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Is your workout becoming monotonous to you because it is the same one that you've been using for as long as you can remember? What most people tend to do is to bring in a new exercise here and there but for the most part the routine is still basically very similar to what you started with. A good way to really mix things up is to add in some medicine ball exercises. I would guess that there are a few individuals that know what a medicine ball is and how it is used, but I would also guess that there are a few that don't. This article will show how this simple ball can be a very key piece of your workout arsenal when you are exercising to lose weight or even if you are just trying to stay in your current shape. We'll now move on to detailing what these balls are and how they can help you reach some of your fitness goals. A What Ball? Let's give a bit of a description of what these balls are made of for those of you that have not had any experience with them. Another name that you may hear when dealing with medicine balls is exercise balls. They are for all intents and purposes the same thing. The power of these balls comes from the fact that they come in different weights and also in different diameters. Each one could potentially have different uses (more on that later). The one big difference with these types of balls compared to regular non-exercise balls are that they are not built to bounce. Medicine balls are typically covered in some type of vinyl, leather or nylon cloth and will usually be filled with gel, sand or lead shot (depending on the weights required). The outside surface is very similar to that of a basketball, in that it is quite dimpled. This dimpling helps you maintain grip on the ball when your hands start to sweat. So after working with your first set of medicine balls you are going to find that you want to get heavier ones to increase the resistance. No problem because these balls come in quite a few different weights for you to choose from. The issue of plateau's in your workouts is a common one (if you haven't ever hit one, you probably will). You need to make sure that you keep increasing your balls' weight at regular intervals so that your results do not stop. So I can hear your inner voice saying, but I already have dumbbells and barbells. Why would I need to get medicine balls as well? The biggest reason comes from those folks that want a stronger core or more defined abs. Medicine balls are perfectly designed for these types of routines. So I can hear you saying that you can't picture how strengthening your core will help you with your weight loss ventures. To put it simply, you need a strong core to reduce the likelihood of injuries from almost any other activity that you do. Your core muscles help to control the movement of your upper and lower torso. Bike riding for longer distances and boxing are two activities that require a strong core. Exercising Using Medicine Balls As with any workout, you must ensure that you are fully warmed up as the additional weight of the medicine ball could potentially cause injury to cold muscles. The great thing about medicine balls is that you can incorporate them into most routines. Let's take the common sit-up as an example. While these may be tough for some people as is, let's now add a medicine ball into the mix. Pick up your medicine ball and hold it against your chest as you move your upper torso back and forth. Nothing like some extra weight for you to have to move with your abdominals. This modification will make these exercises tougher but the results will more than pay for themselves. If these are too tough at first, try adding them in to every other workout until your body starts to adapt. These modified exercises are great ways to lose weight by exercising. So let's look at other types of exercises that could involve the medicine ball. These workouts are going to require another person to help you out. Let's play catch. Get your partner to toss you the ball but when you catch it, make sure to catch it using mostly your stomach muscles (i.e. get the ball to hit you in the stomach). Once the ball has been caught you can then use your hands to grasp it. This is a double benefit exercise. When you are tossing the ball you will need to use your core muscles, but when catching it your abdominals are the muscles at work. How about doing some stretching exercises while holding onto the ball? The added weight will give you a bigger stretch and you will also be working on your stabilizer muscles as well. So as you can see, a medicine ball can be used in quite a few different ways. These few examples were for illustration purposes only. There are many more types of exercise that could also be used. You will notice that the more you use a medicine ball, the stronger and firmer your core set of muscles become. The best combination, if your routine is exercising to lose weight, are regular workouts and proper diet. Want to get the results that you have been dreaming of; use the medicine ball To learn more about exercising to lose weight you can check out this website here: http://www.loseweightbyexercising.com
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