Get on the Ball: Develop a Strong, Lean and Toned Body with an Exercise Ball

by Lisa Westlake

Book Overview

Using an exercise ball for strength and fitness may be a relatively new concept, but it's not just another exercise fad. The ball has been used extensively in rehabilitation and physiotherapy for over 30 years, with phenomenal results. Now fitness expert Lisa Westlake offers exercise buffs a simple, highly effective way to achieve a strong, defined physique using this revolutionary fitness tool. Based on the concept that working out on the "wobbly"...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1569244936
• ISBN13: 9781569244937
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.5" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

I love this book!

I am really loving this core workout. It shows alot of great workouts with differents ways to do them. They weren't all the same old same that i have seen in shape magazine. I do agree with others that the binding should be alittle nicer but if you are careful with it like i am, it won't fall apart. I also like the excersize routines at the end of the book. Made it easier to get going without taking the time to find a plan to work whatever muscles i wanted that day. There is a couple all body, a few core, few upper body, lower body and abs and backs. Also the pregnancy was good to know for the future. I think this has a good viarity for people with different skills all the way up to great physical fitness. I still find alot of excersizes challenging

A great book for ball resistance traing and stretching A+

First let me preface that I have been working out on exercise balls for years and truly believe in them as exceptional fitness tools. Even advanced body builders are using the ball to improve core muscle structure and increase metabolism and flexability. This book is exceptional in its approach. The selection of exercises encompass all training levels. Novices can immediately use the book and hard core, experience lifters can also strongly benefit. There are several very useful workouts at the end of the book which I would strongly recommend. I only have two problems with the book. 1. The book itself will fall apart on you in the gym. I wish it were constructed a little better. At least it is not an expensive book. 2. There could have been more descriptive pictures in some of the more advanced, multi-move exercises. I had no problem understanding all of the moves but a beginner may become confused with some of the more complex maneuvers. Other than that, this is a wonderful book. This is the one book to have when it comes to Ball training.

Top Rated...by me!

I found this book to be so useful in getting some ball workouts accomplished. Put together well, good sections, good instructions. Like that they give you ways to make an exercise easier or harder. Book should be spiral-bound, as it gets used a lot. Great introduction section, explaining more about using the ball workouts to benefit you. Back of book shows types of training programs, with page numbers, of specific exercises that accomplish certain things - all-around workout, core, back, etc. I really love this book and have noticed results using the ball as an addition to cardio and basic strength program. I keep spreading the word to friends and have purchased a copy or two for family/friends.

This is the Bible of Ball Books...and it really works!

I have a small but respectable collection of "stability ball" videos and books, but this resource is clearly my favorite. Westlake's book is a sexy production with typically two pages devoted to each exercise. The book is divided into sections relating first to the rationale and method of developing your body through the use of an unstable surface, next a section on warming up (of course), then presentation of exercises mostly according to position of the exerciser with respect to the ball: seated on the ball, standing with the ball, supine (face-up) on the ball, abs on the ball, etc. In the margin of each of these pages is a vertical strip that lists trainer tips (tips a personal trainer would give), stretches associated with the particular exercise, and a word of caution in performing the exercise. The next section outlines stretching exercises. The book ends with -- and this is where I feel I've really gotten *my* money's worth - fifteen different training programs, including "all [a]round workouts," "core control" training, exercises for pregnant women, stretching routines, and anatomy-specific workouts, e.g. butt, abs, etc. This book is my favorite because it presents a huge variety of challenging exercises (and I consider myself to be in very good physical condition). In addition, the production values are of very high quality. I love the arty graphics, everything from the attractive fonts to the bulleted lists of pointers, to the white-on-navy blue trainer tips in the margin. Most people will probably never notice the whimsical gray balls that loom large in the background, but I think it's a neat, modern touch that resonates with ball enthusiasts' sense that the ball is *fun*, not to mention an invaluable tool for attaining new heights of body awareness, suppleness, agility, tone, and core strength. This book is well conceived physically, as well: although it packs a whopping 184 pages of pictures and textual information, it *seems* small and it's easy to pack, at nearly square 6.5 inches x 6.75 inches (ca. 16.5 cm x 17 cm). My only problem with this book is that the cool and plentiful duo-tone pictures often depict the exercise at only one point in the movement. Or if there *is* a second photo, it often depicts a more difficult variation. Personally, I would prefer photos depicting the range of motion at initial, final, and even mid positions. The reader must therefore rely on the text, where a picture would have packed a more communicative punch. I thought I was at a training plateau with my ballwork until I got this book on a recent trip to New York from Brazil. The cover's subtitle is "Develop a strong core and a lean, toned body" and Westlake means it! Since I started using the book, I've experienced a significant jump core strength, which I've especially noticed while swimming. ...Overall, this book has been incredibly motivating for me. WHAT is presented here and HOW it is presented makes this book THE Bible of a

This is the Bible of Ball Books...and it really works!

I have a small but respectable collection of "stability ball" videos and books, but this resource is clearly my favorite. Westlake's book is a sexy production with typically two pages devoted to each exercise. The book is divided into sections relating first to the rationale and method of developing your body through the use of an unstable surface, next a section on warming up (of course), then presentation of exercises mostly according to position of the exerciser with respect to the ball: seated on the ball, standing with the ball, supine (face-up) on the ball, abs on the ball, etc. In the margin of each of these pages is a vertical strip that lists trainer tips (tips a personal trainer would give), stretches associated with the particular exercise, and a word of caution in performing the exercise. The next section outlines stretching exercises. The book ends with -- and this is where I feel I've really gotten *my* money's worth - fifteen different training programs, including "all [a]round workouts," "core control" training, exercises for pregnant women, stretching routines, and anatomy-specific workouts, e.g. butt, abs, etc. This book is my favorite because it presents a huge variety of challenging exercises (and I consider myself to be in very good physical condition). In addition, the production values are of very high quality. I love the arty graphics, everything from the attractive fonts to the bulleted lists of pointers, to the white-on-navy blue trainer tips in the margin. Most people will probably never notice the whimsical gray balls that loom large in the background, but I think it's a neat, modern touch that resonates with ball enthusiasts' sense that the ball is *fun*, not to mention an invaluable tool for attaining new heights of body awareness, suppleness, agility, tone, and core strength. This book is well conceived physically, as well: although it packs a whopping 184 pages of pictures and textual information, it *seems* small and it's easy to pack, at nearly square 6.5 inches x 6.75 inches (ca. 16.5 cm x 17 cm). My only problem with this book is that the cool and plentiful duo-tone pictures often depict the exercise at only one point in the movement. Or if there *is* a second photo, it often depicts a more difficult variation. Personally, I would prefer photos depicting the range of motion at initial, final, and even mid positions. The reader must therefore rely on the text, where a picture would have packed a more communicative punch. I thought I was at a training plateau with my ballwork until I got this book on a recent trip to New York from Brazil. The cover's subtitle is "Develop a strong core and a lean, toned body" and Westlake means it! Since I started using the book, I've experienced a significant jump in core strength, which I've noticed especially in my swim workouts. ...Overall, this book has been highly motivating for me. WHAT is presented here and HOW it is presented makes this book THE Bible of all ball resource