5 Reasons To Roll Out The Gym Ball
Men's Fitness|May 2017

Unstable training has fallen out of favour in recent years,but there are still some benefits to be gained by incorporating it into your training regime.

5 Reasons To Roll Out The Gym Ball

Over ten years ago, in a fitness land before Instagram belfies, gym balls muscled their way out of the rehab room and onto the gym floor. They were heralded as the key bit of kit for developing your core strength. But in recent years the popularity of unstable surface training has had a bit of a wobble.

The argument against them is that they often require you to drastically reduce the weight you can lift, making them less than ideal for adding strength and size. There is some truth to that but before you deflate your ball, consider these five instances where they can have a positive impact on your training.

STABILISE YOUR SHOULDERS

Gymballs aren’t great at directly building strength because the instability means that you can’t lift as much weight as on a more solid surface. They do, however, challenge your smaller stabilising muscles, so if you can work on one you’ll gain the structural integrity that will allow you to train with heavy weights consistently and stay injury-free – which is crucial if you’re going to get bigger and stronger.

KEY MOVE GYM BALL PRESS-UP 

This story is from the May 2017 edition of Men's Fitness.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the May 2017 edition of Men's Fitness.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MEN'S FITNESSView All
COOK UP A STORM
Men's Fitness UK

COOK UP A STORM

Unlock your inner chef with advice from some of the world's foremost food experts

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2024
Under the INFLUENCE
Men's Fitness UK

Under the INFLUENCE

New research suggests social media has a negative impact on body image. So how can you navigate your feeds without comparing yourself to an unrealistic ideal?

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
SEE THE LIGHT
Men's Fitness UK

SEE THE LIGHT

Red light therapy promises accelerated recovery and has become a key tool for | professional athletes looking to get back into action as soon as possible. But is it too good to be true?

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
ON CHARGE
Men's Fitness UK

ON CHARGE

The Fitbit Charge 6 steps into the fitness arena with new features and a sleek design, but does it meet the high expectations set by its predecessors?

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2024
HIP AND RUN
Men's Fitness UK

HIP AND RUN

Improve hip mobility for stronger running with this five-stretch routine

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
CALL TO ARMS
Men's Fitness UK

CALL TO ARMS

Do you want bricks for biceps and horseshoe triceps? Of course you do! But instead of curling till you’re blue in the face, it’s time to get clever with cables

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
MIXED MASSAGES
Men's Fitness UK

MIXED MASSAGES

For anyone invested in their health and fitness, is professional massage worth the time, effort and occasional discomfort, or is it just another unnecessary expense?

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2024
SUSTAIN & GAIN
Men's Fitness UK

SUSTAIN & GAIN

When you’re shopping for new training kit, your priorities are likely to be fit, comfort, looks, and ability to handle the task at hand – whether that’s lifting shoes with a stable platform, or a running top that’s breathable and effective at wicking sweat away.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2024
THE ONE AND ONLY
Men's Fitness UK

THE ONE AND ONLY

Burn and build with this full-body single-kettlebell routine

time-read
2 mins  |
February 2024
THROWN TO THE WOLVES
Men's Fitness UK

THROWN TO THE WOLVES

Adventure cyclist and travel writer Donivan Berube sets out on an 18-month journey to ride the 30,000-kilometre Pacific Coast route from Alaska to Argentina. In this extract from the opening days, bears, rabid wolves and sub-freezing temperatures make for an interesting beginning...

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2024