Who uses an exercise ball for your office chair?

ebagg

I slouch, bad. Recently I got an exercise ball at home and use it for working out, with freeweights, occasionally use it at in front of my home PC...I was just wondering if anyone has used one long term and how it has affected your posture? Or if anyone knows how detrimental/helpful for your back it is..

warby

i had one as a kid and spend many hours on it in front of my pc ... just for fun though

Malekyth

I tried using mine as a chair for a few days, but didn't enjoy it much. I guess I demand a lazy spot in my day, where I can slouch and nobody gives me shit about it. I believe it's a good move if you're interested in improving your posture though, if you're committed to it.

Slum

A friend of mine used one for years. It seemed to work out alright for him.

Mongrelman

I've only used on a little bit for exercising, but I started weight training a few weeks ago and found that deadlifts seem to have helped my posture already.

But I've only heard good things about swiss balls, so I'd say you've got nothing to lose by using it.

Mark Dygert

I justfinished talking with two people here at work that use them as chairs going on 3 years. They have very nice posture but they say they always have sat more or less correctly. They also agreed it takes some getting used to, especially if you are a lazy sitter. It is still possible to hunch over but its not as comfortable as hunching in a regular chair. They suggested I try it out a for a few hours a day over the course of a week.

The only draw back they don't like is that it picks up dirt even if you are in a clean office they still start to get dirty after a while, but you can always wash them down.

They found it hard to go back to sitting in a normal chair all day after using one for so long.

Lee3dee

my chair rolls away when i try and do dips. damm these wheels!

swampbug

Mmmmmmmm Swiss balls.

MoP

I use one sometimes at work, but mostly just the chair.
The only thing we have at home for sitting at the computer desk is a 75cm diameter sports ball. It's bouncy!

pior

Hey that's cool!

Do you guy(s) use a simple ball or something more sophisticated, like this?



I bet in brings some fun in the office hehe.

It's weird though. I tried every kind of chair available at the office -Pea and Firestarter can confirm- and eventually bought my dream office chair with my own cash because I understood I needed two things badly:

- for me a confy chair has to have both seat and back supports tiltable,
- and I also need it to have a back support piece tall enough so that shoulders rest on it, to avoid that sneaky pain that devolops during intense modelling and texturing.

Two things a ball can't give... but still I'd love to try one

On a side note : I have been talking with Gauss some time ago about the creation of a "posture thread", a place where we could gather information related to RSI, posture at work and things making your life easier on a daily basis. I have no time to compile info atm but would guys be interested in such a thread in the future?

I am kinda passionate about this subject and I'd love to share about it.

Boing boing!

danr

don't slouch?

excuse me if it's a bit simplistic

ebagg

Thanks all for the comments!

Pior: Nah, just an exercise ball. I would love such a posture topic, I'm in good shape but knowing what's preventative is always appreciated! Preventing fatigue was the first thing I was taught in my 3d modeling classes in college, but it'd be great to hear more from long time desk jockeys!

danr: I correct my slouching quite a bit, old habits die hard. The appeal to me of the ball is not only does it force better posture, the core muscles are engaged a bit for balancing, a nice added benefit.

Fuse

ebagg it is my understanding that medicine/exercise balls are fantastic for workouts... they may look a little silly but a lot of the exercises that involve your abs and obliques are great additions to a serious workout routine.

keep at it

blankslatejoe

I think its a great way to target abs and core stability. Most people don't realize you can use them WITH weights, like a weight bench. It's a great way to force your abs to work while you work on other msucles. With some practise I've been able to use my excersize ball as a decline and incline 'bench' too...works great with butterflies.

You've just gotta be careful---you won't be able to lift as much safely and maintain balance, and most balls have a weight limit. I wouldn't dare use the thing with a barbell.

Mongrelman

What I used to do (in my tiny room when at uni) was hold onto the bar at the end of my bed and put my feet on my chair and do dips. Then I got a swiss ball and used that instead of the chair and there was a noticeable difference. With your feet on the ball rolling around you need much more tension in your abdomen to keep the ball in place while you do the dips.

Here's a site that shows some swiss ball exercises for people interested. http://www.askmen.com/sports/fitness_top_ten/36_fitness_list.html

blankslatejoe

oh man lupey..that dip idea is great! I've been using two chairs! I'll give that a go!

hawken

friend of mine started using one when his back was fucked, did him wonders.

SouL

What really contributes to good posture is having back muscles that are a bit developed. Specifically the ones that pull the scapula back (rhomboid muscles - I think they're called).

Folks who have good posture have trained their muscles (unkowingly by putting effort into sitting up straight) to grab the scapulas and pull them back. So even when they're relaxed, the muscles are still in a "tense" state so they're constantly pulling the shoulders back.

Sitting on a ball will help you train the muscles that help stabalize your body.

The same rings true for people who love to work out their chest (and not much else). You often see guys who work out their beach muscles to have thier shoulders pushed forward and in a bit (almost slouched) because the pectorals are pulling them forward.

Gmanx

I've never used a ball, but I try to take regular breaks out of the chair, and make sure when I'm sat down that my ass is firmly jammed under the lumbar support! Also keeping your feet under you is a goodway to check if you're slouching. if your feet are under you, it's harder to slouch, you tend to slip forward..

When I draw, I try to make sure that the drawing board is kept pretty high, and my chair is pretty low, that way I'm forced into a good posture to reach the board.

MoP

Ignore my last post, just had to remove it and replace it with a regular office type chair, because it was too low for the desk, making my wrist hurt a lot when using the keyboard.

EarthQuake

I fap alot at my desk, is this relevant information?

Mongrelman

Yes, you probably slouch heavily when you do it. Try to sit very upright, or lie down, or stand infront of your computer and let that fist fly!


EDIT: Video tutorial to cum...err..come.

EarthQuake

hahaha so true!