Fitness Ball Exercises For Men

Stability balls have been an effective exercise tool for men and women. Men especially can design a total body routine with use of a ball. The stability/physio ball is an excellent apparatus for adding instability to torso (abdominal/lower spine) stabilization exercises or upper body movements such as push ups. In addition, the stability ball can be used for numerous glute (buttocks) and hamstring exercises. Physio balls are cheap ($20 to $25) and don't take up much space, so they're perfect for gyms or in homes.

Ball Squats

Ball squats incorporate the quadriceps (front of thigh), gluteals (buttocks) and hamstrings (back of thighs). Set up a physio ball on a flat wall. Situate your lower back on the middle of the ball. Your feet, knees and hips are aligned together. Initiate the movement by bending your knees and lowering your hips downward. Stop the lowering phase once the thighs are about parallel with the floor. After a slight pause, press the heels down into the floor and bring your glutes upward. Cease the upward phase at a full knee extension. Repeat these steps until desired repetitions are attained.

Prone Ball Planks

Prone ball planks will engage your abdominals, gluteals and shoulder stabilizers. You place both your forearms on top of a physio ball with both hands in a fist. The elbows are bent to create a right angle (90 degrees). Hips are in line with the spine with legs completely straight. Commence the exercise by slowly rolling the forearms forward and back over the ball. Maintain a contraction of your abdominal wall. Keep the rest of your body stationary. Conclude the movement once you lose trunk stabilization(arching the lower spine). You want to keep the repetition range low because of the level of difficulty.

Ball Push Ups

The primary muscles recruited during ball push ups are the pecs (chest), anterior/medial deltoids (shoulders) , triceps (back of arms) and abdominals. Ball push ups also utilize stabilizing muscles in the wrists and forearms. Get yourself in a prone (face down) position with the legs straight. Place hands shoulder width apart with palms flat on ball. Situate your arms in a full elbow extension (arms completely straight). Start the eccentric (lowering) phase by bending your elbows. This allows your body to be lowered gradually. Maintain stability through your spinal column. The lowering action continues until the chest is just shy of the ball. After a one to two second pause, press the hands through the ball and get the elbows to a full extension. Perform until you can no longer keep a stable body plane.