benderball

The Bender Ball totally saves your back and keeps the crunches out of your workout. Everyone wants flat, ripped abs, right? And most of us hate to do crunches. The Bender method isolates the muscles you want toned and targets all your energy right there. So you get the most out of your exercise minutes, and get gorgeous abs with less effort.

If you ask me, you just can’t argue with the adage: “Work smarter, not harder.” I’m sure you agree.  A great way to get a really efficient workout is to choose the Bender Ball. The Bender method of Selective Stabilization isolates the muscles that you are trying to sculpt, tone and tighten. The mini stability ball also protects your back and neck so that you don’t experience unnecessary strain and pain in your quest for a hot body. I know in traditional floor crunches, it seems impossible to precisely target those muscles I want to work out the most – my abs. My neck just kills after I do them. The combination of the Bender Ball (which increases flexion) and Selective Stabilization are your secret weapons here. These allow you to focus all of your mental and physical attention, to direct your energy to where you need it most. You can indeed tone up your abs without crunches. You can get strong, shapely arms and a firm butt. And you can do this by cranking up the intensity with the Bender Ball. You see, why work harder when you can work smarter? And whatever you do, don’t cheat yourself out of a really sound workout. Don’t cut corners. Focus on getting the poses right. Because if you’re going to spend the time on yourself, you ought to make the most of that time and energy by challenging yourself and trying as hard as you can in each motion you make.

The Bender Ball is a great little mini-stability ball that intensifies your workout and reduces unnecessary stress and strain on your auxiliary muscle groups. The thing that really sets the Bender Ball apart is that it it allows you to relax the muscles that you’re not setting out to train, and it helps to activate the muscles you’re wanting to focus on. This is Leslee Bender’s method of Selective Stabilization. The Bender Ball increases flexion – a concept I had never heard of before buying this fitness product. But it’s the back and forth extension in a rep. where you essentially increase the range of motion, by (for example) using the ball at your lower back when you’re doing a crunch. The fact that it both increases the workout, and also protects your body, is such a fantastic component. How has nobody thought of this before?

One of the other things I like about this little gizmo is that it’s portable. You can deflate the ball and re-inflate it when you get to where you’re going – you know, if you’re going on a trip – it easily packs into your suitcase, along with your Bender Ball workout videos, allowing you to set up your workout station in any hotel room, guest house or camping site! I’ve never tried the latter, but I can’t see why that wouldn’t work just as well!

Now that the summer is here, I wake up feeling ready to do a short workout to kick-start my day before the sun starts cooking. Bender Ball videos are a good way to accomplish this. With the sun rising nice and early, I wake up before my alarm. Yawn, stretch, pet dog, change into stretchy clothes, roll out exercise mat, grab Bender Ball, pop in DVD and begin. In 10 minutes, my stiff muscles are warmed up and my head feels clear. I don’t even feel the same desperate need for my morning cup of coffee. Now, don’t go getting any crazy ideas – I’m still brewing a soy latte every morning. But it isn’t the first thing I do. My routine used to be… curse alarm, claw my way out of bed, muddle through latte-making, sit in front of computer and nurse the coffee for about 45 minutes. Seriously. Now in that same amount of time, I’ve got some exercise in and am feeling fresher and more alive. And when I do sit down with my coffee and computer, I can actually reply to emails without fear of writing something stupid because I’m not awake.  This feels like a permanent change for me. What is your morning schedule like? I just find it amazing that my doing something extra -  namely, exercising – I’m getting more done in my day. That’s my kind of time management!

For those mornings when you get out of bed and can’t quite shake that groggy feeling, I have a suggestion: try a gentle Bender Ball workout. It’s a great way to enter the day, by warming up your muscles and increasing the oxygen flow throughout your body. You might try the Bender Ball Buns & Thighs workout - it will likely increase your energy for the day. I highly recommend any of these short workouts to kick-start your day.

Now, if the groggies aren’t your problem, and you’re looking for a more intense workout, don’t you worry: Leslee Bender’s got you covered. Don’t be fooled by how easy the first two core-training workouts seem to be. Oh no, don’t be fooled. These are more like warm-up workouts, training exercises to get you ready for the third core training workout. It’s a great abdominal exercise routine. The first time you do it, you might feel capable of doing only the lowest level of intensity, following the modifications demonstrated for beginners. That’s definitely how I started out. And that’s great. It gives you room to improve. The huge benefit you’ll notice of this ab workout is that it will not strain your neck or hurt your tailbone – you know, how traditional floor crunches do.

So, whether you’re looking for a gentle workout to start your day or an ab-buster to really challenge you, select one of the Bender Ball videos and you can’t go wrong.

I just ran across this Bender Ball testimonial video that you might want to check out, especially if you're trying to make up your mind about whether or not to purchase the Bender Ball. It’s an interview with a man named Jim Fitzsimmons, who is some sort of exercise scientist. Sounds like he is a trainer who teaches classes because he talks about the difference he notices when he leads a class through traditional floor crunches, versus leading a class through a set of crunches using the mini stability ball. He does a great job of explaining how you get a better range of motion when you use the little ball behind your back while doing crunches. And this means each crunch you do works you harder. His example is that the class can easily do 20 traditional crunches, but that they can only do 10-12 crunches using the Bender Ball – proof to him that the Bender ball helps you to work harder, maximizing your workout time. And in this day and age when we all seem pressed to the max with just 24 little hours in each day, I for one want to make each of my workout minutes worth as much as I possibly can. I’d much rather work way harder,  but for less time, and really get the most out of my workout.

My new favorite move is the standing crunch. It’s featured in the Bender Ball Better Booty Boot Camp. It’s a crunchless abs crunch that saves you from all of the neck pain associated with traditional crunches.

Essentially, this is how it works – you stand with your legs hip-distance apart, knees slightly bent, and you curl your spine, mimicking a crunch, your head moving toward your belly button. Activate your abs while doing this, pressing your belly button back toward your spine. You’ll have to do several reps to feel it begin to work, but work it will. I’d say you could probably even do this while you’re sitting in front of the computer, whether you’re at work or messing around on facebook. It’s discreet and effective. And like I said, it doesn’t cause any of the neck strain that floor crunches give you. The video integrates the bender ball to give you added benefits, so don’t miss the visual demonstration. It’s better than my description here.

I just want to say that when you are gathering tools to use for the Better Booty Boot Camp video, don’t forget a chair. There are some challenging balance exercises involving both a resistance strap and the bender ball. To avoid falling over or twisting a knee or ankle while trying to stabilize yourself (unless you’re a super star in the balance department) you definitely want to take advantage of a chair for stability. You’re still going to get the benefit of the exercise, but without the risk of accidental injury. Always protect yourself while learning challenging new moves.

The Bender Ball isn't just about getting rock hard abs without crunches. Although, that’s nothing to sneeze about.  I mean, any exercise program that leads me through a serious of crunchless abs exercises is alright by me. But don’t overlook the bender ball’s other abilities.

It's also great for toning up your thighs and buns. You’ll want to check out the video called Bender Method of Buns and Thighs to give your buttocks and thighs a great workout. These areas are a challenge for most of us, aren't they? This video will steadily work toward firming and toning those hard-to-harden muscle groups!

I think my butt and thighs are my most formidable opponent right now. It’s like my behind and my thighs have taken on a life of their own. Well, I think my thighs have always been these flabby things. But my bum used to be great. Now, I can feel it moving around back there. Not cool! Nobody wants that sensation, do they?? I’ve been walking and whatnot and that just isn’t doing the job. Time to up the ante and make a concerted effort to get the rump under control. I don’t mind if I’ve got a bit of a booty, but it’s just got to stand tall and firm. Know what I mean?! Bender Ball, help a girl out!