Anyone use those big exercise balls?

hi everyone! *waves*

my sister is on the hunt for one of those big exercise balls so i can try it out. i don't want to buy one until i know how i will like it. has anyone here tried one?

i've heard that sitting on it, instead of an office chair (while at your computer) helps to strengthen your core (abs). i know i've got abs somewhere under all this fat - and i am wondering if these balls are a simple way to find them!!

are there dvds especially for the balls? what else are they good for? silly question: but do they come with a pump?

any tips? advice is welcomed :)

I am sitting on one right now!

Yes, they come with a pump. They come with a DVD. They are great for doing crunches, which is my I bought mine, because I have hardwood floors.

If you don't read the instruction and pump it up, you will be disappointed, because you actually have to pump it up, let it sit for a day or two, then pump it up more to get the full size.

I find I have to add a little air to mine every 2-4 weeks, but I sit on it A LOT!

hey thanks so much ix! i will probably get one that is already pumped up for me - so if i don't get the pump i may have to invest in one for myself. i too have hardwood floors, so it will be interesting to see if i can learn to do crunches on it!

thanks again! :D

Here's a link that was passed to me in an earlier post.
www.sissel-online.com/ball_main.php

I was able to get one for about $15.  Might be my best toy since I started this whole exercise adventure.   =)

nymo and ix talked me into one. i'm sitting on it now. it is TOO much fun! just be aware that you will need a fairly big area to store it in- like if you had a beanbag chair! and yes, i love my hardwood floors, but they SUCK to do crunches on!

here is my silly rant on all the things that can go wrong with the ball.. that said, i have fallen in love with it.

I have one for studying, though I tend to alternate between the ball and the chair........

I got one for my birthday, but I need a new one. I accidentally put a hole in it. I loved using it though. If you do the DVD it comes with, you REALLY get results. It does not feel like much while you're doing it, but you FEEL IT the next day.

Ours came with a DVD, but I like the ones at the library better.  Do you use the local library at all?  You may want to check it out.  Ours has hundreds of exericse videos.  I figured it out and I could do a different one every day for almost a year if I wanted to :)  (And it's free!)

DJ

I love my ball. :) you can do some realll great workouts for the abs and it's really good in helping with stability also.

just wondering what size you guys have? i have a 55cm but I think I want go to bigger.

love it, love it, love it. I might have been the one who gave nymo the link to sissel-online, it's got tons of info.

I love it for weight training and my hubby uses it every day to stretch out his back.

Saroful,

Your 'rant' on the ball cracked me up.  What a pleasant read for first thing in the morning.

CC

yup, that's right.  Tracy gave me the link.   =)

I really want to get better at doing the side crunches like it shows on that link somewhere, but I can't balance without using a wall at my toes and a few other acts of nature to make it happen.  I'll do about 10 and nearly crack my skull open rolling off the damn thing.  

This ball and a few other exercising adventures is really teaching me that my balance sucks.

Thanks for the rant, Saroful! Love your sense of humor and good writing.  I also love the ball, but I think I want to explore those other types. I have the softer aerobic ball, but the Sissler looks good. I always wondered how Kathy Smith in her workout DVD could stay on top of the ball without it wobbling around so much! Maybe the firmer ones are a bit easier to navigate.  Anyway, great posting--and yes, get on the ball, magicbluefairy!!

ooh, I forgot to update. I am pleased to report that my ball no longer is a magic thing of steeenkyness and instead smells...um, kind of doggy, like the rest of my house.

I have a ball, I got it for Christmas and it came with a DVD and a pump.  I have a hard time doing ab work on the floor, the ball really helps.

I use a stability ball as a regular part of my workout. i generally do 30-40 minutes cardio a day (jog/walk on a treadmill) and try to do ball exercises at least 3 times a week. I bought this excellent book when I got my stability ball. It has exercises for every part of your body, including general stretching & flexibility workouts.

I find that doing squats, for instance, with the ball (be it against the wall or on the floor) is so much more fun than doing them with weights. It also has great recipes, and tips for weight loss. But you can find lots of exercises in magazines like Shape. Buying a DVD could be a good idea, too. I read about one woman who lost all her baby weight from doing 30 minutes on the ball everyday.

May the creator of the stability ball and all his disciples burn in hell.

Sorry, I actually just got done with day three of a stability ball exercise thing at the gym and my abs hurt...a lot :(  In a couple of weeks, I'm sure I'll love the blasted thing.

I am so glad you started this thread I have been wondering if I should get one and try the exercises for them since it hurts to do normal crunches on the floor for me even with a padded mat. I end up with a sore butt bone! But after reading all these post I HAVE to go buy one! I'm really excited now!! ((((runs off to go buy one)))))

Ok, first of all, let me say that I just found this site.  I have officially done 2 days at the gym, and I am convinced that this site will help me bunches.  Now, as for this thread... THANK YOU!  I was thinking about getting one of the exercise balls, but didn't know if they really worked.   Something that is fairly inexpensive, but alot of people talk about.  I just figured that they were doing the ball along with other machines/exercises and it was no biggie.  But now, because of you all talking about it, I am wanting one.     I think it would be a nice thing to work with on my days of not going to the gym.  If nothing else, someone mentioned using them for flexibility, and that is something I could really use too. 

BTW... LOVED the rant post saroful!

I have a ball, I got it at Walmart for about $12.  No video, but it does have a foot pump, which is a workout in itself!

I have used mine in the past for a cardio work out.  I bounce on it while I watch tv :)

Hi everyone!  I'm new here....found this site by accident and am very impressed so far.  Anyways, I have a ball I ordered from Core Secrets and I love it!  It came with a dvd that has beginner's to advance on it.  Plus one doing aerobics with the ball.  Mine came with a pump but I cheat....hubby pumps it up with an air compressor!