Thera-Band, the popular manufacturer of exercise bands, also makes exercise balls. Exercise balls are a popular way to strengthen the muscles of your core and other muscle groups. The core muscles consist of the abdominals, glutes, pelvic floor muscles and back. Exercise balls by Thera-Band and other companies may be familiar to you by another name such as gym ball, fitness ball, stability ball, sports ball or Swiss ball. Exercises listed as for an inflated ball with any of these names are all doable on a Thera-Band exercise ball.
Chest Bounce and Hold
Step 1
Grab the sides of a Thera-Band ball with your body face down and step your feet back so your body forms a straight line.
Step 2
Bend your elbows and drop your chest onto the ball. Let gravity pull you onto the ball.
Step 3
Bounce off the ball and re-grab the sides of the ball again with your arms straight. Use quick, explosive movements when doing this exercise as this is meant to be a ballistic exercise that challenges your stabilizer muscles to catch yourself when you bounce off the ball. You should feel this in your chest, triceps, shoulders and core muscles. Perform three sets of 10.
Log Roll
Step 1
Place your hands on the floor with your arms straight and your shins on the top of the Thera-Band ball to assume reverse plank position. The log roll is a more challenging version of the ball reverse plank exercise. Hold your body in a straight line and squeeze your abs.
Step 2
Drop your right shoulder toward the floor as you twist onto your side. Do not move your hands, but let your legs rotate until your left leg stacks on top of your right with only the outside of the right leg touching the ball. This rotation works your oblique muscles on the sides of your abdomen.
Step 3
Rotate back to the center with your hips squared to the floor. Rotate all the way to the left to complete one repetition. Perform three sets of 10 reps.
Squat and Reach
Step 1
Hold a ball between your hands with your arms at chest level in front of you to do a squat and reach for your legs and core. Keep your abs and glutes tight throughout the exercise to stabilize your torso while you squat and twist side to side. Step your feet hip-width apart.
Step 2
Bend your knees into a squat and bring your shoulders forward as you move your hips backward with a flat back. Keep the arms at chest level. Twist your torso to the right.
Step 3
Return to the starting position and squat again, but twist to the left. Lower your arms at a 45 degree angle toward the floor when you squat and twist to each side on your next two repetitions. Raise your arms at a 45 degree angle to the ceiling and twist on the following repetitions.
Step 4
Perform a total of 12 repetitions and work up to three sets.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Core Exercises with a Fitness Ball
- “Exercise Ball”; Sara Rose; 2005
- Sports Injury Clinic: Reverse Push-Up
- Sports Injury Clinic: Reverse Plank
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