Stability ball exercises

If the regular planks you were doing at home or in the gym weren’t enough for strengthening your core muscles, add a stability ball to spice things up.

Steps

• Place your forearms on the stability ball while forming a straight line from your head to your feet on the floor.
• Hold the position while breathing normally for at least 30 seconds. Gradually increase the duration of the hold.

Alternatively, you can place your feet on the stability ball and perform a high plank by keeping your palms on the floor and arms extended. Hold the position for as long as you can.

The side planks can be turned into an even tougher exercise by adding the stability ball.

Steps

• Sit on a mat. Place the stability ball next to your left arm.
• Bend your left elbow and rest your left forearm on the stability ball. (Your forearm should be at a 90-degree angle or perpendicular to the body.)
• Raise your hip off the floor, keeping the right leg on top of the left as you would do during a side plank. Your left arm stays on the stability ball and your left foot on the floor. Tighten your core as you raise your body to come into a straight line from head to toe.
• Breathe normally and hold the position for at least 20 seconds.
• Repeat on the other side.

The side plank can also be performed by keeping the stability ball on your resting leg, and keeping the other leg on top of the ball to hold it in place, while your forearm is holding your upper body off the floor.

The conventional squats can be performed without the use of any weights, or can be done with the help of a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells or a barbell, or even a stability ball.

Steps

• Place the stability ball between your back and a flat wall, and hold it in place with your body.
• Perform squats as you normally would without dropping the stability ball. While on the way down, your hips should be in line with your knees.
• Return to the standing position. This is one rep.
• Do 10-15 repetitions in a set.

You can also do squats by holding the stability ball straight above your head with both hands, for an added upper body workout.

As it is, lunges are great for a stability workout and feature high in a bodyweight workout routine. They can also be performed with the help of additional weights or even a stability ball.

Steps

• Bend your right knee and place your shin on the stability ball behind you. Now extend your left leg forward.
• Bend your left leg till your knee is in line with the toe and return to stand up straight. This is one rep.
• Perform 10-15 lunges per side.

Performing crunches on a stability ball can activate the abdominal muscles even more effectively than doing them on the floor.

Steps

• Lie down on your back on a stability ball and anchor your feet hip-width apart on the floor.
• Keep your hands behind your head, core braced and lift your upper body forward.
• Perform at least three sets of 20-25 crunches each.

The standard push-up can be used to develop greater core stability by performing it with a stability ball.

Steps

• Lie down with your chest resting on the stability ball and legs extended to the floor.
• Place your palms on the ball and lift your body up to reach a high plank position.
• Brace your core, bend your elbows and lower your chest towards the ball. Now without touching the ball, straighten your arms and return to the high position. This is one rep.
• Do up to five repetitions for a set, and a total of three sets to begin with. Increase your repetitions as you gain strength and become more comfortable with the exercise.

You can reverse the push-ups by placing your feet on the stability ball and your hands on the ground—doing so will turn the exercise into a decline push-up with a twist.

Knee tucks are often performed with the help of TRX bands—these are typically available in specialised gyms. But the stability ball makes this exercise more accessible and easier to perform for everyone.

Steps

• Place your feet on the stability ball and extend your arms on the ground, keeping the body in a straight line.
• Bend your knees and bring them up towards your torso. Now straighten them out again. This is one rep.
• Do 15-20 reps in a set.

One of the better exercises for lower back mobility, back extensions or hyperextensions can be performed on a stability ball instead of a Roman chair, which is a piece of gym equipment specifically designed for this exercise.

Steps

• Lie down on your stomach on the stability ball with your feet on the ground to stabilise yourself.
• Keep the hands behind your head and interlock the fingers.
• Lift your upper body and extend beyond the straight line. Now return to the original position. This is one rep.
• Perform 10-15 reps in a set.