Exercise Ball Workouts

Many people include exercise balls on their list of preferred gym equipment. Here are some great exercises. It's time to fit them into your workout routine!

Exercise balls are a popular item at any gym. If you haven’t tried them in your workout routine yet, our list of the best exercise ball exercises will come in handy.

The instability of exercise balls creates a real challenge for your muscles. These balls help work all of your large and small muscles. They also act as a resistance, forcing you to work harder to complete your workout.

Additionally, when you use an exercise ball in your routine, the muscles in your abdominal, hip and shoulder areas have to work while moving together to keep your body stable.

These exercises help build and tone your muscles thanks to the different varieties available. But, in order to enjoy all the benefits that they offer, you need to know how to use them correctly. Using them blindly could lead to lackluster results or even injuries.

The best exercise ball exercises

1. Push-ups

Exercise ball push-ups are simple. They work out your biceps, triceps, chest, upper back, shoulders, wrist flexors and extensors on top of your abdomen.

Start a repetition by putting your legs over the ball. On your hands, walk away from the ball until your knees and shins sit on top of it. Support the rest of your weight on your hands.

Keep your abs contracted and push your hands forward as you bring your body down to the floor. Bend your elbows until your chin is about to touch the floor. After, push yourself back up and do 3 sets of 5 repetitions.

Increase the number of repetitions as you become stronger and feel more comfortable with the exercise. Don’t forget to rest for a minute between each set.

2. Work out your hamstrings with an exercise ball

Our second exercise will help you strengthen your hamstrings and glutes with a seemingly simple exercise. It’ll also work our your abs. To get started, lie down on your back and bring your legs up onto the ball. Keep your legs straight.

Now, contract your abs and squeeze your glutes to raise your hips. Bring them up to form a straight line with your body. This is the starting position.

Now, pull your ankles to roll the ball as close as you can to your glutes or until your knees form a 90-degree angle. Hold the position, and after, slowly stretch out your legs again, pushing them away from your body and returning to the original position.

3. Exercise ball squats

Squats are great for strong legs. Just as you would perform a normal squat, start a couple of feet away from a wall and stand with your feet a shoulder’s width apart. Lean your back against the wall.

Now, place your exercise ball between the lower part of your back and the wall. Slowly lower your body until your legs form a 90-degree angle.

Use the ball to support your back (as shown in the image at the beginning of this post). Now, slowly go back up and do 10-15 repetitions.

4. Sit-ups

If you want to use your exercise ball to strengthen your abs, just sit on the ball with both feet on the floor. Next, bring your hands up to hold your head up using your fingertips. Make sure you push your back into the ball and keep your body straight.

Now, lift your upper body to do sit-ups. Go back into the starting position and repeat until you finish 3 sets of 10 reps with a 30-second rest between sets. When you feel stronger, increase the number of reps per set.

To wrap up our post, remember that you can use exercise balls in many ways. And they don’t take up too much space, so they’re perfect for working out at home. Want to try the exercises we mentioned above? You won’t regret it!