If you want to find the best ab exercises, read our article on Fitball crunches. They improve definition and strengthen the rectus abdominis muscle.
How to twist on a fitball
Various exercises on fitball will be equally useful for both women and males:
- First of all, take a lying position on the ball: press your back against the ball so that you get a visible bend of the lumbar spine. Bend your legs at the knees and rest your feet on the floor. Place your arms along your body or cross over your chest. Thanks to this positioning of the arms, overloading of the neck muscles can be prevented. Doing the exercise with the hands at the back of the head is more difficult for advanced athletes.
- Then clearly define your starting position. To do this, lower the upper point of the torso, without moving the neck, to that level until there is a tangible pain in the abdominal muscles.
- Leaving your hips still, focusing on the abdominal muscles, pull your shoulders forward. This movement forms the twist, causing noticeable compression and tension in the press. In this case, the lower back must not be taken off the ball. The twisting element itself should be carried out on exhalation by the effort of the abdominal muscles. In the upper phase of the movement, take a two-second pause and tense the muscles being worked out with all your might.
- After taking a breath after twisting, you need to return to your starting position.
- Perform the required number of twists (about 3 sets of 12-15 reps).
Fitball tips
There are some guidelines and tips for this exercise:
- Twisting on a fitball has the ability to improve the functionality of the body, therefore it is a very useful and effective exercise for an athlete of average fitness level.
- When performing twists, it is necessary to ensure that the lifting of the body is carried out at the expense of the abdominal muscles, without the help of hands.
- During the twisting process itself, it is recommended to bend your back slightly, which will help reduce the amplitude, and also increase the force of the load on the press, preventing unnecessary groups of other muscles from engaging in the exercise.
- If you want to complicate this exercise, then for this you should add body turns to it.
- Your movements during the execution of twists on the fitball should be smooth and slow, in no case be sharp and strong. To track the technique of execution, it would be good to practice in front of a mirror or under the guidance of a coach.
- Also, you should not make the mistake of many beginners and after the first lesson add additional weights to the exercise to make it heavier.
- You should learn how to keep balance on the ball when performing twists, using your hands for this. If you cannot solve this problem on your own, then you can ask your partner for help, or by fixing your legs, using heavy dumbbells for this, weighing at least fifty kg.
- When you learn how to balance and twist correctly, then the task can begin to complicate. It is practical to use additional weights in the form of dumbbells and pancakes. For weights, you can also use the rope located on the lower block and located behind you.
How to do crunches on a fitball - watch the video:
Twisting on fitball is a very effective, high-quality and at the same time absolutely accessible physical exercise for everyone. It can improve the general condition of your body, as well as have a very positive effect on your physical fitness.
