Yoga balls, also called Swiss balls or simply exercise balls, are inflatable spheres that can be used as exercise equipment. Yoga ball exercises may increase the effectiveness of your workouts, as they add an element of instability, which means you need to exert more muscle control to maintain proper form throughout the motion.
Upper Body
There are many upper body exercises that can be performed on yoga balls. Many of these are merely variations of dumbbell exercises performed while balancing on a yoga ball, such as the yoga ball dumbbell bench press, in which you rest your back on the yoga ball with your feet flat on the floor. Assume a regular dumbbell bench press position, beginning with the dumbbells at your chest level, and push them toward the ceiling. This exercise trains your chest muscles.
Other upper body yoga ball exercises include yoga ball push-ups, which are the same as regular push-ups, albeit with your feet balanced on the ball, and yoga ball shoulder presses, which are the same as regular shoulder presses, except you are sitting and balancing on a yoga ball, rather than sitting on a weight bench.
Lower Body
Many lower body yoga ball exercises involve moving with the yoga ball between you and a wall. This adds an element of instability, as you have to engage your muscles to keep the ball still, which in turn keeps your body aligned correctly. Lower body yoga ball exercises include the yoga ball wall squat, in which you lean against a balance ball that is between you and a wall and slowly lower yourself into a squat position before standing up straight, keeping the yoga ball in the same place on your back during the entire motion.
Other lower body yoga ball exercises include single leg yoga ball squats and yoga ball lunges.
Abdominal (Core)
Your core muscles, or abdominals, can also be trained effectively using a yoga ball. As fitness expert Panayiotis Kalofolias explains, there are several variations of yoga ball crunches, including standard crunches, vertical crunches and side crunches, which target your obliques, or outer abdominal muscles. Performing crunches and similar exercises on a yoga ball challenges your core because you have to keep it tight to limit motion.
Back
The back is one of the largest muscle groups in your body, and there are several yoga ball exercises that you can perform to strengthen your back. As the American Council on Exercise explains, these exercises include the prone walkout, reverse extension and shoulder bridge. Another effective yoga ball exercise for your back is the yoga ball reverse fly. This exercise involves lying on the yoga ball on your chest. You begin with a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms hanging down toward the floor. Next, you bring your arms up and to the sides, keeping them straight until they are parallel with the floor.
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