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 whysit 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 exercisesand fat burning workouts but to strengthen and tone those tummy muscles, it’s an excellent piece of equipment to use.
