The Top Ten Gym Equipment - You Will Never Need Anything Else Part 8

#8 The Swiss Ball

Another low price piece of kit to be discussed today but one which can seriously add to the quality and variety of your workouts.

It is also known as the exercise ball  or gym ball - essentially it is a large (35- 85" diameter) plastic puncture-resistant ball which is used in physiotherapy as well as by some weight trainers.

A very versatile piece of kit which helps add instability to an exercise, so making that exercise harder and employing more muscles in order to maintain stability.

A confession at this stage - my own Swiss ball remains deflated and unused for some time. So as I'm writing this I have resolved to get it back into operation! That pretty much puts it in perspective - I chose a Top Ten for this series and of all of these I would probably rank this lowest.

That said, it does give some possibilities that you might still find useful.

Firstly it can act as a weight bench and the instability makes the exercise that much more difficult. The exercise i have in mind in particular is the dumbbell press. Sit on the ball, gather safely the weights (do this slowly and avoid an accident by over-balancing) and gradually lean back and get the ball safely under your mid to upper back) and then press upwards the weight. The dumbbell military press can also work well (seated and press vertically  upwards) I recommend however that you only use dumbbells or possibly kettle bells. Don't use a bar bell as that could cause some real safety issues.

There are other calisthenic based exercises - the one legged glute ham raise is great with the ball. Lie on your back, one leg on the ball (two at first while you get used to it) and the other grounded (later learn to also raise it) and then lift your glutes off the ground with the leg pressing into the ball.

Try also the jack knife. The ball ids perfect for this (can also be dome on a suspension trainer). Lie facing the ground and get both legs on the ball behind you.

Raise yourself into a decline push up position and then bring the ball into your waist by rolling it forwards with your legs. Then revert back to the start. A few reps of this will soon sort out your core muscles!


After that try doing the plank on the ball - see if there's any core strength left!




Finally the good old fashioned push-up. Hands on the ball for an unstable incline and feet on for the tougher decline.

Happy training

Andy at Fitter Future