Physio Ball Workouts

The Physioball is a popular and useful tool in gyms and rehab centers to developing your core strength, balance, and full-body stability. Exercise balls have been used in physical therapy since the 1960s and were first introduced to the fitness industry in the 1980s in San Francisco. Exercising on a ball helps you improve your posture and be more aware of your body alignment.

Ball Bridges

Bridging activates and strengthens your buttocks and pelvic floor muscles while placing little stress upon your lower back. There are two types of bridges that you can do.
For the floor bridge, lay on the ground with your calves on the floor and your feet together. With your hands to your sides, lift your hips up as high as you can without moving the ball. Hold the position for one deep breath and return to the ground.
The other types is where you lay your head and upper back on the ball and your feet apart and pointing forward. Lift your hips up as high as you can while maintaining your balance on the ball. Hold the position for one deep breath and lower your hips down without hyperextending your lower back.

Planks

Like the bridges, you can do planks with your feet or upper body on the ball. For the upper body version, place your forearms on the ball while kneeling in front of it. Exhale and lift your knees off the ground with your feet slightly apart. Do not hunch your shoulders or dip your lower back down. Keep your buttocks tight and do not stick it up. Hold the position for one deep breath and return to start position.
For the plank with the legs on the ball, place your stomach on the ball and roll forward until your knees, shins and feet are on the ball. Use your hands to walk forward as you roll to your starting position. When you get in position, hold the body still and maintain your neutral spine posture. Follow the same guidelines as the previous exercises.

Scaption

This exercise series focuses on strengthening the areas in your shoulder blades, rotator cuffs and rhomboids, or muscles between the shoulder blades, and increasing shoulder joint mobility. You should use no weights to start before adding light weights. To execute a stability ball scaption To do a scaption, in which the shoulder blades pull together, lie on the ball on your stomach with your chest off the ball and your feet slightly apart. Then exhale and lift both arms above your head with your thumbs pointing up. Hold for one deep breath and lower your arms down in front of you.
Lift your arms up again and reach up to make a letter Y with your body. Hold for one deep breath and lower your arms. Finally, lift your arms up behind your body and externally rotate your arms and point your thumbs up. You should feel a stretch in your anterior shoulders. Do not hyperextend or flex your spine throughout this exercise.