Stability Ball Exercises to Tone Your Body

Some of us look at exercise as a chore that we have to put up with. It’s tiring and draining, not to mention icky from all the sweat. Exercise is supposed to be viewed as a fun and enjoyable pastime meant to strengthen your body and ward off diseases, and it should be something that everyone can do.

Joseph Pilates, the man behind the Pilates workout, understood just that. The Pilates Method is filled with playful movements incorporating machinery such as the trap table or the stability chair, and fun names for exercises such as monkey, swan, and grasshopper.

The main philosophies of Pilates include concentration, control, centering, precision, breath and liquidity of movements. Stability balls have become tools to strengthen the core and increase the core balance, while tightening the muscles in the abdomen.

If you’ve tried Pilates in the past, but want something fresher, newer and more challenging to start the year, then you might just find Pilates Ball exercises an interesting way to tone your body.

Benefits of a stability ball

Stability balls, while they are now incorporated into the Pilates Method and are often called Pilates balls, were actually not a part of Joseph Pilates’ original mishmash of equipment.

Also known as balance balls, Pilates balls, or Swiss balls, these items were made by an Italian toymaker Aquilino Cosani back in the early 1960s to be used for those who needed therapy. It was recent when the ball became a very popular fixture in Pilates for its benefits and ease of use.

One of the main purposes of using a stability ball in conjunction with Pilates exercises, is the fact that it challenges the core muscles and makes them stronger and less prone to injuries. Training your core muscles is very important for a wide range of reasons such as keeping your balance and stability in check, promoting better posture and body alignment and preventing potential injuries when exercising.

Aside from strengthening the core muscles and developing abs, the stability ball provides other benefits as well. One of these benefits includes the way you perform an exercise. In Pilates, you usually exercise flat on the floor with the help of a mat for added comfort. Exercising on a flat surface is well and good, but it takes more time for your core area to strengthen because you do not have to balance as much.

In contrast to that, when you have a stability ball, because you are not flat on the floor, you will have to balance yourself manually, engaging more of your muscles in the exercise. As time goes by, the muscles that you use to balance yourself, which are the abdominal muscles and back muscles, will become stronger and leaner, leading to toned stomach and back.

As mentioned above, if you use an unstable surface such as a stability ball, you will need to use more muscles. However, despite needing to use more muscles, you won’t really increase the total load. This leads to better exercises, especially if you’re doing curl-ups or push-ups using your stability ball.

It increases the activation of your abdominal muscles and makes you move more than usual, compared to doing the same exercises on a flat surface. The result? Burning more fat and calories as you go.

Are you ready to challenge yourself to a better body in 2015? Get your Pilates ball out and try these exercises now:

Stability ball exercises for the arms

Modified push-up: with a ball

If you’re looking forward to toning your arm and shoulder area, this exercise is fantastic. It will benefit your chest area and your core as well. Here’s how to do it:

• Lie down on the floor with your abdomen on an exercise ball and move a little to take the ball down to under your thighs.
• Bend your elbows and pull your navel in toward your spine.
• Lower your upper body to the floor.
• Hold and count until three, and push yourself up.
• Make sure that your elbows are straight, your head aligned with your spine so that your abs are engaged.

If you’re an exercise newbie, start at 5 repetitions and slowly work your way up to 15. Once you have achieved this, you can start doing several sets with a one-minute rest interval.

Ball rear deltoids rise

This arm toning exercise targets the deltoids, or the muscles that form the round contour of the muscles. To do the exercise, try the following steps:

• Lean on the left side of your body and press it (along with your left arm) against the exercise ball.
• Extend your legs, one in front of the other to keep yourself stable.
• Hold your dumbbell with your right hand and lift the dumbbell up. Keep it for one or two seconds and lower slowly. Repeat.
• After 10 repetitions, change positions and use the right side of the body to press against the ball, with your left arm lifting the dumbbell.

Standing ball bicep curl

Toned arms are important for you to look sleek and slim. To achieve this, use the ball bicep curl, which is done by the following steps:

• Place the exercise ball against the wall and stand up with your back pressed against it.
• Hold dumbbells in each hand and keep them down the side of your body.
• Raise the dumbbells towards your shoulders. Count to three and lower them back. Be sure to keep your back and upper arms free from any movement.

Stability ball exercises for the rear

Overhead squats with a ball

Bust out your Daisy Dukes – this exercise will give you a bubble butt that’s worth the burn that you will experience. Not only does it tone your butt, it tones your arms, too.

• Stand with your legs slightly apart and raise the exercise ball over your head. Keep your arms extended, and close to your ears.
• Squat down and keep the weight in your heels and your arms extended. Hold for one count. Stand up.
• Make sure to keep your arms lifted when you do 15 squats per set.

Stability ball exercises for the core and back

Planking session

This is a fun way to exercise while staying in trend (planking, anyone?). This exercise will tone your abs and your lower back, and it will strengthen your core, too!

• Do a modified plank by placing your shins on the ball and your palms on the floor. Make sure that your body is parallel to the floor.
• Keep your palms in line with your shoulders.
• Use your abs and leg muscles to roll the ball towards the center of your body.
•  Lift your hips and keep your head down, so you make an inverted V shape. Pause for a few seconds and slowly roll the ball back down towards your shins. Repeat.
• You should do at least 12 repetitions.

Quick Note: Pull your abs in every time and keep your spine and head aligned as you alternate between the plank and the inverted V.

Ball sit-ups

Engage your abs and core muscles with this exercise, which takes your regular sit-ups to a higher degree because it requires you to work more muscles to keep the ball in place.

• Place the exercise ball on your lower back and lie down on it, knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Place your hands behind your ears.
• Raise your upper body up from the ball, hold for a count, and lower it back down.
• Breathe out when clenching your abs, and breathe in while you return to your starting position.

Ball hyperextension

This is a fun exercise, which you can also do in reverse. To do so:

• Grab your exercise ball and kneel in front of it. Press your stomach on top of it and wrap your hands on each side of the ball.
• From a kneeling position, extend your legs so that only your toes are touching the floor.
• Once you’re stable, extend your chest and arms forward and hold for a few seconds.
• Return to starting position.

Remember: Breathe out when you extend the body and breathe in when you return to the starting position.

Ball bridge t – fall off

• Place your exercise ball and lie down on it, your body facing the ceiling.
• Make sure that you position your shoulder blades on top of the ball.
• Keep your knees at a 90-degree angle, and make sure that your back is straight.
• If you’re feeling a little wobbly, you can extend your arms out to keep your balance.
• Roll off the ball to one side. Hold for three counts and return to your original position. Be sure to do alternate sides for each repetition.

Stability ball exercises for the legs

Froggy jump

Never skip leg day with this fun exercise that will make you feel silly and playful while doing some serious work.

• Stand behind an exercise ball and keep your legs slightly apart, with your toes turned out.
• Squat and bend your knees more than 90 degrees.
• Grab the ball and press your elbows into the insides of your thighs to stretch even lower.
• Push yourself off your glutes and legs, and jump, lifting the ball overhead as you do.
• Land on your feet and repeat. Do at least eight repetitions per set.

Reminder: Make sure you point your toes and straighten your legs when you jump. While jumping, extend your arms and lift the ball overhead.

Ball leg curl

• Lie down on a flat surface and place the back of your feet on top of the exercise ball.
• Raise your hips, flex your knees and pull your feet towards your butt, bringing the ball along.
• Slowly release the ball after 5 counts. Return to the starting position.

Remember: Breathe out as you squeeze the ball, and breathe in as you return to the starting position.

Other exercises to do with a stability ball:

• An overhead pass exercise will strengthen and tone your arms and shoulders.
• Crunching with an exercise ball provides less impact on the body. For beginners, keep your arms across your chest. For those who do this on a semi-regular basis, keep your arms out to the sides and keep your elbows aligned with your ears. For the experts out there, keep your arms pressed to your ears as you lift them overhead while lifting a stability ball.
• Tone your obliques by sitting on the ball and twisting from one side to the other. Make long sweeping motions as you twist. Exhale, rise back to the center and keep your arms overhead. Do a twist and sweep on the opposite side. Go back to the center and repeat.
• If you want something low-impact because you’ve had a long, busy day, you can also use your exercise ball for gentle stretching. It’s not as demanding as aerobics or strength training, but at least you get your muscles to work slowly.

Safety precautions

Performing any sort of exericise using a Pilates ball can be tricky, thus the need for several safety precautions to make sure that you avoid the risk of injury.

First of all, you should choose the correct ball size and have it properly inflated. Most balls come with height and weight recommendations, but the general rule of thumb is that your upper thighs should stay parallel to the floor when you are sitting down on a ball. If your thighs aren’t, you might be getting a ball that’s too small or too large. After getting the ball, you will want to make sure that you properly inflate it so that it maintains the right pressure.

Second of all, you should consider a good workout area with ample space. You also want to have proper grip on the floor so avoid using workout mats because they can slip under you.

Use a good pair of training shoes and exercise with your shirt on because sweat may cause you to slip and fall.

Lastly, just as you would with any other intense physical activity, make sure that you consult your doctor before doing it, especially if you are new to Pilate’s ball exercises. Also, remember to always disengage and stop exercising whenever you feel any pain. Have fun!