total body weight/ a week. medical authorities recommend that losing weight at such a rate reduces risk of health problems that have been associated with more rapid weight loss (greater than 3lbs per week). Some people mat lose weight at a slightly higher rate. However, a rapid weight loss of more than 2 pounds a week is unhealthy and should be avoided.

Fad diets that ignore the principles of the Dietary Guidelines may result in short term weight loss, but may do so at the risk of your health. how you go about managing your weight has a lot to do with your long-term success. Unless your health is seriously at risk due to complications from being overweight or obese, gradual weight loss should be your rule - and most importantly your GOAL!

Many women look for quick and easy solutions to their weight problems. they find it hard to believe in this age of scientific innovations and medical miracles that effortless weight-loss method doesn’t exist.

So they succumb to quick fix claims like “Eat All You Want And Still Lose Weight” or “Melt The Fat Away While You Sleep” and invest their hopes and money in all manner of pills,potions, gadgets and programs that hold the promise of a slimmer, happier future. Some pills may help control the appetite, but they can have serious side effects. (Amphetamines, for example are highly addictive and can have an adverse impact on the heart and central nervous system. Other pills too, are completely worthless.

Any claims that you can lose weight effortlessly are false. The only proven way too lose weight is either to once again “reduce the number of calories you eat or to increase the amount you burn off through exercise.” Most experts recommend a combination of both.

There is no product available NOW or in the FUTURE that substitutes for proper diet/exercise techniques. If you remember this, you’ve learned more than a shocking 95% of people who are currently pursuing physical improvement. KNOWLEDGE IS KEY!!

Principles of Healthy Weight Loss:

• Follow sensible and healthy guidelines for eating and physical activity for achieving and maintaining healthy weight.
• Excess weight is caused by an interaction of genetic (inherited) and environmental (social and cultural) factors, which include metabolic (physical and chemical) and behavioral (psychological and emotional) components. Because of the complexity of weight loss, gain, and maintenance, women need to understand that a quick and effortless weight loss is worthless.
• As sedentary lifestyle is a significant barrier to successfully maintaining weight loss and preventing further weight gain, it is important to add more activity in your daily routine.
• Losing weight requires burning more calories than the body takes in, either by reducing caloric intake or increasing caloric expenditure or preferably both.
• Remember, achieving and maintaing even a modest amount of weight loss can reduce the severity of illness associated with obesity.
• Medical, pharmacological and surgical interventions may be options for women with more serious cases of overweight and obesity. these interventions, used in conjunction with a plan for healthy eating and exercise should be utilized in compliance with treatment guidelines.

Maintaining Weight After Weight Loss

Once you have achieved a healthy body weight what lies ahead is effective weight management, which involves behavioral modifications which is a lifelong commitment and includes at least two components:

1 - Healthy eating in accordance with dietary Guidelines, emphasizing a reduction in total calories, lowered fat consumption, and an increase in vegetables fruits and whole grains.

2 - Increased frequent or regular physical activity of at least moderate intensity.