Exercise ball yoga classes are cropping up everywhere, and this is because there are so many benefits to both, and combining them is a natural extension since they work well together. Many yoga poses, for instance, require a great deal of balance to perform properly, and stability balls are exactly the right type of tool. On their own, exercise balls (or stability balls, balance balls, physioballs or swiss balls as they are sometimes called) are a fabulous tool for helping to develop balance and core stability.

If you want to improve your flexibility, say after an accident, combining exercise ball routines with yoga will greatly help. Many yoga poses, even simple ones like side bends and standing forward bend, are difficult for people who lack flexibility. The exercise or stability ball can provide a place for the hand/s to rest while attempting the pose, without providing more support than necessary for improvement – it allows for the body’s natural stabilizing muscles and tendons to do most of the work while helping a little with balance and stability.

On  the other hand, if you are already an extremely accomplished yoga practitioner, the balance ball or exercise ball can provide new and challenging ways to try your poses. As in the picture above, exercise balls can be used as a base, instead of a yoga mat, for some yoga poses. You may wish to do this with others, at least with a spotter, to be sure you are safe.

Overall, exercise ball yoga is one trend we see that makes perfect sense and is sure to grow. While you can practice yoga at home with your exercise ball, you may find many exercise ball yoga routines online, and look for exercise ball yoga coming to a gym or studio near you soon!

Of course, fitness is about overall health and vitality, but for most women, part of the reason we exercise is to firm up the areas we are less than thrilled about. When we get into shape, we then move into sculpting and shaping exercises, and the exercise ball – as usual! – is a fantastic tool for this targeted process.

The buttocks muscles can be worked in many ways, including various squat and lunge exercises. Add in an exercise ball and you give your leg and butt muscles an extra shot of power, as they are forced to stabilize you as you perform your moves. Your abs and core in general will benefit as well, as will your sense of balance and overall strength.

Squat with Exercise Ball

Photo credit: WebMD

This is a fabulous exercise because there are so many variations possible. Whatever your level of fitness and capacity for balance, you are sure to find a variation to both suit and challenge you. In the standard version, as pictured above, you simply stand against a wall with an exercise ball between yourself and the wall. Position the exercise ball against your upper back, and begin with erect posture and legs close together. Slowly squat down toward the floor, keeping your legs and buttocks tight and active  – don’t let the exercise ball’s momentum do any of the work for you (what’s the point of working out if you don’t get an results?). Squeeze your buttocks muscles and use them to push you up to the beginning position. Do several sets for each side, according to your fitness level. It’s harder than it looks!

Some variations include:

• Standing with one leg only: lift the other foot while you perform the squats, or even rest it on your working thigh (this is helpful for stability).
• Hold dumbell weights in each hand for added challenge.
• Turn sideways and lift either the inner or outer foot. Do your squats with the ball at your midsection. You’ll likely need to hold the inner arm, the one against the ball, out in front of you so your body can rest comfortably against the ball.
• Put yourself against the wall instead, and put one leg/foot up on the stability ball. Perform one-legged squats, holding the ball steady. This is shown in the Squats with Exercise Ball article, without the support of the wall.

BONUS CHALLENGE: Stability Ball Lunge

Photo credit: Good Housekeeping

With or without a chair to hold for stability (or try a wall – use them until your balance allows you to do this without), balance your back leg on the stability ball. With your front foot squarely over your middle toes – don’t bend your knee further out and you will help keep it injury-free), lower toward the ground, keeping both legs strong and stable. You may find you have difficulty keeping the ball in one place as you lower. Focus on keeping your front leg buttock firm and active, while using the back leg and ankle to keep the ball still.

Repeat for two or 3 sets of 10 on each side, and be sure to stretch those muscles thoroughly afterwards. This is an extremely challenging exercise even with the chair or wall for help, and you will reap rewards in proportion to your ability to isolate and work your buttocks muscles.

Firming up the muscle on the upper arms is the best way to go, as it tones the upper arms, including the triceps, which are the muscles on the upper back of your arm, giving you strong, sleek upper arms. In most cases, the skin on the upper arm will take care of itself if you are exercising regularly and eating a clean, healthy diet.

Luckily, there are lots of exercises you can do with an exercise ball that you may have already learned without. Almost any exercise with dumbbells, for instance, can be done with an exercise ball and, in our opinion, done better! An exercise ball allows for many variations on traditional dumbell exercises, which allows you to work your muscles from different angles, always a benefit.

Exercise balls force you to balance your body and use many supporting muscles while you are working on another, more specific muscle group. In turn, this helps you burn fat, develop balance and symmetry, and enjoy better overall health. Our bodies are meant to work in concert and when we work them all together better health results.

Triceps Extension

You can either sit or lie on the exercise ball while doing triceps extensions. Your legs and entire midsection will get a great balancing workout as well. Steady yourself as you would either standing or on a bench, and ensure your arms are absolutely steady and still. Either one arm at a time or together, lift your upper arms only from the bent position, while holding a dumbbell. Keep the arm in a straight line while straightening it, and don’t let momentum or side pull help you. Squeeze your triceps at the top of the exercise, and then move back to the beginning. Every part of your body except for your lower arm should be stationary while you do this, for best effect.

Triceps Kickback

For the triceps kickback, keep your feet on the floor and either rest your non-working arm or your chest on the exercise ball. While keeping your entire body still and stable, hold a dumbbell in your working arm and keep the arm close to your side, almost parallel. Using only your upper arm, push the dumbbell back until your arm is straight, and then give the triceps a little squeeze as you go past your body. Keep the arm in a straight line (ie. don’t push away from your body), and let your triceps, rather than momentum, do the work. Likewise, while you drop your arm to the starting position, ensure your triceps do the work rather than letting gravity do it for you. After all, you’re doing this for results, right? Make it count! Variation: Rest your upper body on the ball while doing your kickbacks.

BONUS TIP:For an extra tough workout, rest less of yourself on the ball and force your body to balance. Also, if you have really good balance, you can try triceps pushups on the ball while you hold your feet on the floor: squat with arms behind you on the ball and raise and lower yourself slowly and with care (see picture below).

We find people are searching for the term ‘core exercise ball’ and this article is for oyu. Not only will your ‘abs’ look smashing after some consistent workouts with an exercise ball, you will also gain core stability, which is an essential part of having a healthy, strong body.

By strengthening your core, you will improve your ability to do a myriad of daily tasks, such as activities which require lifting, bending, twisting and even sitting. Your posture will improve and your digestive and circulatory systems will enjoy better efficiency.

Following are our top recommendations for using an exercise ball for core stability:

Stability Plank

Rest your feet on the ground and, facing down, balance your upper body on the exercise ball. Depending on your current level of strength and sense of balance, you may wish to rest wither your chest (easiest), forearms (middle difficulty) or hands on the ball. You may either hold for as long as possible, or perform reps by holding for ten seconds, resting and returning for another rep and repeating several times.

Seated Leg Lifts

While sitting well-balanced on an exercise ball, tighten your glutes (buttocks muscles) and ensure your spine is straight and strong. Begin with one leg, lifting it out in front of you until it is parallel to the floor. Hold for ten seconds, rest and repeat OR hold for as long as possible before switching legs. This will work your legs as well, so be sure and focus on keeping your abs and buttocks tight so that your core is doing most of the stability work.

Variations: For an easier version, keep knees bent and lift only your foot until you get stronger. For more variety and challenge, try lifting both legs at the same time while touching a wall, or doing the single leg holds while holding your arms out to your sides at shoulder height, with or without dumbbells. You could even try simultaneous shoulder presses for a deeper challenge!

tags: exercise ball core stability ab exercises

There are a variety of ways to use the multi-purpose exercise ball to work your various back muscles, and this will give you better muscle symmetry and true strength, as you will be working your tendons and ligaments as well, and will not have the stability of a machine to compensate fro any weaknesses.

Some back muscle exercises you can try with an exercise ball include the following:

Upper Back

It is best to use hand weights in conjunction with an exercise ball to effectively work the upper the upper back muscles. Any number of exercises can be done with your hand, arm, chest or upper half stabilized on the ball and your feet on the floor.

For instance, try lateral raises and rowing movements with your chest stabilized on the ball and your feet on the floor. For individual sides (to improve symmetry and/or to work a weak side for a few more reps), stand with your non-working arm or hand on the ball for stability and tighten your abs, then perform one-armed raises or rows.

Lower Back Extension

The lower back often gets missed in workout routines, which is unfortunate as it is an important component in your overall health and strength. This simple (not easy, as balancing on the ball is a great stability exercise on its own!) exercise will help strengthen the muscles in your lower back.

Lie with your stomach draped over the exercise ball, feet on the floor and hands behind your head. Using your feet for stability (put them against a wall if need be until you are stronger), lift your head and torso so that you are flexing and tightening your lower back muscles. Do not lead with your neck or head, rather focus on the lower back muscles you are working to ensure they are being isolated. Your glutes will be involved in this as well, especially until your lower back muscles grow stronger.

Because stability ball exercises offer so much flexibility, they can be done almost anywhere, with or without weights or other equipment. You can work one or both legs in variety of positions.

Here are two of the most effective stability ball squat exercises:

Exercise Ball Wall Squat

Stand with an exercise (stability) ball against your back, between you and wall (as pictured). When you feel balanced, tuck in your abs and begin to squat until your legs are parallel to the floor. Do not go any deeper as this may hurt your knees. Focusing on keeping your buttocks and thighs contracted, push slowly back up to the starting position.

BONUS: Add hand weights and/or try it with one foot off the ground, both pictured above.

One-Legged Squat

Stand to one side of a stability ball. Carefully place one foot on the ball while the other foot remains firmly on the floor. When you feel well balanced, begin to squat with the standing leg until you reach one quarter of the way down, keeping the other leg still and stable on the exercise ball. All the work should be done by your standing/squatting leg, and your upper body and core muscles should be held tight and upright.

To work out your shoulders with an exercise ball, you may want to use small hand weights. We have provided one exercise here that uses hand weights and one which doesn’t, so you have options.

Shoulder Raises

Begin by balancing your body sideways, with your upper body firmly on the exercise ball and your feet on the floor. You may choose to cross your ankles if it helps you balance. Hold your body in a straight line and perform your side, front and rear shoulder raises with the dumbbell of your choice. You will likely find that you tire more easily than when doing standing shoulder raises, as you are utilizing many stabilizing muscles and tendons as well.

Alternates: Perform shoulder raises while sitting on the ball, or while lying with upper body on the ball (face to the floor) with feet on the floor.

Exercise Ball Push-ups

While push-ups are traditionally considered chest exercises, we all know they provide a great workout for your arms and shoulders as well. With an exercise ball, you are presented with several possible variations on the push-up, all offering the added bonus of strengthening your entire body and elevating your heart rate while you’re at it.

You can start with your push-ups with both hands on the exercise ball and your feet on the floor. Alternatively, try it with your feet or lower legs (just your toes for the most challenge) resting on the ball and your hands or lower arms on the floor. Continue by performing as many push-ups as you can muster while maintaining good form (abs tight, shoulders and arms and chest doing the work, head and neck in line with the rest of your body).

Just holding your body steady in these positions is a good start, and you may wish to hold yourself in plank position the first couple of sessions until you develop the balance and core strength to do full-fledged push-ups while balancing on an exercise ball.

While you will need to combine your exercise ball workout for abs with cardiovascular exercise for a complete and effective workout regimen, your core muscles – including your abs – can be given a ‘bootcamp’ workout with an exercise ball.

Following are some of the most effective exercise ball exercises which target your abs:

Standard Ab Crunch

Rest the upper half of your body on an exercise ball. Tighten your entire core and place your hands lightly behind your head. Crunch your abs while looking forward and keeping your neck relaxed. ONLY your ab muscles should be contracting. You will notice very quickly that you are using your entire body core for this exercise, which is why it is so effective. You can even work at focusing on particular stomach muscles (obliques, for instance) while you are crunching. Even your legs and buttocks will experience toning and strengthening as they help to hold your body stable.

BONUS: Add small hand weights to this exercise as you gain strength.

Balancing Ab Lift 

Rest your upper body on the floor, from your head to your shoulder blades. Begin by balancing your feet on an exercise ball (you may find this easier with bare feet). Once you have balanced your body, tighten your abs and buttocks and lift them off the floor. The goal is to lift them parallel to the rest of your body so that you are all in one line. This exercise is terrific for your legs and buttocks as well. As with the first exercise ball ab exercise, ensure your neck and shoulders are relaxed and it is your core doing the contracting.

BONUS: When you can do this exercise in a well-balanced manner, try lifting one leg at a time for en even tougher – and more effective – workout.

THE Workout

**WARNING** NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!

This book contains the toughest exercise ball workout we’ve ever seen! It was designed by the original creator of workout routines for ‘The Biggest Loser’ show, and the author – New York exercise guru David Kirsch – uses it to train movie stars and celebrities for the red carpet (like Heidi Klum and Anne Hathaway!).

Think you’ve got what it takes? Miraculously, you can lose belly fat and tighten up in ONLY TWO WEEKS, but it takes discipline…