Stability ball exercises pdf

Or, a stability ball, to be exact. Also referred to as an exercise ball or a balance ball, stability ball exercises can take your workouts to the next level. Increased stability is useful for many reasons, both in and out of the gym. Stable joints are less prone to injury, because they have the strength to stay in the correct position during taxing movements. Additionally, being able to move your body as one cohesive unit helps when it comes to weightlifting, running, and other athletic endeavors, Braun says.

Ready to start sculpting your muscles and improving your stability? Try these stability ball exercises that can be done in the gym or at home. Benefits: This core exercise does double duty by strengthening the hip flexors and crunching your abs. Benefits: Strengthen your hamstrings and glutes with this seemingly simple move, while also engaging your core. Benefits: Deadbug exercises teach your core to work as it was designed to do — keeping your spine stable while your arms and legs do their own thing.

This variation cranks it up a notch by requiring an extra ab squeeze to keep the stability ball in place, while also targeting your obliques. Benefits: Challenge your entire body with this next-level stability ball exercise. It works your core as you pass the ball between your hands and feet, and you have to engage your inner thighs and arms to keep the ball from falling to the ground.

Benefits: This advanced bodyweight move is a version of a decline push-up that challenges your core just as much as your arms. A kneeling roll-out should do the trick. Kneel on a folded towel — to protect your kneecaps — then lay your body weight on the ball via your elbows. Using tempo in this way — slowly out on the eccentric, lengthening negative, followed by a more explosive speed as you return to peak contraction — will increase your results.

Next, to increase the intensity a bit, do the same exercise — only this time do it standing. Time to turn up the intensity. This set of three consecutive stability ball exercises — decline push up, knee tuck, and pike — will make you stronger and burn some serious calories.

Do all three exercises consecutively, 12 times, then take your one-minute break until the next superset. Be mindful of the health of your shoulders, wrists, and elbows:. This exercise is excellent for improving shoulder mobility and posture. Lay face down on the ball then raise straight arms up past the height of your head, palms facing each other.

Imagine your shoulder cage widening and pressing down. The bicep will do all the work if you let it. Gravity and time have a way of doing that.

Your anterior deltoids will be tempted to take over the brunt of the work, so keep that mind-muscle connection going with your pecs. These habitual, sedentary activities in modern life have a tendency to create slouchy spines. Fortunately, real delt flies are excellent for rear deltoids and the posterior chain and can be a really posture-improver. This exercise is similar to chest flies, but facing down.

Sculpted arms are a good look for you. Pay attention to your wrists and elbows while doing incline chest-triceps push-ups. Modify according to the needs of your body. Then flip over, and do pullovers, using a kettlebell or dumbbell. To engage more of the lat back muscles, prevent your elbows from flaring out too much — only keep them slightly soft.

First, place the ball against a wall or fence, lean against it, and reach one leg back. Lower, then return upright. Repeat on other leg. Be sure to activate your abdominal muscles while squatting. Keep your spine long, your pelvis centered, your waist tight, and your glutes squeezed. Asymmetrical muscular development can pull on your joints and tissues unevenly — such as your spine, knees, shoulders, and pelvis — and create imbalances.

Take an honest, objective look at yourself in the mirror and evaluate your development through the lens of symmetry. Whatever body part is lagging behind, train that area with a bit more effort and a bit more often. Lay on top of the ball, lowering your torso down so that your nose almost touches the ground.