I purchased a Bender Ball a few months ago at Sports Authority. There are a few clones of this 9” ball – I chose the Bender Method because of the ease of inflation (a straw is included) and the fact that it came with 3 instructional DVDs. Plus the blond hottie 18 year-old salesboy did a good job of convincing me to buy this one while he had my undivided attention.
The Bender Ball was developed by fitness expert, Leslee Bender, and the exercises are an effective way to flatten the abdomen. The Ball targets the muscles and sides of your waist and lower abdomen and exerts pressure from almost all sides. Unlike traditional or standard crunches, this flexible and inflatable plastic Ball creates greater range of motion in the required areas. The Ball is small and gets adjusted under your back, hip, knees and body lines. It has a handy shape that can be taken everywhere you go. If you’ve ever worked with a large fitball, you know that exercising on an unstable surface really challenges you to work deep into the core. Same deal with the small 9” ball – in fact, even more so. You will seriously have to engage the core at all times in order not to topple over while you are performing sideline series exercises or any other exercises that require you to be balanced. My clients have all worked with the Ball and have experienced these challenges.
Here are some examples of Bender Ball exercises:
* Sit on the floor with knees bent and feet on the floor. Place the Ball behind your lumbar spine. Your arms should be reaching straight out in front at shoulder height. Inhale and recline back, imagining that your navel is “kissing” the Ball. Exhale up as you keep your arms reaching out in extension.
* The leg scissor workout with the help of Bender Ball is one of the effective means of getting a curvaceous figure. Place the Ball under your tailbone (finding a comfortable spot) and extend the legs at 90 degrees. Begin leg scissors by alternating extended legs forward and back. Keep the arms on the floor for stability. For a greater challenge, bend the arms at the elbow so that your forearms are off the floor. For an even greater challenge still, extend the arms at 90 degrees with the fingers reaching for the ceiling and palms facing each other. The greater the challenge, the smaller the range of motion needs to be in order to stay balanced on the Ball.
* Try this amazing chest and shoulder stretch with the Ball. Sit on the floor with your knees bent. Place the Ball at your mid-back area (can be higher if it is more comfortable for you). Open up your arms in a “ T” position so that your chest area widens and allow the head to float back and reach the floor, if possible. For a greater stretch, gently extend the legs straight out on the floor. Inhale and exhale in the final position. You will be in full extension and that is the opposite of how we spend most of our day. We are usually poised in flexion when we are hunched over our computers, cell phones, blackberries and steering wheels all day!
One final hint – if you would like to purchase a Bender Ball, don’t use the website. They have a very well-known marketing scam that has them sending you continuous future shipments of equipment and DVDs once they have your credit card. It is difficult to reverse and if you google “Bender Ball scam” you will get the complete story. To avoid this, just buy it from a reputable local store.
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