[yobi new mom 2007]

3 Years ago when I took kick & boxing classes, we used foam balls (red colour) to do crunches and they really worked. Recently, I have seen informercials about the benderball. I really wonder if it is the same ball that I used years ago....

Has anyone used this ball? Is it made of foam? THey don't say what the ball is made of, so that really sucks

Thanks for any information!

[helenandaudreysmama]

At my gym they have what I think are called medicine balls...they have a few different colors...the color is what the weight is. I see people doing crunches with them. I will check tonight to see if they are made of foam.

[kaplods]

A medicine ball is weighted, and I don't think it would work for what you have in mind (because it's too firm and wouldn't give in to pressure much).
The benderball seems to be made out of vinyl or some other "rubbery" plastic, but a heavy foam ball would work much the same as it would have similar "give."

When I first saw these on tv, they were quite expensive and looked remarkably like the cheap, but sturdy brightly colored vinyl balls that Walmart, K-B Toys, and sometimes even dollar stores sell in huge bins as children's toys. I've looked at the construction, and it seems to me that they would be sturdy enough for most people to use, and if they would break, it would likely be at the seal, and air would leak out slowly enough that injury wouldn't be likely, but that's only my opinion. I have no proof of that, and the benderball is now fairly inexpensive but at the time I very much considered buying one of the $2 Walmart balls to try it at home (this was before I injured my back and floor workouts were feasible).

[yobi new mom 2007]

In the class we used medicine balls as well, but I have been unable to fine the balls we used for the crunches! I have googled it everywhere....
The balls we used didn't have air inside just foam and more foam...they were really soft actually I think that I will have to go to wallmart and see if it is the same ball =)...I have check sportheck and nothing...I also checked fitnesstown.com and they have the roller foam, but not the ball...

I want to go back to kick and boxing and buy a ball from them!

[tomandkara]

I have the Bender Ball and really like it! It's an inflatable rubbery/plastic ball and I ordered several instructional DVDs to go along with it. Once I get the idea of the exercises from the DVDs, I won't use them any more and will just do the exercises on my own. They're definitely more "instructional" and less "work-out", if you know what I mean.

Hope that helps!

Kara