What can say about the Pro-Fitness Gymnastic Ball? It’s big. It’s bouncy. And mine is silver in colour. It costs only £3.99 from Argos. I reserved mine on the Argos website – a simple and straightforward procedure. Trust me. I then chose the outlet I wanted to collect ... Read review
Advantages: FUN EXERCISE FOR ALL FITNESS LEVELS Disadvantages: NO INSTRUCTIONS
What can say about the Pro-Fitness Gymnastic Ball? It’s big. It’s bouncy. And mine is silver in colour. It costs only £3.99 from Argos. I reserved mine on the Argos website – a simple and straightforward procedure. Trust me. I then chose the outlet I wanted to collect it from – in this case, Eastgate Centre in Inverness. I was given until close of business on the day after next to collect the ball so don’t make a reservation ... ...Once you’ve placed an online reservation, you are sent an e-mail with a reservation number – you MUST print this e-mail and bring it to the store with you. Although the ball is blue on the website picture, there’s no indication that there is a colour range. I was told at the store that I wouldn’t have a choice of colour so obviously there’s a selection of some sort. Like I said, the one I was given was silver but I wasn’t ... more
What can say about the Pro-Fitness Gymnastic Ball? It’s big. It’s bouncy. And mine is silver in colour. It costs only £3.99 from Argos. I reserved mine on the Argos website – a simple and straightforward procedure. Trust me. I then chose the outlet I wanted to collect it from – in this case, Eastgate Centre in Inverness. I was given until close of business on the day after next to collect the ball so don’t make a reservation unless you’re able to collect it within 48 hours. Once you’ve placed an online reservation, you are sent an e-mail with a reservation number – you MUST print this e-mail and bring it to the store with you. Although the ball is blue on the website picture, there’s no indication that there is a colour range. I was told at the store that I wouldn’t have a choice of colour so obviously there’s a selection of some sort. Like I said, the one I was given was silver but I wasn’t fussed about the colour so that was okay with me. Because I had made a reservation, I was told I could use a Quick Pay checkout but Argos was unusually quiet that morning so I can’t comment on the speed of service.
When I got the ball home, the only instruction available was that you should ‘use air pump for inflation. Do not over inflate. Inflate to a maximum diameter 65cm.’ Now I’m no mathematician and I had no idea how big this meant – there’s no other clues so it was a case of try it and see. I used the free air pump at the local garage but you really need an extra pair of hands for this process. Fortunately I had a teenager to hand to assist. The ball comes with two plugs to seal the hole (one’s a spare) which look like white golf tees. There’s no valve but I managed to inflate the ball by holding the air pump against the hole. Once I had guessed the size, I didn’t push the plug fully in to the hole, tried it for a day, and decided it needed to be bigger. My advice is to pump it up until it measures about 82 inches or 208 cm round the widest part of the ball – take a piece of string that length when you go to pump it up if you think it might help.
The ball is made of a really strong rubbery material but the basic information, which is all printed on the box – there’s no leaflet – gives no indication what this is – probably rubber! The box, by the way, is only 6½” x 6½” x 3½” so it’s really quite small and light to carry. The only other information given is that the ball is used to ‘strengthen and tone muscles and bones of the hips, back, legs, hands, arms and shoulders,’ ‘helps develop overall body muscle, balance and coordination,’ and is ‘a great exercise alternative for any age and fitness level.’ It’s also ‘washable and easy to carry’ and can take a maximum weight of 125kgs which is about 20 stone so don’t be scared to sit on it.
Ok. So you’ve got your ball. It’s inflated to roughly the right size. What do you do with it now? Well it makes a pretty good footstool. Apart from that, the downside is that there are absolutely no instructions on usage but I attended a fitness class where we use these balls so I can give you some clues. Apparently you can also buy yoga and pilates DVDs specifically designed for these balls. I’ve been recovering from abdominal surgery so nothing here is too taxing for your average Joe. If you sit on the ball facing a wall, roll forward until your knees are touching the wall then lie back. It’s okay. It’s pretty stable and balancing is all part of the fun. Cross your hands over your chest and slowly sit up using your tummy muscles and slowly lie back down again – sit-ups on a ball – my fitness instructor will give me more to do once I can do 50 sit-ups and I can now do 30. This really works the abs! Just sitting on the ball watching Corrie while lifting one or both feet off the floor and trying to keep your balance also works the muscles. You can lie across the ball and do press-ups which I can’t do from the floor to save myself. Picking up the ball between your feet and raising and lowering it is another exercise.
This product is for all ages and fitness levels but also for people who need to spend a little money as motivation to get up and do something. It’s great fun and even the kids are using it.
Advantages: Improves core stability. Disadvantages: None really but must be used correctly.
I keep trying this health and fitness lark at home and this is another one of my efforts, a gym ball. I have used them at the gym before. When I don`t have time to go to the gym, which is often since increasing my work hours, I like to be able to, not only exercise at home, but vary it. The gym ball is my cheapest piece of gym equipment (not that I have any more now except DVD`s).
What is a Gym Ball?
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A gym ball is a ball ... ...tough rubber (I think). A gym ball is also known as a swiss ball or stability ball. The ball does bounce quite well, but that is not what it is for. It is to allow you to exercise effectively, but obviously you still need to put a lot of effort in.
My gym ball is 26 inches but they do vary in size (I think there are only about 2 sizes), the smaller ones being the hardest work. If they are soft and squashy they are not as hard work as if they are ...
spottydog2 04.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Pro-Fitness Gymnastic Ball
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 ... ...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 the manufacturers could explain the desired firmness. Once inflated, the ball should be left to "rest" for a couple of days, then topped ...
Velvetee 23.07.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Pro-Fitness Gymnastic Ball
Advantages: Quick, Easy,Works a variety of muscles Disadvantages: none
I brought my Pro - Fitness Gymnastic Ball from Argos for £5.
I took it home and unpacked it, and it lay by itself with only an instruction manual( that only tells you the basics of how to pump it up) and an adapter to blow the ball up. To blow up to optimum degree is not difficult as it is noticeable when the ball becomes a smooth sphere.
Now mine was Big Purple Ball, but i did not get to choose the color and am unaware if it does come in different ... ...ball can hold up to 20st in weight, so jump on board.
Although it can hold a lot of weight it is still small in size and can easily be used anywhere(mine is used in the shed) but it can simply be exercised on in front of the tv or in the bedroom
As the manual goes with help in the specific exercises it is totally useless and does not suggest one exercise.
But this should not dampen your spirits, there are plenty of exercises available for all ...
lukedspurs 16.04.2007 (24.04.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Pro-Fitness Gymnastic Ball
Advantages: Good exercise for those with a bad back. Exercise without the hard work. Disadvantages: Ummm...can't find any!
...Resolution rush, I found a Pro-Fitness Gym ball in Tesco. For the cheap and cheerful price of £2.97, I took home a big, silver blob of plastic and a pump. Let's just say that after pumping away at the blob for a least twenty minutes, I didn't need to do any arm toning exercises for two days! Bonus!
Once the ball was up and bouncing, I tried some of the exercises that were shown on the leaflet and found them easy to follow and, more importantly, ... ...room. Within a week I had misplaced the leaflet and spent the next few weeks simply rolling around the room. Great fun!
I suffer with back ache and sciatica and therefore cannot indulge in high impact exercise often. The gym ball allows me to tone and sculpt without putting any extra pressure on my back; in fact, it supports it more than anything. You don't even have to do much, in all honesty. Just sit on the ball whilst watching your favourite ...
chellbian 22.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Pro-Fitness Gymnastic Ball
Quick review of Pro-Fitness Gymnastic Ball
Painfull but you know its doing you good,You can really feel the burn as it engages all of your abdominal muscles,the variety of movements you can do on the ball is absolutly amazing,if u want a ab workout forget the sit up's get the ball ...
happy_shopper12387 07.01.2008
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Pro-Fitness Gymnastic Ball
