First introduced to the United States in 1989, Swiss balls -- round, inflated plastic spheres -- roll easily in any direction. Although you can work your back muscles with specific exercises on the Swiss ball, the effort of keeping steady on the ball activates an often-neglected back muscle, the erector spinae. The erector spinae works against the pull of your abs to keep your body stable on the ball and is a prime mover or stabilizer for every back exercise you do on the ball.
Back Extension
Just like back extensions in the gym, back extensions on the Swiss ball target your erector spinae. But because the Swiss ball forces your erector spinae to work together with your other core muscles at the same time, it better prepares you for the demands of real-world movements, where your entire body must work as an integrated unit.
Drape yourself face-down over the ball, legs extended straight behind you. Push yourself forward until your hips are near the peak of the ball. Squeeze your core muscles to extend your spine into neutral position, as if you were standing up straight with good posture. Hold for a slow count of three to five, then relax back to the start position. Repeat.
Reverse Extension
The reverse extension allows your erector spinae to stabilize against stress from a different angle: hip extension from the glutes. This exercise also forces your abs to work, stabilizing your spine against a natural tendency to arch as you bring your legs up.
Drape yourself face-down over the Swiss ball, as for a back extension. Position your hips near the peak of the ball, and steady your torso with both hands on the floor. Squeeze your abs and back to keep your torso straight as you slowly lift your legs off the floor, hinging up from the hips. Stop when your legs are in line with your torso, lower and repeat.
Row
One of the most effective back exercises, a row works your entire back as one single unit. Your trapezius, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids and teres major all work together to move the dumbbells, along with your shoulders and the pulling muscles in your arms. Your erector spinae also works to both keep you stable on the ball and keep your spine straight as you lift.
Drape yourself face-down over the Swiss ball, a dumbbell in each hand. Extend both legs straight behind you and squeeze your core muscles to straighten your back, as if you were doing a back extension. Grasp the dumbbells and roll forward on the ball until you have unhampered range of motion. Extend both arms down and slightly forward. Pull the dumbbells back toward your body. Extend your arms back to the starting position and repeat.
Pullover
Swiss balls force your entire body to work in concert at keeping you stable. Doing pullovers -- an exercise you'd normally use dumbbells, a barbell or weight machine for -- on the Swiss ball highlights this by activating every major muscle in your torso including your abs, chest, erector spinae and one of your most powerful back muscles, the latissimus dorsi.
Kneel facing the ball. Lean forward from the hips and place your loosely fisted hands close together on top of the ball, palms facing in. Lean forward, rolling your hands forward across the ball until your body is as straight as possible from shoulders to knees. Squeeze your lats -- think of swinging your arms down from the shoulders -- to return to the start position.
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