Stability Ball
Exercises
One of my favorite exercise equipment is the stability
ball. This is an excellent piece of exercise aid, and not just
for stomach workouts either. You can use this baby for pretty
much any body part and make a lot of simple exercises that much
harder and more effective.
Here, I want to give you a few stability ball ab exercises
which you can begin to use today. I think that you will enjoy
working with stability ball because it can be done at home,
doesn't require strapping yourself into some abs machine, and
is very affordable since the ball itself doesn't cost a lot and
the workouts require no further equipment.
How To Choose a Stability Ball For
Yourself
Stability balls come in various sizes and you need to pick
on which fits your size. The basic guidelines are as
follows:
- If your height is 5' - 5'6'' you need a 55 cm
ball
- If your height is 5'6'' - 6' you need a 65 cm
ball
- If you're 6' and over you need a 75 cm ball.
- There are even bigger sized balls, but these are the
common sizes which are available.
You can find one which fits your size at Amazon for great
prices at the following link: Amazon Stability Balls.
Making your sit ups count
If you've read my article on why sit ups won't get you
abs you know that sit ups aren't an effective workout.
But if you do them on a stability ball, they instantly become
that way.
In fact, you're likely to curse me the day after you do
these sit-ups since your stomach is likely to feel that
delightful post-workout hurt.
Doing a situp on a exercise ball is very simple. You begin
by lying on the ball so it's against your lower back. Put your
hands on both sides of your head and keep both feet firmly on
the floor.
You then raise your body no more than 45 degrees upwards
until you feel your stomach muscles cramping like mad. Keep
your eyes focused on the ceiling to avoid straining your
neck.
Then, lower yourself back to the ball and that's 1 rep.
Stability Ball Rollout
This is and explosive exercise and similar to the
one which can be done with the Ab Wheel.
You begin the exercise on your knees, place both forearms
firmly on the stability ball. Then, you slowly roll the ball
away from you, making sure to maintain a straight back all the
while. You finish the exercise when your upper body is in a
diagonal shape with your knees at the lower end and your
forearms at the upper end.
Then, you use your abs muscles to return to the starting
position. Don't feel discouraged if you can't do too many of
these. It's a difficult exercise to perform.
Stability Ball Plank
The plans is one of my favorite core and stomach
exercise. Done with a stability ball it is that much
harder.
You place your forearms firmly on the ball and stretch your
legs behind you. You maintain this position for 20-30 seconds
while making sure your back is straight. After a few second
you'll begin feeling your abs hurting like mad, but that's a
good sign. The plank is a massive exercise and can be done
easily at home.
Is it Enough?
Naturally, doing stability ball abs workouts will
not be enough to really get that flat tummy. You will need
to burn stomach fat for
that with the right cardio exercises and
fat burning
workouts but to strengthen and tone those tummy
muscles, it's an excellent piece of equipment to use.
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