Strengthen and sculpt your abdominal muscles on an exercise ball, also called a fitness or stability ball. Doing exercises on this versatile and inexpensive piece of fitness equipment facilitates stretching and tones muscles. Properly performed exercises strengthen your core, including your abs; elongates your muscles; and improves your balance.
Correct Ball for Your Height
Exercise balls come in various sizes. Optimize results, ease of exercise performance and safety when you use a ball appropriate to your height. Individuals shorter than 4-foot-6 can use a 12-inch ball, between 4-foot-6 and 5 feet can use an 18-inch ball and those 5-foot-1 to 5-foot-7 should use a ball measuring 22 inches. If your height is between 5-foot-8 and 6-foot-2, choose a 26-inch ball. People taller than 6-foot-2 need a 30-inch ball. Inflate your ball enough so that your knees align evenly with your hips when your feet are flat on the floor.
Warm Up
Warm up before your abdominal ball exercise workout. Do 5 to 10 minutes of at least low-intensity aerobic exercise, such as going for a walk or riding your bicycle. Next, perform the yoga cobra pose up to three times, holding for 20 to 30 seconds and resting for 30 seconds in between rounds. Next, perform two to three sets of stability ball knee tucks, doing 12 to 15 reps with a rest time of 45 to 60 seconds between sets.
Abs-olutely Fabulous
Work out your abdominal muscles with the Abs-olutely Fabulous abdominal-toning stability ball workout from Monica Vazquez, a master trainer at New York Sports Clubs in New York. Do six exercises using a large exercise ball and the wall. Start with wallups, which translate into performing situps with your back on top of the exercise ball and your feet against the wall. The pike pushup -- doing pushups with one leg raised toward the ceiling while in downward dog -- is the second exercise, followed by crossing the plank, side wall crunches and the roll-and-reach.
Cool Down
Take 5 to 10 minutes and cool down from your abdominal-ball exercise workout. Rest in the child's pose for 30 seconds between sets and poses. Begin by slowly moving through the range of motion provided by the yoga pose cat-cow for one or two sets of 6 to 10 rounds. Position yourself in the yoga pose downward facing dog for 20 t0 30 seconds one or two times, followed by one or two attempts at the cobra pose, holding for 20 to 30 seconds.
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