Exercises Using Therapeutic Balls

Although the therapeutic ball has various names, including Swiss, stability, exercise or physio ball, it consistently works your major muscle groups to develop core strength. Doing therapeutic ball exercises can build body awareness, improve your range of motion and offset the effects of frequent sitting, says Dr. Frank Lipman, founder and director of the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York.

How it Works

A therapeutic ball helps increase your stability and balance. Because the roundness and bounciness of the ball create an unstable foundation, you'll develop your core muscles to keep it still. Simply sit on the ball -- while working at the computer or watching television, for example -- to wake up these muscles, especially the transversus abdominis in your abdomen and the multifidus along your spine. By strengthening these muscles, you can alleviate back pain, improve posture and protect against injury.

Core Strength

A study at Occidental College in Los Angeles found that doing crunches on a stability ball flexes abdominal muscles 24 to 38 percent more than regular crunches, plus they're gentler on your spine. To work your back muscles, place your stomach on the ball and your arms out to your sides, or behind your head, and lift your chest off the ball to do the plane exercise. Another core strengthener is the plank with your elbows and forearms on the ball and your legs stretched out with your feet on the floor.

Upper Body

Pushups with your shins on the ball and your hands directly under your shoulders on the floor build the pectoral muscles in your chest, triceps in your upper arms and deltoids in your shoulders, as well as your core. Triceps dips, where you squat with your feet flat on the floor, place your hands on top of the ball behind you and lower and lift your pelvis, also develop your upper arms.

Lower Body

Lower-body exercises strengthen leg muscles to help relieve knee pain and injuries. In reverse ball bridge, you lie on the floor and place your calves and feet on the ball to work your gluteus maximus and your hamstrings. To strengthen your inner thighs, lie on the floor with your knees bent and squeeze the ball between your legs.

Considerations

Consult with your health practitioner before starting therapeutic ball exercises for pain or injury. The best way to properly learn stability ball exercises is with a trained instructor.