That has to make a lot of the King much happier! Man those blue balls are awful!

I can give you that it may not seem like the brightest idea and that there are other ways, less risky, to build core strength. HOWEVER, if you get a job as a professional basketball player and your team tells you to work out with their guy and that guy puts you into a program IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT if that program is defective or the equipment they use is defective.

Cisco was doing what he had to do to be part of the team. He was doing his job. To blame him for this is flat wrong. I was trying to be funny, but dude you are so clearly wrong in your insistence that Cisco is to blame.

Let’s get past the accident part and talk about being a victim. Cisco is the victim here. If this was so clearly wrong to do then it wasn’t about an accident. It was about risky and unsafe practices that he should have never been required to do.

Say you are a construction worker told to work on scaffolding that seems unsafe even though it meets CalOSHA code requirements, but that you had seen dozen of guys working on and go ahead. Knowing that to refuse might cost you your job. Guess what, it collapses and you are hurt. Is that your fault? Should the company blame you? No! These are situations where somebody may be to blame, but not the worker who was doing what he had to do to feed his family. This was not his fault and blaming the victim only serves to make him a victim again.

If you want to blame somebody then blame the organization and strengthening coach. Not Cisco.

You have a dog in this fight. If it turns out this was ok’d or recommended by one of the Kings trainers, that looks bad for people in your profession.

Much easier to blame Cisco, right?

If you went out and surveyed 100 personal trainers, or strength and conditioning coaches, and I am one, and asked them if it would be advisable to lift 180 pounds on top of an exercise ball, I strongly assert an overwhelming majority would say "Don’t do it." It doesn’t make sense. Again, risk/reward analysis

9 out of 10 doctors recommend crest whitening toothpaste for their patience. Throwing out mystical surveys is weak sauce. Personal trainers- especially ones that ply their trade in clients homes, rarely travel with a standard flat bench. Some trainers travel with dumbbells and exercise balls and use them for training. Exercise balls have become common in PT clinics, gyms, and homes as a viable option to a work out bench.

The range of motion on a solid, flat bench would be identical. There is really zero functional advantage to be gained working on a ball. It is true the core muscle are engaged more than on a regular bench, but there are countless safer core exercises an athlete could do.

Range of motion comment: Is their really no difference in range of motion between a flat bench and the incline position that would be used when leaning back against a ball? The ball provides for better ergonomics and body position. The ball forces core to stabilize but it also forces the muscles in use to stabilize as well- something that a standard bench also does but to a lesser extent due to the stationary nature of the apparatus.

When this case goes to court, the question that will be asked is "Did the injured party act in a reasonable and responsible way?" Or "Did the injured party act in a negligent way so as to put himself in a position of unnecessary risk?" These questions have be answered in the context of rate of similar incidents. If the defect rate is so low, almost nil, then what did the injured party do differently than other users to compromise his safety? I love Cisco, but I contend he was more than unlucky, he was unsafe.

I’m not a lawyer but I slept in a Holiday Inn Express last night (and with an attorney next to me). Unless there is an express written warning for this particular product that specifies the use of dumbbells is a hazard then I think the Kings/Garcia may have a case. Inserted in most packaging for exercise balls, is a workout chart that shows numerous positions that the ball can be used for- including different dumbbell workout positions. Also inserted with the packaging is a ball weight limit which includes both user and any additional weight. As long as the ball was used under the guide lines set forth in the packaging and the product was properly cared for and inspected regularly, the case is pretty cut and dry. Shit happens- products breaks, people get injured.

A treadmill goes 10 miles per hour- it has a safety cord that when properly attached should shut down the treadmill if removed- runner going 10 miles per hour falls off treadmill with safety devise attached, treadmill continues to run, causing injury to the user- treadmill company is at fault. Ball has weight limit of 700 lbs- user weight + dumbbell = 400 lbs., ball has been properly cared for and inspected- ball burst, ball manufacture is at fault.

I’ve wasted way too much time on this issue. I understand that you believe that you are coming from a position of knowledge on this subject. I just disagree with your position, reasoning and conclusion.