A few years back when I taught group exercise classes, the stability ball was one of my favorite pieces of equipment to use. The exercise possibilities are endless and many can be done using only your own body weight which make them great for exercisers of all levels. Currently, I continue to do these workouts with my trainer. I am sharing some of my favorite no weights needed moves today so Get on the ball!
Get On The Ball-Full Body Stability Ball Workout
Brief explanations of each move:
Bridges: lying on your back on the ball with your upper back and shoulders resting on the ball. Body is in a tabletop position with knees at a 90 degree angle. Drop your hips and then push up through your heels to engage glutes as you raise back up. Hold and squeeze glutes at the top.
Seated Leg lifts: While sitting upright on the ball, left foot is planted on the floor. Extend right leg out at a 90 angle and engage quad muscle to lift and lower leg. Engage abs and use core to balance on ball while staying centered on ball. Repeat with left leg.
Hamstring Curls: Lying on the floor, place you heels on the top of the ball. Lift your hips off the ground to form a straight line with your body. Pull the ball in towards your body with your heels, using your hamstrings, and back out again. Remember to keep you hips up in line with your body.
Crunches with legs on the ball: Start lying on your back on the floor with your legs draped over the ball. Perform crunches with your hands lightly supporting your head looking up at the ceiling.
Knee Tucks: Start in a plank position with your hands on the ground and your feet or shins on the ball. Weight is forward engaging your arms and core. Pull your knees in toward your chest and push back out.
Push ups: When finished with the knee tucks remain in the plank position and perform pushups with elbows staying close to your body. Lessen the intensity by placing more of your shins onto the ball.
Ab roll outs: Kneeling in front of the ball, place your hand on the ball palms down. Making sure to keep your arms straight, engage your core and roll the ball out and use your abs to pull the ball back in feeling the crunch at the top.
Ball Pass: Start lying on your back with the ball between your feet and arms above your head on the floor. Engage core and lift your legs straight up while crunching your upper body up so that the ball is passed to your hands. Holding the ball in your hands, return your upper body to the ground and legs to the floor. Repeat sequence.
Reverse crunches: Start lying on the ground, with knees bent. Place ball between your knees and lift your hips to a reverse crunch.
Swimmers: Lying face down with your hips on the ball, simultaneously lift your right hand and left leg to form a straight line with your body keeping both arm and leg straight. Repeat with the other side.
All done? Do a whole body stretch by lying, with your back on the ball, and relaxing your arms, head and neck and “hang out” for a few minutes.
[You may also like Do Anywhere Stability Ball Workout]
These are some of my favorite stability ball exercises. I hope you find them useful as well.
Oooh, sounds like a nice workout Deb!! It’s nice to switch things up.Happy spring!
It is fun to switch things up a bit sometimes
I love the stability ball too. I’ll have to add some of these ideas to my routine.
It’s so versatile and easy to modify for different fitness levels
I have a love/hate relationship with the stability ball. I don’t use it a ton but when I do, it hurts so good! Thanks for sharing and linking up 🙂
I like to throw it in every once in a while!
Becky brings the ball into some of our sessions- we do a lot of bridges on it. She’s also had me do v-ups passing the ball between my feet and my hands. It’s a great tool and I need to use mine more!
I love the v ups too and the bridges are always great. Happy Wednesday!
Great workout. I am going to do this one for sure. I have a ball that needs dusting off 😉
I love using the ball and you can really get a great workout-happy workout!
A lot of my PT exercise for my back are done on a stability ball! It’s funny because the ball is too big to keep in my bed room so I keep it in the basement and everyone at my house uses it as a playing ball. Lot’s of kicking!
My kids used to do that as well!
I used to be able to balance on a ball on my knees and lift weights. I say used to because I haven’t tried in awhile… Looks like I know what I am going to do in the gym today 😉
So I am too scared to do that bc I think I will fall on my head! Post a pic if you do it
Thanks for putting this list of exercises together. I got a stability ball for Christmas, and have been thinking that I need to look for more ways to use it, especially on days when its hard to leave the house because of the baby. Definitely saving this for later reference!
It would be great to do lots of these at home when you have a few minutes (said no new mom ever) I hope they help
I used to use a stability ball a lot but haven’t in a long time. This is a great reminder of some of the uses.
Thanks! I forget about it sometimes too
This looks like a tough one! I love using the stability ball to workout. It challenges your balance and core so much!
Exactly!
Love this! I am working with so many clients on the stability ball, and they are amazed at what it can do for them!
I think it’s a great addition for people at all levels
Those hamstring curls are always killer! I have a stability ball that I rarely use. Thanks for reminding me that I can do more than crunches with it!
I love the hamstring curls with it and always feel them the next day
Great ideas! I’d forgotten about bridges… doing those today. They’re great for the butt!
Love the bridges!
I didn’t know you taught exercise classes !
I love the stability ball but my apartment is too small to have that big thing hanging around, no place to store it ! I often use one when I travel, in hotel gyms.
I used to teach a group weights class and spinning it was lots of fun
I’d love to get a stability ball for at home workouts! Saving this for when I do 🙂
They are great to have around thanks!
I have a stability ball and every time I do crunches on it the next day I always feel the burn. My co-worker uses one at work to sit on instead of a chair.
Also a great idea!
Fun! I used to use the stability for core work. My trainer has me use it on occasion to do hamstring stretches. It’s a great tool!
It is very versatile!
I like hamstring curls on the stability ball…the hamstring curl machine feels awkward to me no matter how I adjust it, so I always prefer the ball!
The ball does work great for them and I agree my knees feel weird on the machine.
I love my stability ball! I agree from beginner to advanced the possibilities are endless. Awesome workout, love it!
Thanks so much!
My favorite stability ball exercise is a little number I call “Don’t Break Your Face.”
I am SO uncoordinated. It’s not a good thing.
LOL! You crack me up
This is a great workout! I used to use the stability ball a lot when I was in physical therapy. Knee tucks are no joke! I’m pinning this for sure!
Thanks! You can get a great workout with it
I find those core moves to be very challenging – probably means I should do them more often, eh?
Perhaps! I really like them too
What a great workout! My favorite part is the whole body stretch 🙂
The stretch is great to do anytime
I’ll have to come back and tweet this out, I am at work and can’t do it right now.
Love this idea! I actually own a stability ball, truthfully I don’t use it enough. In fact other than for crunches and sometimes rolling out my back I don’t use it at all.
I’ll have to try some of these. I like the reverse crunches idea too, might try that tonight!
Great I hope you find some new exercise to try!
I hadn’t used my stability ball in forever and then I started using it all the time. It seems to always work out like that with the ball. All or nothing.
Yes me too! I do always remember that I like it when I workout with it
I LOVE my stability ball – but so do my kids! So, it’s a little deflated right now… 😉 What a great workout.
My kids used to play on it too! Can’t get them started to early! Hope you enjoy the workout
I just bought one of these balls! I need this- thank you!
I love my stability ball! Hope you find some inspiration here.
I just got a new (bright red!) stability ball and this is just what I needed!
Will give these a try – thanks for sharing!!
I love the stability ball workouts
Pinned your post on the stability ball. I love mine and really needed to know more exercises that I can do on it. Thanks
Great thanks! You can do so much with them I love it