Tag Archive for: Stability Ball Workout

Easy Six Pack Training with a Stability Ball

August 24, 2018/in Blog, Personal Training, Stability Ball

The exercises looked simple, but if you’re looking for a good six pack abs workout, using a stability ball to intensify your routine is tough to beat! The whole concept behind these balls is that regardless of the exercise you are doing, having to keep the ball stable causes total engagement of core and back muscles at all times. You can expect to get a six pack quicker than normal if you implement the exercises I will be going over into your six pack training routine.

For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, or don’t remember them, stability balls are large balls. They come in three sizes and the diameters are based on height. To do your six pack training session, pick a ball that you feel comfortable using (which should go without saying). People up to about 5’2″ tall should consider using the smaller sized (45 cm) stability balls, 5’3″ up to about 5’8″ may want to opt for the medium sized balls (55cm), and anyone over 5’8″ should use the larger sized ball (65cm).

Six Pack Abdominal Crunch

Of course you can do a crunch the old fashion way on the floor, but what fun is that? Instead, doing a crunch on the stability ball will dramatically improve your chances of being able to maximize your six pack training routine. To do this six pack training move on the ball simply follow the instructions here.

First, sit on the ball with your back straight and then move your feet forward two steps. This will place you in the position of leaning into the ball and balancing it with your body. Cross your arms over your chest and then tighten your abs. Next you want to crunch and here comes the important part. Hold and then slowly lower yourself back down onto the ball. To get maximum six pack training, I suggest performing three sets of these with 20 repetitions each.

Six Pack Training Back Extension

This is basically the reverse of a crunch, and it is a great way to strengthen your back muscles as well. To perform this exercise lay on the ball face down, with your hips at the top of the ball. You will have to spread your feet out some and use your toes to keep the ball from rolling. Place your hands on top of your head and then lift your torso up by contracting your back muscles. This will also cause you to fully engage your abs. Now you want to slowly lower back into the starting position and then repeat 20 times. I would do 3 sets of this exercise.

Six Pack Training Stability Ball Roll

This is a great exercise to use in your six pack training routine! I have found women find this exercise especially beneficial. What you need to do is start by kneeling in front of the ball and place your hands on top of it. Slowly roll the ball forward, away from you until your forearms are resting on the top. Hold this pose for a couple seconds (5-15, it depends on how easy this is for you) and then slowly roll the ball back towards you until you return to your starting position. If you do these correctly you will feel an automatic tightening of your abs as you perform both directions. Repeat 20 times per set for 3 sets.

Six Pack Training Opposite Arm and Leg Raise

I’ve seen these done in six pack training sessions on the floor without the ball, but to be honest, they’re far more effective on a stability ball. If you want to use these in your six pack training, you need to increase the intensity to more than the simple floor version. To do this exercise, lay on top of the ball with your toes and hands on the floor. Slowly raise one arm and the opposite leg until they are straight and level to the floor. Then repeat using the other arm and leg. Do 40 of these (20 each side) and repeat twice more for a total of three sets. This six pack training set also works your back, glutes and quads.

As you can now tell, using a stability ball for six pack training is extremely beneficial if you want to get a six pack faster. If you don’t have a stability ball, many places sell them for around $20.00. Make sure that you have an air pump handy, but don’t pump them up fully. You will want a little bit of ‘give’ to the ball for your six pack training. Make sure to keep away these from pets and children as, while they are pretty rugged, these stability balls can be punctured by sharp objects. Regarding six pack training, these are some of the best moves out there.

The trick to using a stability ball for six pack training is to do each move slowly and completely (which you should be doing regardless to protect your form). These exercises really cannot be rushed as you will lose your balance and fall off or injury yourself through poor form. I did a bunch of these last night and although my dogs thought I was crazy, it was one of my better six pack training workouts this week.

7 Advanced Stability Ball Workouts to Strengthen Your Core

August 23, 2018/in Blog, Personal Training, Stability Ball

A stability ball can be one of the best tools that will help you in strengthening your body. Many people like to use a stability ball to train their core muscles and improve balance and coordination. Here in this article, I will show you many exercises that you can use in your stability ball workouts. Some of these moves can be tough and may require some previous experience in using the ball.

When you are using these exercises in your stability ball workouts, it is recommended that for your first try, you hold onto a wall or hold onto something stable to help you learn the movement. Also, as part of your stability ball workouts, you should perform 1-3 sets consisting of 10-15 reps for each of these exercises.

Stability Ball Workouts #1: Ball Twist

Get yourself into a push up position, except that your feet will be laying on either side of the ball. You should turn your ankles so that they are hugging the ball.
While keeping your body straight and hands directly under your shoulders, slowly twist the ball to the right.
Then repeat by twisting it to the left.

Keep in mind that your shoulders and back should be leveled during this exercise; don’t let your body sag in the middle.

Stability Ball Workouts #2: Butt Lift

Sit next to the ball with your glutes (butt) on the ground. Your head, neck, and shoulders should be supported by the ball, and your knees will be bent.
Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips until your body is forming a a straight line; your knees will be bent at a 90° angle. (you will basically look like a bridge)
Hold that position for 3-5 seconds, then lower your body and repeat.

Stability Ball Workouts #3: Back Extension

Lay on top of the ball, face down. Position the ball under your hips & abs. You can leave your knees straight or bent (but your feet should be touching the ground). Keep your hands behind yourself.
To do the movement, you are going to try to slowly roll the ball. You should lift your chest off the ball and bring your shoulders up until your entire body forms a straight line.
Lower your body and repeat

Stability Ball Workouts #4: Hip Extension

Lie down on the ground, with your feet on top of the stability ball. Relax yourself.
Using your abs, lift your hips off of the ground (squeeze the glutes) until your body is forming a straight line.
If you would like to make this more challenging, lift your hips up and then lift one leg off of the ball. Hold for a second, and then lower your body. Repeat by lifting your other leg off of the ball.

Stability Ball Workouts #5: Ball Rotation

Lie down on top of the ball, with the ball positioned underneath your shoulders. Keep your arms extended over your chest, with your palms together.
Position your body to form a straight line (you will look like a bridge).
Tighten your glutes and abs, then slowly twist your body towards the right. While you are doing that, move your arms downwards so that they are parallel to the ground.
Come back up and repeat by moving your body to the other side.

Be sure to not fall off your ball by rolling too far! Use your abs to twist your body!

Stability Ball Workouts #6: Ab Roll

This exercise should not be done if you have back problems!

Kneel down on your knees with the ball placed in front of you. Put the ball in front of you. Then place your arms on top of the stability ball, with your arms parallel to each other.
Tighten your torso and slowly roll the ball forward. You should roll the ball forward as much as you can without arching/straining your back.
Squeeze your abs and slowly bring the ball and body back to its start position.

Stability Ball Workouts #7: Ball Balance

Lie face down on top of the ball. Place the stability ball in between your abs and hips. Keep your hands on the floor, and your legs straight (your legs will be off of the ground & they will be parallel to the ground).
Hold this position for 20-35 seconds, while keeping your body straight.
While you are doing step 2, you will take your left arm and slowly raise it off of the ground. You will now only have 1 arm to support you.
Keep your arm up for about 3-5 seconds, then repeat it by lifting your other arm of the ground.
While you are doing steps 3 & 4, do your best to maintain balance; don’t roll off of the ball or collapse! Maintain a straight body!

With these 7 advanced exercises, you’ll have an amazing stability ball workouts that will give you a strong core within no time. Work your body often and maintain a good diet and you’ll have that great looking body you’ve always wanted.

Training with Stability Balls

August 22, 2018/in Blog, Personal Training, Stability Ball

Stability balls are also known as gym balls, Exercise balls, Fit balls, Balance balls, Flex balls, Stretch balls, Yoga balls, Pilate’s balls, Ballast balls or Swiss balls. They are a product that has been around in the fitness industry for many years.

History tells us that the balls were originally used for Physical Therapy and rehabilitation purposes and from here they were seen as a piece of apparatus that could assist people with Strength Training, Flexibility and Core work.

Stability Balls: Versatile

The Stability ball is very versatile and also highly portable so it can be used in the gym, for training in the park or taken to someone’s home. It doubles as a bench, where the client can either sit upright doing their weights or body weight exercises, or lying down doing back chest or arms work. In comparison to buying a bench which is far heavier to transport or lift the ball is less than a quarter of the cost.

A bench allows you to isolate or support the body weight where as the ball focuses on the balance and Stability challenge more. It isolates a part of the muscle group and focuses on strengthening the muscles around the contact point, whereas with a flat back there is no possibility to work on a section of the back or arch the back in any way.

When using a bench for abdominal work again there are limitations when it comes to lever length and positioning of the body, but when you use the stability ball your options include the wall, side lying position, lower abdominal work or crunches.

Improve Your Posture With Stability Balls

The stability ball is also widely recognized as a tool to promote good posture and can be seen in many work places as a substitute for chairs. The ball helps alleviate slouching that is most common in chairs and makes the person sit more upright. For people with lower back problems it also allows shifting of weight to distribute less pressure on the spine.

In the fitness industry, professionals continually came up with more uses of the ball and two of these areas are power work and sports conditioning.

Due to heavy weights being used in the exercises, some stability balls were exploding under the excess load and this led to some injuries. So the stability ball companies developed new balls that had a minimum standard of breaking under load. Most balls and insurance companies require a loading figure or Anti- burst rating of around 350kgs.

So when buying a ball, check that you buy the right size for your use and also the right strength rating. Prices will vary.

BOSU Balance Trainer

BOSU have a new Stability ball on the market called the BOSU Ballast Ball.

The ball has weight inside (shot or sand based) which is used as Ballast or counter weight. You can lift it, shift it, or shake it, depending on how you move the ball and how fast. It was again originally developed for rehabilitation and is a great tool for shoulder work, and core stability.

Its next major use is as a normal stability ball that allows you to do all the exercises you would on them, but with the versatility of the added weight you can combine single strength and movement exercises such as a squat and jump press into a sports specific move.

The added advantage of this ball is that it will not move or roll away from you. This also eliminates the need to anchor your feet on or against a wall in a lot of stability training exercises.