Exercise balls are no longer just used for rehabilitation exercises at your physical therapist's office. Exercise balls are used in many different types of workouts for most muscle groups in the body. Using an exercise ball for your workout causes some muscle instability, so check with your doctor or therapist before you start an exercise ball program.
Benefits
Working out on an exercise ball forces you to maintain your balance on an unstable surface. To accomplish this, you must engage many stabilizing muscles that normally wouldn't be used. This strengthens your core muscles, improves posture and strengthens your lower back muscles. Exercise balls are also quite inexpensive when compared to other exercise tools and can be used virtually anywhere.
Weight Training on Ball
Replacing your weight bench with an exercise ball makes every exercise you do more challenging. Using stabilizing muscles while seated on the ball watching TV is one thing, but sitting on it while lifting weights is quite another. The exercise ball provides an effective base for exercises such as dumbbell chest and shoulder presses, chest flys, shoulder laterals, seated biceps curls and overhead triceps extensions. Move slowly through each exercise and use a weight that is lighter than you feel you may need until you are comfortable on the ball.
Lower Back Extension
To perform a lower back extension on an exercise ball, you must use a controlled, deliberate movement so you don't topple to the floor. To do the exercise, position yourself on the ball on your stomach, with your feet wide apart on the floor. Place your hands behind your head and bend forward over the ball. Raise your trunk up until you are looking straight ahead, then lower yourself and repeat. Don't arch your back too much on the upper part of the movement, and place your knees on the floor if you find it too challenging.
Buttock Toning
Toning your butt muscles on an exercise ball is achieved from a position on your back on the floor. Place your heels up on the surface of the ball and your arms spread out on the floor with palms down for balance. Dig your heels into the ball and raise your butt, lower back and hips up off the floor so your butt is contracted. Hold your position for a few seconds, then lower your butt down and repeat.
Pelvic Clock
The pelvic clock exercise works your hips and core muscles from a seated position on the ball. Sit up straight on the ball with your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your hips or rest them on your thighs and slowly gyrate your hips, keeping your feet in place. Move around three times to the right and then three times to the left, and repeat.
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