Mixing it up with Bender Balls!!!

We introduced Bender Balls at boot camp this week for the first time. These 9-inch inflatable rubber exercise balls are known as an excellent tool for toning and sculpting your core muscles. Studies are showing that placing these little balls behind your lower back when performing a crunch is at least 4x more effective than a regular crunch. This is mainly because you are able to increase the degree of flexion and extension while you crunch, allowing you to target your abs more efficiently and from all angles. These balls also put you in a good, neutral position helping you guard against potential back problems.

We also challenged ourselves by including these balls in our wall sits (activating our inner thighs by squeezing the ball between our legs), with our bridges (our hamstrings were screaming when we placed the ball under both feet) and with our donkey kicks (squeezing the ball between our knees while we kicked up). These little balls are a great way to mix things up and keep your body guessing! I'm excited to introduce more exercises using them in the New Year!

These balls are available at most fitness stores for about $16 each. Perhaps a good stocking stuffer???

The Secret to a Flat Belly

The truth is doing a million crunches won't get you the slender waistline you're looking for. So many people think there is a link between abdominal exercises and fat reduction around the midline. This simply isn't the case. "Spot reducing" belly fat is a huge myth. A 5km power walk and eating right will do more for your waistline then 100 sit-ups, simply because you are burning more calories and ultimately fat. That being said incorporating some core and abdominal exercises into your routine is good for you. You'll be less prone to injury; you'll see improvements in your posture, back strength, as well as the tone and look of your abdominal muscles.

The bottom-line is we all have washboard stomachs! They may just be covered by a layer of fat that will only go away with eating properly and increasing your cardiovascular activity.

5 Tips for the Best Ab Workout

1) Just like every other muscle group, remember to rest between sessions. You need at least 48-hours between ab workouts for recovery.

2) For maximum results, do each rep with control and avoid using momentum.

3) Don't hold your breath.

4) Mix up your ab routine on a regular basis to challenge your body and avoid boredom.

5) Incorporate Bicycle crunches into your workout. Experts regularly point to this as one of the most effective ab exercises around. It targets your obliques, rectus abdominals, transverse abdominals and hip flexors all in one move.

I'd love to hear from you! Please post a comment and tell me your fave ab exercise.