It was years ago that Franz was introduced to the Fitness Ball, or Fitball. Some even call them the Swiss ball. They come in various sizes and are made of rubber or a puncture proof synthetic material. You buy one based on your height and comfort while seated on the inflated ball. When you purchase one it comes deflated. With the aid of a pump you blow it up and it becomes a flexible ball that you can sit on, lean on, and roll over to aid in strengthening your core muscles. You can also use the fitness ball for large muscle group workouts. Fitness ball exercises are nothing new but they are very effective and should be included in any regular workout program.

The best thing about doing fitness ball exercises at home is that the fitness ball itself is an inexpensive piece of equipment. It is easy to store and it can double for a chair at your desk. Even while sitting and working you are getting a mild core muscle group workout as you do have to stabilize yourself while being seated on it. Hence the other name of stability ball. Franz finds it keeps him focused while working at his desk!

If you don't have a weight bench at home you can also use the fitness ball for that purpose. It has the added benefit of not only being portable, but the round shape forces you into better form while doing such exercises as a bench press with dumbbells. It also allows you to engage more core and stabilizer muscles while on the fitness ball.

People tend to be intimidated by the fitness ball at first because they don't know what to do with them. If they see them in a fitness equipment store people will roll them around, sit on them, and bounce up and down and say, hey this is fun. What's it used for? Well there are many books on the subject of how to properly use a fitness ball. There are myriads of beneficial muscle strengthening routines you can do that will benefit your overall strength.

Fitness ball exercises are really very easy and there are many you can start with to get you used to using it. Here are a few fitness ball exercises that you can try out to get the feel of how beneficial this inexpensive piece of equipment is.

The first of the fitness ball exercises that you can try is the simple ab crunch. With the ball in place on the floor and you seated on it, roll the ball to your lower back until your body is parallel with the ground and your knee joint is at ninety degrees. Even being in this position you will notice the effort it takes to keep from rolling left or right. The wider apart your feet are the more stability you will have. Being in this position will benefit your core muscles. From this position you can do an ab crunch or even a chest press using dumbbells.

Another of the fitness ball exercises that you can try is the simple push-up. By lying face down with the fitness ball at your chest, and rolling forward with your hands, place the fitness ball between your knees and ankles. You should know be in a push-up position except that the fitness ball is between your legs and the floor. The closer the ball is to your waist the easier the push-ups. Do your push-ups in the regular fashion and you will see the added benefit the fitness ball plays in such a simple muscle strengthening exercise. Not only are you working your arms and chest muscles but also your core muscles too!

There are many other fitness ball exercises and if you are interested you need only do an internet search and you will find many more. These are all very easy to learn! If you have a limited workout budget than the fitness ball should be something you have at home to aid in your overall health and fitness routine. With a fitness ball and a few compact dumbbells you can get a complete full body workout at home!