Swiss Ball Weight Training
Want to improve your size, strength and 'six pack'?
Then use a mediBall!!
By Carl MontgomeryB.App.Sci. (Sports Coaching &Admin).
Level 2 Strength & Conditioning Coach
Strength and Fitness coach to the Olympic Handball team
Strength and Fitness coach to the Melbourne Phoenix netball team
Corrective exercise and performance specialist.
with Tibor Deheny B.Sc. Hons. Ph.D
No doubt you have recently seen the relatively new swiss balls or mediBalls, either at the gym or in the media and observed them being used by athletes and rehabilitation specialists. Charles Staley B.Sc., US Olympic Weightlifting Coach and member of the International Sports Sciences Association had this to say about them: "A lot of people have never heard about Swiss Balls, but I think they are one of the most significant advances in strength training in the last twenty years!" While this is probably no exaggeration, what is essential is that correct techniques are used. In this article I wish to explain how you can reap the most reward from using one of these balls and do so safely.
Firstly, let me emphasize that when it comes to exercising safely and effectively, using just any swiss ball simply won't do. There are many balls on the market now, from cheap at about $30 to more expensive at about $90. When it's about getting what you pay for, it's exactly so with swiss balls! If you by a cheap ball it's almost guaranteed it will not last you very long. What's more, you can be seriously injured if it bursts underneath you.
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When performing the weighted crunch always ensure that the feet are properly anchored under an object that will not easily move or use 2 dumbbells that together weigh more than twice the weight you are performing the crunch with. |
The Australian made mediball Pro from AOK Health has been designed to withstand the rigours of weight training. Testing at the University of Newcastle has validated a burst resistant rating in excess of 500kg. This means that if you are bench pressing on the ball and the ball suddenly punctures it will not explode, even if the combined weight on the ball is 500kg. Now that's nice to know if you have a great weight on the bar at the time. The cheaper balls can pop like a balloon in this case. Not good for your looks, if you're wearing a bar!
What's more, mediBall Pro is the only ball that will optimally enhance your training when used properly. This is because the spherical shape of mediBall Pro shows significantly less distortion underneath you than any other ball. This gives you greater results since the ball's pivot point remains small. Therefore, the 'instability' factor remains high, enhancing the ball's effectiveness in promoting muscle activity.
So how can mediBall Pro benefit me? I hear you ask. Simple!! In order to optimally increase the size and strength of a muscle, it is imperative to train the complete neuromuscular entity. This involves training all of the muscles fibres to grow as well as stimulating nerves to work efficiently. If you train only a part of the muscle then the stimulus to grow is mainly focused on that point. When you train a muscle group or individual muscle there is a 'sticking point' in the movement, usually where the limb or body part is parallel to the floor. At this point, the load on the muscle is maximal and hence stimulation of the muscle should be maximal.
Furthermore, there are other important components to consider. For example, your stabiliser and neutraliser muscles. These aid movement of the entire body and are vital if movement patterns are to be efficient and powerful. Training on a machine does not require much stabiliser or neutraliser activity. You may lift what you consider an impressive weight, but you are missing out on any real strength benefit.
What do I mean by this? In order to get stronger, these stabiliser/ neutraliser muscles actually play a very vital role. They reduce the amount of 'slop' that a bone has in the joints. If the stabilisers do not work properly the joint becomes destabilised and excessive movement occurs. In response to this, receptors in the joints and muscles send signals to your brain. The brain then shuts down or reduces the amount of possible contraction that the major muscles around that joint (also called 'prime mover' muscles) can perform. This reduces your power and strength. It does not matter how big your prime movers are since they cannot and do not stabilise the joint in the same way. Weak stabilisers are the major cause for niggling aches and pains starting and why they later develop into injuries, both minor and major.
This is why using a Swiss Ball, like mediBall Pro, can be so beneficial. The purpose of a Swiss Ball, being a ball and spherical in shape, is to produce a surface that increases your body's sense of instability. This forces your body to stabilise or balance, activating your stabiliser muscles, not just around a specific joint, but over the entire body.
 
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| Begin by rolling the neck first then the chest and finally the abdominal region. This ensures a more complete contraction of the abdominal wall. Ensure a full range of motion is performed by extending backwards over the ball until the head touches the ball. Always ensure the tongue is on the roof of the mouth to aid in correct contraction of the neck musculature. This minimises any risk of injury. Pull the belly button towards the spine to aid in spinal stability. |
So exercising on a Swiss Ball forces your nervous system and muscular system to work in conjunction, effectively to stabilise you. The more this occurs the more your brain is allowed to recruit more nerves and muscles for more powerful prime mover activity to lift more weight.
Not surprisingly, you will not be able to handle as much weight on the ball as you already can on a bench or machine. The greater the difference, the more work you need to do on the ball. For example, if you bench press 100kg for 10 reps that is 1000kg lifted. When you get on the ball though and bench press 100kg, you may only get 5 reps. That is 500kg, if your lucky! You have a functional difference of 50% and that is quite large. Now continue training on the ball for several weeks until you reach the point where you can now bench press 100kgs for 10 reps. Then go back to the bench. You will find you can lift more than you could before!
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The dumbbell bench press begins with the hips horizontal to the floor with the gluteals and abdominals contracted, including the transverse abdominus (by keeping the belly button drawn inward toward the spine). |
For example, you may find you can now lift 130kg for 10 reps. This is due to the increase in joint stabiliser muscle strength and activity.
Now that you are getting stronger from increased stabiliser and neutraliser activity the next point to consider is how to increase your muscle size by stimulating more muscle tissue. This is difficult to do using machines, but simple to achieve on a Swiss Ball.
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Feet are maintained a little wider than the hips for stability, and the abs remain contracted for each rep. |
For example, when performing a chest work out, you would use three main angles to work the chest, incline, flat and decline benches. This is regardless of the actual exercise you are performing. But functionally your chest works at many more angles than just three. This is where the ball, particularly mediBall Pro becomes relevant and highly advantageous.
Firstly, you may start in the incline position performing a dumbell bench press. Once you have fatigued that exercise you can slightly roll over the ball and continue to exercise at a different angle. You can continue to do this until you have fatigued your entire chest on the ball. From here, you would go back to the bench and fatigue the muscles there and finally onto a machine to totally exhaust your chest. Thus you can train your chest through a much greater area, increasing size, simultaneously training your abdominals because they are always involved in gross stabilisation of the body.
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Full extension of the arms and shoulders is aimed for to get a full contraction of the chest/shoulder musculature. |
At this point, I wish to emphasise that it is vital you use a top quality swiss ball, such as mediBall Pro, to minimize the risk of injury if using a sub-standard ball.
Please note! By continually changing the position of your body on the ball you are actually stimulating different areas of the muscles involved, both directly and indirectly. In comparison, when training the abdominals on the floor, you are training them to be less than half as good as they can be. How is that? I hear you say. Again, simple. Let me explain…..
The spine has about 30° of forward flexion from the standing or lying position, but potentially has about 40° of extension. That totals about 70° of total spinal movement available to you. However, if you are training on the floor you are only getting about 30° and missing the other 40°
When you train on the ball and perform the exercise correctly, you actually get the full movement available to you, thus training your entire abdominal wall, not just three-quarters. To see what I mean have a look through this issue and try to pick the people with full length abs versus those without. It is easy because those with abs not fully developed have abs which are not cut or developed below the umbilicus (belly button). To avoid this train on mediBall Pro. If the abs are not being trained through their full range of motion how can you expect them to grow all the way? You cannot!
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When performing the chin up or pull up hook your feet around the ball and pull it into your butt. At this point the ball should be directly under your body, this aids inactivating the abdominal wall during the chin/pull up. Aim for full shoulder flexion and extension on all exercises. |
Now that I have gained some interest from you about improving your strength, size and reducing your injuries, you need to know some important facts about training on the Swiss Balls.
- Always put your tongue on the roof of your mouth when your head is not supported by the ball. This helps activate the neck flexors, stabilizing the neck without the risk of the neck extensors over-compensating.
- For safety, always ensure you have a spotter to aid in the lifts, onto and off, while on the ball.
- Always clear the area you are training in to reduce the incidence of the ball being damaged.
- Always ensure that your feet are anchored by more weight than you are lifting. This ensures you do not flip over the ball and lose your balance.
- When first performing exercises on the ball with weights, start with
about 60% of the weight you are accustomed to lifting and build up from
there. It is better to be safe than sorry (always).
- Always warm up adequately before any exercise.
- Always inspect a ball for any marks or damage that may cause the ball to puncture.
- Ensure the ball is the correct size for you. To do this first choose the size (small, medium, large) recommended for your height for exercise. With the ball inflated to ~95% maximal diameter, the correct size ball will keep your thighs parallel to the floor or slightly raised so that your hips are slightly above your knees.
- For safety and optimal effectiveness always use a top quality ball like mediball Pro from AOK Health. If your gym or personal trainer does not have the genuine article ask them to get one before you start to train. This will ensure you have the best equipment for the best workout to give you a jump-start on everyone else for a better physique. After all, it's your body!
- Where possible have your own mediBall Pro so that you can take responsibility for its care and use. That way you can train your abs at home or double it up as a chair.
the EXTRA tough, Australian Swiss Ball
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