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geekhack Community => Other Geeky Stuff => Topic started by: digitalleftovers on Thu, 14 April 2011, 13:02:44

Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: digitalleftovers on Thu, 14 April 2011, 13:02:44: Someone brought one of these into our offices on monday, and now the whole company is in a frenzy over them. Our company doesn't offer choices in chairs, so these seem to be a good compromise between ergonomics and price for people who want to buy their own. Atleast one other person has purchased one this week and I suspect there are more to come.

Any thoughts about this product or products like it? Is this a good ergonomic option?

Pictured: http://www.amazon.com/Isokinetics-Fitness-Ball-Chair-Choice/dp/B000VK5MRU/ref=pd_sbs_sg_3 (http://www.amazon.com/Isokinetics-Fitness-Ball-Chair-Choice/dp/B000VK5MRU/ref=pd_sbs_sg_3)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41bjUOcblKL._AA300_.jpg)
Note: Even though this is Amazon's product image, the ball sitting in this frame is overinflated for what the company recommends. There needs to be a divet in it when you sit on it. they include a measuring tape so you can get the correct circumference.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: EverythingIBM on Thu, 14 April 2011, 22:36:16: All I can say is, this most certainly ain't a fitness chair:
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3M1AgkOOXH4/Si6ATHwjLnI/AAAAAAAAAh0/jO3bDJZyrTo/s400/Fat-guy-in-chair.jpg)
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: kill will on Thu, 14 April 2011, 23:21:55: the pettibon system is a better suit for office excercise.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: kill will on Thu, 14 April 2011, 23:30:24: comfy is not practical
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: stupefaction on Fri, 15 April 2011, 02:42:46: The ball makes you work a little to retain your balance and sit upright? Is that the idea? It sounds like an interesting theory. I'm not sure how well it would work in practice. It seems like the frame and the backrest defeat the purpose at least partially. I have spent one or two hours at a time sitting on a bare exercise ball while watching movies, and it was neither unpleasant nor heavenly.

If you suffer from back pain, as I did some years ago, I think the second best thing you can do is to dispense with a chair and work standing up. The very best thing you can do is to strengthen your back through regular exercise.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: godly_music on Fri, 15 April 2011, 05:31:04: Having a sitting ball fixed by a construction around it defeats the point of having a sitting ball: To keep your muscles active for balance. If the ball stays put without any work, you can just return to slouching.

Yes, I recommend the ball. But without anything extra.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: kill will on Fri, 15 April 2011, 18:56:31: the pettibon system rotates in 3d.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: What's that? It's NEO! on Mon, 18 April 2011, 15:19:22: I too recommend using the ball without the rolling fixature. It's bouncier that way and if you want to keep the ball from rolling away, just use something like that

(http://www.3bscientific.de/imagelibrary/W11282/W11282_01_ballschale-fuer-abs-sitzball.jpg) (there are rubber feet underneath it)

As said before, the whole point of this ball is to keep you in motion during work to prevent back problems and such.

They're offering something similar on amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Isokinetics-Inc-Exercise-Ball-Base/dp/B000YJMAYQ/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1303158142&sr=8-19 (http://www.amazon.com/Isokinetics-Inc-Exercise-Ball-Base/dp/B000YJMAYQ/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1303158142&sr=8-19)
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: mr_a500 on Mon, 18 April 2011, 15:42:23: :blank:
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: What's that? It's NEO! on Mon, 18 April 2011, 15:45:57: kneeling? THIS technique does not need your backside...

(http://www.sissel.de/images/de/exercises/prone_kneepullin_ABS2.jpg)

but must be rather difficult while working on the computer
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: mr_a500 on Mon, 18 April 2011, 15:48:01: No, I kneel vertically - and my ass is not on the ball - but that gets uncomfortable pretty damn quick.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: What's that? It's NEO! on Mon, 18 April 2011, 15:51:29: Although it should prevent slouching in the 1st place, it's still possible as this man proves

(http://www.healthline.com/blogs/exercise_fitness/uploaded_images/SitBadBall1-754836.jpg)
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: Mr. Perfect on Mon, 18 April 2011, 17:19:50: Those balls may pop if the same spot is always on the floor, which might explain the ring. There was a Youtube video of someone using a plain ball and then just suddenly ending up on the floor. I wish I could find one now, but it's all just dumbasses intentionally popping them.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: What's that? It's NEO! on Mon, 18 April 2011, 18:02:36: I've been owning one for ages now and you'd really have to pump it up till its limit and put it on the same spot all the time. Otherwise, I have never heard of one popping and I know a couple a people who are using them.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: hoggy on Tue, 19 April 2011, 02:03:24: I used a ball (without the chair bit) for a while. Makes a nice change but I'd recommend that you keep your existing chair as well. When your core muscles get tired you'll just end up slouching on the desk.

I've moved to an ergotron sit to stand solution - works far better (for me) than the ball.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: n12 on Tue, 19 April 2011, 02:06:53: Hahha, $80 for a ball stand. Unreal.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: audioave10 on Tue, 19 April 2011, 11:00:34: I think she is doing it right...

(http://www.safecomputingtips.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/office-ball-chair.jpg)
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: arnoldus on Thu, 05 May 2011, 05:10:23: I read a medical study some months ago which stated that sitting inproperly on this causes spondylosis (not what you want when your back is already aching). I can't find it just now, but should be on Google.
Better get a knee chair.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: strum4h on Thu, 05 May 2011, 05:29:04: I cant stand no back support. It would be useful to throw at people though...
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: digitalleftovers on Thu, 05 May 2011, 12:52:31: Kneeling charis... I remember those. I missed the back support on them as well, but a well made version can be compfortable. I don't think I have seen anyone use one since 1995. Does anyone here (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81DZI96ixlL._SL500_AA300_.gif)use one?
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: audioave10 on Thu, 05 May 2011, 23:53:09: I don't think I could use a contraption like that. Well, maybe, I do slump at times.
Is there really any comfort involved? I like to lean back a little.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: ricercar on Fri, 06 May 2011, 01:34:58: If you lean back in a knee chair, you fall over. I had one once; it wasn't pretty.
Title: Fitness Ball Chairs
Post by: digitalleftovers on Fri, 06 May 2011, 12:02:44: If I recall correctly, you must sit up straight in a kneeling chair. If you don't, then you put too much pressure on your shins and cut off circulation (because your shins actually rest on the knee rests). Perhaps that was an intentional feedback mechanism?

The research cited on wikipedia is not conclusively favorable of the kneeling design over a conventional chair.