That's Fit

Prevent muscle mutiny with these four feel-good moves from the April issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now! Instead of letting a great workout leave you feeling miserable, use some of these suggested exercises to prevent muscle imbalances in your: back, knees, neck, and shoulders.

Ball Squat with tubing

Pain-prone area: Fronts and sides of the knees
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and wrap resistance tubing around your knees so there's no slack in the band. Place a stability ball between the middle of your back and a wall, but put only enough pressure on it to keep the ball from falling. Squat down as if sitting on a chair, pushing out against the tubing to keep your knees from caving inward. Press back up to start. Do two sets of 12 reps, resting for 30 to 60 seconds between sets.

More than two-thirds of the half-million Americans who have knee replacement surgery every year are women, according to the November 1 issue of Ladies Home Journal. In the next 25 years, as baby boomers continue to age, that number is expected to increase by 673 percent. Ouch.

Check out these facts: Young female athletes are more likely than men to injure their knee-stabilizing anterior cruciate ligaments. Women with wider pelvises have the least stable knees. And more than two-thirds of people with osteoarthritis, which leads to knee pain, are women.

What's a woman to do? If your pain has already begun, look into physical therapy and prescription and over-the-counter medications to alleviate discomfort. For prevention, you can identify fitness activities that support the knees. To get you started, here are some sample good-for-the-knees exercises.

If you belong to a gym,chances are you've seen one of these contraptions kicking around. What are they, You ask? They're balance cushion -- small inflatable disks that you can use during your workout to work on your balance and stability. It ultimately benefits your core and can add a bit of challenge to a routine.

Still can't picture it? Fitsugar recommends a number of ways to use one, including:

• Standing on it while doing squats or lunges
• Placing it under your back while doing sit ups
• Use them under your feet or hands when doing push-ups or plank.

I've never used one but I'm curious to know what it's like. Any feedback?

I remember when I first heard about fitballs and stability balls I thought they looked both hilarious and fun, and so it was great that they had such sound principles behind them. Today you can find stability balls everywhere, along with every kind of workout you can imagine. They're great for strengthening your core, improving balance, and toning pretty much everything, but in order to get the most out of your efforts you should make sure you're doing all the moves and using everything correctly -- even down to having the right sized ball.

eDiets has a handy chart for figuring out what size stability ball will work best for you based on your height (or just sit on it and if your thighs are parallel to the floor it's perfect), plus they've listed some good basic stability ball moves complete with animated pictures.

So if you're not already, get on the ball! And have fun (try not to roll off!)

Yes, we all do crunches. Crunches, crunches and more crunches. I do them myself, and think very highly of them. But! If you'd like to change things up and work on sculpting your fancy torso in new way, give these skills a try.

• Prone pikes. Place your feet on a stability ball or on some Gliding Disks, with your hands on the floor in push-up position. Back flat. Lift your hips straight up to the sky while keeping your legs straight. Once you've elevated your hips as high as they'll go ... lower back to push-up position. Repeat at least eight times. Add one rep each day you do these. Very advanced!

• Front kicks. Stand with one foot in front of the other with feet shoulder width apart. Lift the front leg by the knee first, and follow to extend your foot up high. You'll engage your hip-flexors and rectus abdominus as you raise that leg up high. Kick within your comfortable range at first, but challenge yourself to kick higher along the way. The higher you lift your knee, the more you'll work your abs. Switch your stance and repeat on the other leg. Kick at least 20 times per leg. Beginner to advanced level exercise, depending on how high you kick.

The Ballast Ball is the new and improved version of the stability ball. In fact, you can do absolutely everything you can do on a stability ball with the Ballast Ball....except for consistently fall on your head.

Created by BOSU, I tested out the new product last week at a fitness conference. Ar first glance, I thought "no way am I dropping another sixty bucks on a ball with some sort beads in it, I already have too many!" But then I tried it. I squatted down on the ball, and when I stood up it didn't roll away. Then I put both feet on the ball and my hands on the floor to do push-ups.....and I didn't roll away! Then I lifted it up for a while and my arms got tired, my core remained engaged and my glutes never unflexed themselves. Hmmmmmm I though. Maybe it is worth the sixty bucks.

The Ballast Ball is genuinely cool, and I simply wish I'd thought of it myself. You can do all of your regular stability ball exercises better, because the ball is more stable. It weighs five pounds, which offers a whole slew of other productive things you can do with it as well. I did end up buying one. My beginner clients love it, because they can do what I ask them to do without constantly falling and readjusting. My high level fitness clients love it cause they can do the really advanced exercises without losing the ball.

Firm flat abs are the status symbol of every fitness enthusiast in the country. They're the great equalizer in the world. Rich or poor, fabulous abs are up for grabs to whomever is willing to work for them. Are you ready for yours? If so...start your engines and lets get to work. It's time to earn that six pack and show it off!

First. Change your eating habits! If you're carrying extra weight at all, we'll never be able to see your rock hard abdominal muscles. How could we with a layer of fat covering thm? Don't diet just eat smart! Cut calories, fat and sugar. Choose veggies, fruits, lean meat and lean dairy. Consume less than you burn and you'll cut the belly blubber quick.

Second. Sweat....A LOT! Some people think they can do a bazillion crunches, and they alone will bring great abs. Again! You can crunch all you want, but you have to cut the fat. Eat right, and burn lots of calories. Cardiovascular training at a challenging pace is the best way to burn fat. Get sweaty. Don't stop moving until your face is red and your hair is soaked. Do this most days of the week.

The BOSU is that curious looking half-ball/ blue dome thingy sitting in the corner of most gyms. It's a fantastic piece of equipment, but most people sadly seem to have absolutely no idea what the heck to do with it. One of my newer personal training clients actually described it as looking 'scary'. Hmmmm. If you feel that way too read on, I'll tell all you need to know to get started.

First of all, BOSU stands for Both Sides Utilized. That means you can stand/balance on both the dome and the flat side. It's an incredibly versatile piece of equipment that allows the user to work on balance, stabilization, strength, stamina, and flexibility. It's usable for beginners, athletes, and those in rehab. In fact, my two year old son has been 'playing' on it since he could crawl. Here's the basics on what you can do with a BOSU that you can try without a trainer. Just give it a go.

Getting started: Flat side down, stand on the dome. Scary? Not really. You'll only be about six-eight inches off hate ground and if you feel wobbly you can simply step off. Get on and stand there for a while. Now do it with your eyes closed. You'll feel the need to adjust and that's good. That's what the BOSU is for. The BOSU will make all the exercises you normally do, just a bit different. It requires you to engage new muscles even as you stand straight up. How fancy! If you choose to use the BOSU dome side down, try it out with something to hold on to at first. My secret to getting up without help is to step on one side with all of my weight and then step up onto the high side.

Push-ups are by far my favorite upper body exercise. In fact, if you had to choose only one exercise to do for your upper body for the rest of your life.......you better pick the push-up. This all in one exercise works just about every muscle above your hip and then some. No other strength training exercise has the ability to work your chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, forearm, abs, erector spinae (low back), glutes, calves, anterior tibialis (over your shin), neck. and more. Not only are they the best, they're something almost everybody can do. Barring spinal injuries and rotator cuffs, unless you've specifically been told not to do push-ups.....you should do them.

Here's a bunch of fun ways to do a push-up, in order from easiest to hardest. Keep in mind, your back should always be straight, Your tushy should not sag down, or stick up. Breath, breath, breath. Suffocation is rarely useful. I normally start my clients with three sets. Do the most you can possibly do on your first, rest and repeat two times. You'll be surprised at how quickly you progress.

Level 1:

Wall push-ups. Hands on wall, feet on floor about a foot away. Push out.

On knees, butt high. Hands and feet shoulder width apart on ground, push-up.

On knees butt flat. Hands and feet shoulder width apart on ground, push-up.

Exercise balls, or stability balls, have been around for awhile but many people don't know what to do with them. The benefit of working out on a stability ball versus a weight-bench is the extra energy and muscles your body uses to keep still because the ball wants to roll around (with you on it, wee!). It's up to your core muscles to keep you balanced and stabilized, and therefore what was just for the upper-body becomes a whole-body exercise.

Good news for beginners -- stability balls are adjustable to difficulty level by how much you inflate them. If you're worried about rolling off and landing awkwardly on the floor, simply under-inflate your ball to a level that's more comfortable. Then you can add more air as you progress week by week.

Chris Freytag, with Prevention magazine, has created a stability ball workout adjustable from beginner to veteran, as well as some general pointers for people just getting started.