Fitness balls, also known as stability balls, are useful for increasing your strength, flexibility and balance. You can perform a complete body workout with them or combine ball exercises with a cardiovascular workout for a well-rounded exercise program. You can do your fitness ball exercises with an external resistance, such as weights, or you can use your own body weight for resistance. The balls are inexpensive and can add a bit of variety to your exercise regimen.
Push-Up
Like a traditional pushup, the fitness ball pushup strengthens your arms, shoulders and chest, but because you must balance on the ball you will also feel it in your core. Lie prone on the ball and walk your hands forward until the ball is beneath your thighs. Contract your abdomen, keep a bend in your elbows and lower your upper body to the floor. Hold a few seconds then push yourself up. Keep your head, shoulders and hips aligned. Do not lock your elbows. Begin with a few repetitions and work yourself up to 12 to 15. For a challenge, do the pushup with the ball resting under your shins.
Bridge
The bridge exercise targets your core muscles. Lie on your back with legs extended so that your calves or your heels rest on the ball. Press into the ball, tightening your abdominal and gluteal muscles, and lift your hips off the floor. Hold for a moment and lower your hips again. Several variations of this exercise can challenge you. Try to keep your hips off the floor for a complete set of 10 to 12 repetitions. While in the bridge position, raise first your right leg and then your left leg off the ball. You can also work your hamstrings by rolling the ball toward your glutes with your feet and rolling it back out again before dropping your hips back to the floor.
Squat
Squats tone your thighs and bottom. Do a wall squat or a free-standing squat you hold a fitness ball in front of you. For the wall squat, find a large, clear area of wall and stand with the ball at your mid-back, between you and the wall. Put your feet hip-width apart. Bend your knees and lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. If you can't get that low, go as far down as is comfortable for you. Hold a few seconds then roll back to standing. Work yourself up to sets of 12 repetitions. For a free-standing squat, hold the ball out with your arms parallel to the floor. Bend into the squat position; be sure not to extend your knees past your toes. Rotate your body to the right and return to start position, then repeat and rotate to the left.
Overhead Triceps Extension
Sit on a fitness ball with your feet at least hip-width apart. Keep head, neck and spine aligned. Lift a dumbbell straight over your head, both hands curled around the bar between. With your back straight and abs contracted, lower the dumbbell behind your head. Bend your elbows and use only your forearm. Lift the dumbbell back to vertical over your head. Make your movements slow and controlled. Work up to 10 reps per set.
References
- American College of Sports Medicine: Selecting and Effectively Using Stability Balls
- Fitness; Our Top 8 Stability Ball Exercises -- Push-Up on a Ball; Lexi Walters
- MayoClinic.com: Core Exercises with a Fitness Ball -- Bridge
- Fitness: Our Top 8 Stability Ball Exercises -- Squat With a Ball
- American Council on Exercise: ACE Get Fit -- Stability Ball Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
Member Comments