A Big Ball with a Big Impact

Advantages: cheap, easy to use (relatively), extremely effective, used for all sorts of training
Disadvantages: maybe its overall size

...The Reebok Gym ball is a fantastic cheap piece of gym equipment that will support your training needs in a plethora of different ways. As gym equipment goes, its value in correlation to its effectiveness is second to none. Gym balls (also known as fit balls, Swiss balls, body balls etc) have been utilised in health and fitness long before their obvious potential were used in gyms. Physiotherapists had been using the balls for years to aid the recovery of a number of different injury's. In particular, they were used in the recovery of back injury's as the ergonomic shape and support allowed the physiotherapist to create focussed core stability exercises. WHAT IS CORE STABILITY Ok without getting too scientific, core stability really relates to the deep muscles within the trunk of the spine (in particular the muscles around...

Logan33 20.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Reebok Gym Ball

Its on the ball

Advantages: efective little cleaner
Disadvantages: Noisy

...I have a small home so when I needed a new vacuum cleaner I chose the Dyson DC24 which is a smaller version of the standard model. It cost £189.99. I was expecting almost a child sized vacuum cleaner but there is not really much difference at all. It was so simple to put together, there are peel off stickers on the unit to explain things as you go. It only took me 5 minutes to have it assembled. The ball makes vacuuming effortless, and the head of the vacuum is narrow so its easy to get under the sofa, low tables, etc. It has strong suction as you would expect from a Dyson but it is surprising how full the cylinder is when you have finished. It really gets everything up. This does mean however that you need to empty the dust cylinder quite frequently. The power cable is short and not retractable which can look a bit untidy if it is...

Logik 30.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Dyson DC24 BALL ALL Floors

OneBoby 26" Anti-burst Gym Ball

Advantages: Extremely versatile piece of equipment
Disadvantages: Can take a little time to get used to

...Rather than spending an excessive amount of money on a fairly standard piece of equipment i would reccommend purchasing the OneBoby 26" Anti-burst Gym Ball. I am a qualified fitness instructor and personal trainer and see many people buying expensive products that have minimal advantages to the lesser priced products. This gym ball is an excellent product which i would recommend. In my personal opinion you will complete a much more effective abdominal workout using the gym ball rather than completing abdominal workouts on the floor, the reason for this is that whilst you are maintaining balance you are using all your core muscles alongside your abdominal muscles. You are not limited with this equipment to just working your abs, you can lie on your front on the ball and complete dorsal raises to stregthen your back, you can place...

hammer4 24.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of One Body 26 Anti-burst Gym Ball

Reebok Gym Ball

Advantages: Great workout
Disadvantages: ????Not found any????

...Overall View: This ball is great. I originally got it to work out and get fit, but I have also found that it helps to stop my back aching, as I often get back ache, and it is also very comfortable for just sitting around on. Ease of use: The ball is very easy to use, as you can use it in lots of different ways, for lots of different things. You will need to get some sort of foot pump, as it doesn't come with one, and there is no way that you can blow it up by mouth. The ball comes with an instruction sheet which gives you approximately 10 different excercises to do with the ball. These are all very simple to follow, and have diagrams to help explain them. The information sheet also says that the ball can be used as a seat when working at your computer etc. Personally I don't think that I could use the ball for that as I...

lynh17 13.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of Gymnastik Ball

Gym balls (GymnastikBall)

Advantages: Not just good for your spine, but fun too!
Disadvantages: Doesn't fit through my doors when fully inflated, so can't move it from room to room.

...I'm writing this bouncing up and down on a gym ball (not advisable if you're also drinking tea...). I've had a gym ball for about a year at least now, and it's great. I use it to sit at my home computer. It's meant to be great for your spine, because you have to constantly adjust your posture rather than slumping. It's also great fun to bounce up and down on! You can get some that have a frame and a built-in back rest, although these aren't quite as good for your spine apparently. It can get a bit uncomfortable if you sit on it all day, as you do need something to slump against sometimes, so i recommend (and the manufacturers do i think) that you switch to a normal chair for short time periods if you feel like this (i no longer do really). For me, as a coccydynia sufferer (painful coccyx, which means it hurts when i sit down cos i...

Zedex 24.09.2003 · Read review
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Review of Gymnastik Ball

Little Tikes Junior Activity Gym

Advantages: sturdy, strong, robust, attractive, compact
Disadvantages: difficult to assemble, not as much fun as it could be

...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Little Tikes Junior Activity Gym ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Most crèches or children?s play areas seem to have one of these activity gyms and they looked bright and colourful so we decided to get one for my brothers first birthday. The activity gym as shown in the picture is made up of four side panels, each with holes in for the child to climb through. There is a small bright pink slide and a blue floor, which the children can go under or climb on to go down the slide. As we unpacked the activity gym it looked relatively simple to assemble, as it was really just a case of slotting the panels together but don?t be fooled! It was not at all easy to assemble although the only consolation is that if it was that difficult to put together its going to be near impossible for it to fall apart! The brightly...

ilusvm 04.03.2005 (18.04.2009) · Read review
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Review of Little Tikes Junior Activity Gym

Fit Ball, Gym Ball, Swiss Ball. Take your pick.

Advantages: Can do a variety of exercises on it
Disadvantages: Bit of an eyesore in the house

...The gym ball, swiss ball, fitness ball, stability ball or whatever other name it comes under, seems to have taken the fitness world by storm. These balls can be purchased in most sports shops, department stores, tv shopping channels, chemists and even supermarkets. They cost between £5 and £15, come with their own pump and usually an instruction leaflet or DVD. Fitness balls come in a variety of sizes, 42, 45, 55, 65 and 75cms and you should select your size depending on your height. For safety reasons, the rubber material has been designed to deflate slowly in the event of unexpected damage, so the ball should not burst suddenly, leaving the user in a heap on the floor. Pumping up the ball, with the hand pump provided does take a little time and the novice user may be unsure of how firm it should be. I'm not sure how...

Velvetee 23.07.2007 · Read review
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Review of Pro-Fitness Gymnastic Ball

JML Iron Gym a fantastic product

Advantages: Easy to use, durable, visible results in a short time and Safe
Disadvantages: Not easy to store away

...Firstly can i just say WOW! the iron gym is one of the best things i have bought this year! JML Iron Gym comes with easy to assemble instructions and takes literally 5mins to assemble. Iron gym fits onto almost every door frame in the house and with its foam handles and contact points it leaves no marks, no damage and wont put stress on the door frame! I have been using iron gym for about 3 months now and the results have been great i have put on 1 1/2 stone in muscle weight. The iron gym comes in an easy to carry box and as well as an ultra clear instruction manual that tells you how to use it, what types of exercises to do with it, how often to use it and it even has an information booklet about nutrition and what to eat to get the best results from using it. The iron gym has one small flaw and that is that you cannot easily...

scottuk06 13.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of JML Iron Gym

A great home multi gym

Advantages: Great value for money, plenty of weights
Disadvantages: Takes a while to build, inability to add additional weights

...In a bid to shift a bit of weight a few years back I joined a local gym. Initially, I only participated in cardio vascular exercise and made full use of the rowing machine, treadmills and exercise bikes. The gym I was a member of was primarily a body building gym, which is to be expected since it is owned by a competitive body builder. It was inevitable that I would ?dabble? with the weights and over the year or so I was a member I learned a lot. I was shown what exercises to do for each major muscle group, the correct form and the correct weight to use. When using weights safety is paramount and it is very easy to do yourself a serious injury. Even the seasoned body builders follow this rule. I used to cringe when I saw some of the new members arrive, set the weight really high and then proceed to perform the exercise with poor...

yackers1 03.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Weider Pro 5500 Home Multi Gym

What a great gym!!

Advantages: Fun, entertaining, lasts years
Disadvantages: Uses lots of batteries

...don't even need a screw driver. The second step is to turn round the play table which easily clicks round. On the gym there are four big lights which are all different colours and light up. As well as the lights there is a mirror, a large rolling ball with beads in, a spinning rattle and another spinning toy as well as lots of bright pictures. The rattles and toys hang down so babies can grab at them and kick them. They also fold away for when it is in a table position. The gym has three settings; Motion- for when the baby plays with any of the toys the lights and songs start. Music- for when the buttons are pressed music starts. Keys- for when the buttons are pressed each plays a different note. There are also two modes: Demo mode in which the songs only play part way On- the songs play all the way through. The gym...

mrbing10 15.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Little Tikes 5-in-1 Adjustable Gym