Pezzi balls - what springs to mind? Senior gymnastics, TV gymnasts in mint-coloured leggings. Funny, isn't it? But have you ever done gymnastics on such a ball yourself? No? Then you wouldn't be laughing either. There is hardly any other training device that challenges and promotes strength, coordination and balance in such a concentrated way. Together with physiotherapist Olaf Jenewein, we have created the perfect workout for you. And to help you lose your preconceptions, Nino Schurter, bronze medallist in Beijing, shows you how to do the exercises. Schurter has been training with the Pezziball for years.
MOUNTAIN BIKERS ARE WEAK
Before we worked out the exercises, we analysed which muscles are crucial for bikers. Naturally, the legs are at the centre of this. But instead of creating a leg workout, we designed a programme that allows you to make better use of your existing leg strength. The idea behind it: Every sport shapes the body in a specific way - swimmers have strong shoulders, bikers have strong legs. However, every specialisation has biomechanical disadvantages - certain muscle groups are neglected. Mountain bikers have weak points in their abdominal and back muscles. Unimportant? Not at all. Your legs push your hips up and down with every pedal stroke. Mechanically speaking, your strength is wasted because the pistons don't have the necessary support. If, on the other hand, you have good core muscles, you can push your leg power onto the pedals more effectively - your hips move less. But that's not all. Downhills or carrying passages also require good shoulder and back muscles.
Of course you could train these weak points in the gym, but the Pezziball offers a decisive advantage: balance and coordination training. Each exercise requires maximum balance. Your central nervous system activates more muscles than with conventional exercises. This effectiveness is also reflected in the training time: twice a week for 30 minutes is enough. You perform each exercise three times in a row with 10-15 repetitions per set. Take a one-minute break in between. And now have fun playing ball.
The article on strength and coordination training with the Pezziball is available as a free PDF download below.
