Swiss balls or stability balls incorporate instability into your workout, activating the core and other muscles to stabilize the spine. Personal trainer Douglass Brooks says the stability ball encourages the muscles of the body to work together as an integrated unit. With just a set of dumbbells and a stability ball, you can get a complete body workout in the comfort of your own home. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends the average person get two to three days per week of total body weight training, incorporating the major muscles of the body. Do 10 to 15 repetitions of eight to 10 exercises.
Chest
An exercise that targets the chest muscles is the dumbbell chest press. This exercise involves lying on the ball, with your upper back and head supported on the ball, legs bent at 90 degrees. Lift your hips so they are parallel with the floor. To do the chest press, hold the dumbbells and bend the arms to 90 degrees. Press the dumbbells up over your chest, and then slowly return them to starting position.
Shoulders
Stay seated on the ball and try shoulder presses and lateral raises. For presses, hold the dumbbells in each hand and position your arms on either side of your head, elbows bent at 90 degrees. Press the barbells up overhead, and then return to starting position. To do lateral raises, start with both arms straight at your sides. Keeping them mostly straight, raise your arms out to the side until they reach horizontal, then lower them back down.
Back
For upper back, try reverse flys. Lie on the ball face down and position it so it is under your pelvis, torso about 45 degrees above horizontal. Hold the dumbbells down in front of you. Keeping your arms mostly straight, open your arms out to the sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together, and then return them slowly to starting position.
Arms
Sit on the ball to activate your core and try overhead dumbbell triceps extensions. Hold one dumbbell in both hands and raise it straight overhead. Bend the elbows, keeping the upper arms vertical and lower the weight. Press back up and return to starting position. For biceps, stay seated and do bicep curls with your palms facing up. Also try hammer curls with your palms facing your body.
Legs
To work your quads, glutes and hamstrings, do wall squats by placing the ball against a wall and lean up against it. Hold dumbbells in each hand and proceed to bend your knees slowly to lower your body down along the ball. Once your thighs are horizontal with the floor, press through your heels and stand back up.
Abs
Do crunches with a dumbbell on the ball to work your abs, but also your lower back. Position the ball so it is on your lower back. Hold the dumbbell in both hands over your chest and crunch up. Do not sit all the way up on the ball, just crunch your shoulders slightly, keeping your back on the ball. Slowly lower until your torso is horizontal with the ground.
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