Abs on the Ball
A Pilates Approach to Building Superb Abdominals
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- 12,99 €
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- 12,99 €
Publisher Description
Innovative abdominal exercises to help tone the abdomen, improve posture, and build a strong back using the Swiss exercise ball.
• Offers a 10-minute and 20-minute workout for all levels of fitness.
• Shows how the mobility of the ball targets underutilized muscles.
• Shows how traditional sit-ups and "ab" machines limit how much abdominal muscles can be trained and also aggravate lower back pain and neck tension.
The exercise ball has long been recommended by doctors, physical therapists, and Olympic coaches for people suffering from back pain. Now Colleen Craig, author of the bestselling book Pilates on the Ball, reveals why the exercise ball is unmatched as a tool for building superb abdominal strength. She presents a selection of over 80 innovative exercises, including some of the key powerhouse-builders from the Pilates Method, all of which she has adapted specifically to the ball.
Craig shows how traditional sit-ups and "ab" machines actually limit the degree to which abdominal muscles can be trained and can even aggravate lower back pain and neck tension. In contrast, the very mobility of the ball targets underutilized muscles, recruiting both deep and superficial abdominal muscle fibers to enhance results.
Abs on the Ball includes exercises for all ability levels that show how to properly use the breath and how to activate the correct muscles during a workout--from the core exercises of the Waterfall, Oblique Curls, and Full Abdominal Curls to the more advanced Side Twist Plank, the Teaser, and Backward Crunch. The author also offers a 10- and 20-minute workout designed not only to build the abdominal core, but also to strengthen and train deep muscles in the back and hip in order to soothe lower back pain and increase overall body strength, balance, and coordination.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Craig preempts reader doubts about the need for her latest fitness-on-the-ball book with a first chapter called"Why Another Book on Abdominal Conditioning?" Here, she explains the drawbacks of some traditional abdominal conditioning methods, the implications of recent research, the benefits of the Joseph H. Pilates method of core strengthening and the ways that an exercise ball enhances an abdominal workout. Then Craig takes the reader from the fundamentals of Pilates-based abdominal work on a ball (from breathing to body parts) and on to basic, intermediate and advanced exercises. The book concludes with a series of 15 and 30-minute workouts incorporating moves described in previous chapters. Black-and-white photos clearly illustrate how each exercise should be done, making this book appropriate even for those with a limited fitness vocabulary. 150 b&w illustrations.
