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Expert Q&A
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| By Catherine Cram, M.S. Postpartum Fitness Expert Exercise Physiologist | ||
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Do exercise balls help tone your abs?
Using an exercise ball when performing abdominal crunch (sit ups) exercises can enhance the results by allowing a person to lean back farther than they would be able to with a traditional sit up. Leaning back as you do your crunch will increase the range of motion for the exercise and create a more challenging exercise. The farther you lean back the harder the crunch becomes.
You need to use caution and avoid doing crunches on an exercise ball if you experience back discomfort or have a low back injury. It also is not a safe exercise for pregnant and postpartum women to do because it puts too much pressure on the abdominal wall and low back and may cause dizziness.
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