Abs Ball Workout

Archive for July, 2009

Before we go about exercise ball workouts, you need to choose the right ball for you.  Though the old saying might go, “One size fits all,” and well to be bluntly said, there are several sizes of exercise balls that can accommodate your body type.  You need to find an exercise ball where your feet can comfortably lay flat on the ground while you are being seated.  So that means, your hips and knees should be able to form a 90 degree right angle.

Alright now that you got your exercise ball, onto the next step.  Before you go about doing your workouts, you need to go out and warm up your core aka your back and abdominal muscles.  You can do this by doing a 3-4 minute brisk walk, on a bicycle, or even just a quick jog around your neighborhood.  Using a treadmill is optional as well.  By effectively warming up before you start your abs ball workout, it will help lower the risk of pulling a muscle during your exercise session.

Here are a couple simple exercises to get started on your exercise ball:

The first exercise that you will be doing is called the Seated Abs Core Exercise.  Upon going about this exercise, you should start out by sitting on the ball with your feet flat on the floor.  When you are ready to begin this exercise and you are in position, lift your heel one at a time.  All at the same time while doing this exercise, ensure that your other foot is placed flat on the floor.

When you start to get the hang of it, start to move your arms in sync with your feet.  It’ll look as though you are marching in place.  While you are doing this exercise, keep in mind to keep your abdominal muscles contracted and tight.  As a beginning trainee, try to get 10-12 reps in for the first couple sets.

The second abs ball exercise that you will be doing is called the Prone Abdominal Core exercise.  Instead of sitting on the ball, position yourself to lay on the ball while on your stomach with your hands flat on the floor.

While keeping your abdominal muscles tight, start to walk forward on your hands.  You should keep walking up until the ball is right under your thighs.  Slowly return to your starting position by moving backwards with your hands.  For this exercise, try to complete 4-5 sets with 10-12 reps each for each set.  If you want to add further difficulty to this exercise, you can also do push-ups when the ball is under your thighs.  After a week or two of doing these abs ball workouts, you will start to feel increased strength, flexibility, and more tightness with your back and core muscles.