Push-ups are one of the best body-weight exercises to strengthen and tone almost every muscle in your upper body and abdomen. Doing push-ups on an exercise ball is even more beneficial because more muscles have to work to keep you balanced on the ball, which will try to roll away, unlike something stable like a floor or bench. There are two ways to do push-ups on an exercise ball: with the ball under your lower body or under your hands.
Beginner and Intermediate Ball Push-Ups
Step 1
Kneel onto the floor with the exercise ball in front of you. Lay your stomach on the ball and walk your hands forward until the ball is under your stomach. Extend your legs in the air, parallel to the floor.
Step 2
Position your hands shoulder-width apart below your shoulders. Flatten your back and squeeze your abs. Look at the floor with a straight neck. This is your starting position.
Step 3
Bend your elbows out to the sides, in line with your shoulders and lower your chest, toward the floor. Breathe in and allow your legs to lift into the air so your body remains in a straight line, from head to toe.
Step 4
Hold your chin a couple of inches off the floor for two seconds to stabilize.
Step 5
Breathe out and straighten your arms until you are back in the starting position.
Step 6
Walk your hands forward until the ball is above your knees for a more challenging push-up. Keep your straight body alignment from head to knees, but do not raise your legs into the air when you bend your arms and lower yourself toward the ground. Lower your chest to 2 inches from the floor, hold, and push back up to do one repetition.
Step 7
Walk your hands forward until the ball is under your ankles or flex your feet so that your toes are on the top of the ball. Do the push-up with the same form and count as described above with the ball in this more difficult position once you are strong enough to do them this way.
Advanced Ball Push-Ups
Step 1
Assume the push-up position, with your toes on the floor and the ball under your chest. Hold the sides of the ball with your palms. Straighten your arms and adjust your feet so they are hip-width apart.
Step 2
Bend your elbows and lower your body until your chest is 1 inch from the top of the ball. Keep your back flat, your abs squeezed, and your neck straight. Inhale as you bend your elbows.
Step 3
Hold yourself above the ball for two seconds.
Step 4
Exhale and push yourself back up to the starting position with your arms straight.
Step 5
Raise one leg off the floor a few inches from the ground to make this push-up more difficult. Alternate legs and do the same number of push-ups while your right leg is raised as you do with your left leg raised.
Tips and Warnings
- Push-ups with the exercise ball under your stomach are easier to do than knee push-ups on the floor for your chest and arms, because more weight is being supported by the ball. This is a good starting point if you cannot do knee push-ups with good form. Good form for push-ups means without allowing your back to arch or round, or lifting your butt in the air. Exercise ball push-ups will be more challenging for your core than floor push-ups. Do as many push-ups as you can with good form and without taking rests between repetitions. Once you can easily do three sets of 10 push-ups, you can try a more difficult variation.
- Doing push-ups with your hands on top of the ball is stressful for your wrists. Holding the sides of the ball is easier on your wrists, but still is effective for core and strength training.
Member Comments