Q. On my last few visits to the fitness center, I’ve come across a number of personal trainers getting their customers to perform various exercises on Swiss balls or Bosu balls. Do these items work any better than normal training?
A. The use of stability balls and wobble boards has exploded in popularity over the past few years. Working out in an unstable environment is supposed to enhance your balance and bolster the core muscles.
There are a few exercises which can be made more effective when you do them on an unstable surface. Research has revealed that abdominal curls on a stability ball, by way of example, increase the amount of work performed by your core as compared to the same exercise done on the floor.
However there are some movements which are not suitable for doing on a Swiss ball.
We have seen some people doing movements like the dumbbell chest press and shoulder press on a ball. The problemis the fact that you’ll need to use a far lighter resistance than usual, as you have to work so hard to keep your balance.
Remember that your muscles grow bigger and more powerful once you push them to perform additional work, either by lifting a heavier resistance, or by doing more reps using the same resistance. This is explained in more detail here.
The net effect of doing these movements on a stability ball is that your muscles will lose out on the growth stimulation they require. Take into account that you only have a limited amount of time and energy to invest in working out. Don’t waste 50% of it attempting to do squats while standing on a Bosu ball.
Q. I hope you can put an end to a dispute about squatting that I have been having with two friends. One buddy states you must never go beyond parallel, while another states that it’s important to go to the floor. Which one of my friends is right?
A. Precisely how deep to go when you squat has been debated by strength athletes and coaches for years. One belief is that full squats (once your thighs are past parallel to the ground) can be used to place more emphasis on your hamstrings.
To resolve the issue of how the depth of your squat influences muscle activation, researchers from the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, carried out a study employing experienced bodybuilders.
Making use of electromyography (EMG), the researchers measured muscle activity in the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes of the subjects during partial, parallel, and full squats.
The researchers discovered that as squat depth increases, the butt muscles did more work during the concentric stage of the lift. Surprisingly, the contributions of the other muscles examined were not altered by increased squat depth.
This study suggests that that full squats may not be as effective in emphasizing hamstring growth as some people think.
Q. The only real free time I have to work out is for 30 minutes when I have my lunch break. Is this long enough?
A. If you find it hard to find the time to exercise, why don’t you try supersets.
Supersets are merely 2 movements joined together and done back to back without any rest in between.
You could match an upper body exercise with a lower body move (such as chin-ups followed by squats) or two opposing muscle groups (such as the bench press followed by the seated row).