Pikes on the Stability Ball

J

JenniferAnn

Cathlete
For those of you who can do the pikes on the ball in PUB, do you do them exactly like Cathe (with flat feet)? I've done the stability ball section only from PUB and am able to do the pikes if I keep my toes pointed with the top of my foot on the ball. I first tried it like Cathe, with my feet flexed and only my toe on the ball, and kept falling off. Does it take more strength or balance to do it like Cathe does it? I'm wondering if it's because I have a different, smaller ball. I bought a 55cm ball because the height chart said that was the appropriate size for my height but obviously Cathe (who is only an inch taller than me) has a bigger ball. Also hers inflates more than mine. I keep pumping air into mine but it still isn't as inflated as hers. Maybe that explains the difference?
 
JenniferAnn-
But I could have sworn Cathe said their balls were 55cm too. Are you SURE about the sizes? I'll get my ball on Friday and try the video then, and let you know what I think.

Angela, I don't think that thread discusses the problem JAnn is talking about.

-Nancy
 
She was asking about foot position on the ball and someone on this thread mentioned that she also uses the pointed toe position:

"I keep my feet together on the ball and pointed toes - concentrate on just pulling your butt up into the position - without thinking of the ball that's how I did it - I started with doing every other one ( or trying to) then getting stable on the ball when she did the next one."
 
I learned pikes on the ball from a book called Pilates on the BAll by Colleen Craig about 2 or so years ago.

Edith
 
The reason I think theirs are larger than 55 cm is that when they sit on the ball during PUB, their legs are straighter than mine. Of course it could be that mine has less air. But it looks like theirs is bigger. Cathe's almost exactly the same size as me (of course I probably weigh about 15/20 pounds more) and the ball looks a lot bigger next to her than mine does to me.
 
I guess a little of it could depend on if your long torso with short legs or short torso with long legs etc.... the way you sit. I mean I've seen people with long legs that are the same height as someone with short legs sit like they are many inches taller.


Am I making a lick of sense here? :*


Edith
 
I got a 55cm ball as well (from Bally). It is definitely smaller than Cathe's!

Funny, I asked SNM about the size before the series came out, and they told me 55cm. Hmmmm . . . could be that Bally's packaging is incorrect. Oh well, I'm too lazy to return the ball and probably didn't keep the bill anyways.

So far, I really hate that stability ball. I do realize, though, it's because I suck at it, and we generally like doing what we do well, right? Well, I'll be darned if that silly ball makes a monkey outta me! And if it does, I've got a sharp pin with its name on it!

Patricia (who bought a large plastic salad bowl to keep the ball in to keep it steady, then realized the large plastic salad bowl was just as unstable as the ball, then put a 10-lb plate in the large plastic salad bowl to give it weight and stability, only to realize that I needed the ball to be mobile for those froggy thangs on PLB. Well, duh!!!! It did, however, help on the butt raises)



Patricia
 
Mine is 55 cm too, and it looks like the same size as Cathe. When I first got it, it was smaller because I did not blew it up big enough. Once I blew it up with a pump, it gained about 3 more inches. For 55 cm, the height of the ball should be around 21". Yes, I am too, having problems with the V-pike!

Haslina
 
Hi! I just did PUB this morning and I was able to do most of the pikes as long as I go up on my toes when in the pike position and roll back down to the top of my foot. My biggest problem is not the pikes but my wrists which were really hurting. I don't have this pain with any other plank positions so I'm assuming it is partly due to the added stress of trying to remain stable on the ball. I'm sure it will get better with practice. I also have a 55cm ball since I'm 5' tall. I remember Cathe saying they all used 55cm in the videos but maybe they just look larger on tv. Also, it helped to measure my ball as I inflated it so that I knew when it reached 55cm (22")and I measure it periodically because it will lose some air with use.

I just had to share that every time I do the leg raises on the ball after the pikes, I end up untying my shoes. It makes me laugh and I usually end up falling off.

JJ
 
Jennifer Ann-
I got the 55 cm ball and I can tell it is the same size as Cathe's. It took an awful lot of pumping to get it that inflated. Thank goodness it only has to be inflated once! Are you SURE you have inflated it as far as it goes?

I am enjoying the stability ball stuff so far, except that I can't keep my balance for the pikes. And I can't do that double-ab move either, but that is obviously not a balance problem! They are just too challenging. Cathe's abs and Jai's abs really inspire me to keep trying though!

Let me know how you are doing with the ball.

-Nancy
 
The directions I got with my ball said to measure out the desired distance (in my case 65 cm) from the wall and mark it with a piece of tape. Then blow up the ball until you can put a meter stick straight up & down against the ball and have it rest on the tape on the floor. I know it is VERY difficult to measure the height of the ball, but that method worked really well for me. I used a tile floor so I didn't even have to put the piece of tape down.
 
Another method is:

Multiply the desired diameter (mine was 21" for the 55 cm ball) by 3.1416. This gives you the desired circumference. Keep measuring the ball with a cloth tape measure until you reach that circumference, or cut a piece of string that length to use for measuring.
 
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