The Swiss ball home gym

By Scott H. Mendelson

Tons of emails come to me from all over the nation and one of the most common inquiries I receive pertains to how someone can workout at home with minimal cost and expense while maximizing results. The swiss ball is versatile device made popular by the many trunk movements that it supports while promoting optimal back function. Your best bet for a great set of abs is still the swiss ball, but there is so much more that can be done with a high quality ball made for weight bearing movements. Both the novice and advanced trainee can benefit from ball training because of the unique stimuli and angles of resistance created by the unstable environment. 

Inventive strength coaches and trainers have come up with many swiss ball exercises to add challenge to traditional movements typically done on stable items such as a bench. Compare a db bench press to a swis ball press and consider that the press on the ball enables the trainee to have a greater range of motion while having to maintain balance. Increased challenge when appropriate will lead to better performance and body composition. For those wanting to train in the home, the ball facilitates a multitude of exercises with limited space requirements. Please email Scott@infinityfitness.com for a detailed home training program including pictures and technical support. All you will need is a ball and basic set of dumbbells to complete a full body workout.

Advanced Ball Training

Lately I have been experimenting with rapid angle adjustments during training. Typically our nervous system will force training movements into the strongest groove so that muscles prepared for activity perform the work. This natural compensation does not allow for weak links to be challenged, so I have developed ways to focus on neglected points simply by adjusting angles. The swiss ball enables the trainee to reposition into specific angles, which would ordinarily be impossible with regular benches. 

Incline and decline positions will be weaker in comparison to the standard training plane of a flat bench. A series of sets progressing from weak to strong angles have worked very well for stimulating new growth and increased strength. For example start with an incline tricep extension, followed by another set with a decreased incline and finally a flat tricep extension. Using this progression will isolate neglected area and pre fatigue well trained musculatures in an effort to improve the training effect.

Ball incline

Midball

Ballflat

All swiss balls were not created equal, many cheap imitations exist and they are susceptible to exploding if you perform exercises such as a db press, which will in combination with your body weight exceed the capacity of inexpensive equipment. Be sure to purchase a ball with a rating of 1000 pounds or greater. Higher quality swiss balls will maintain the appropriate shape and tension over time and have proven to be the best investment.

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