How to Use an Exercise Ball for Exercise

Creating a home gym can be a great option for anyone that is looking to add exercise to their daily routine but doesn’t want to invest in an expensive gym membership.  A must have item in any home gym is an exercise ball.   Exercise balls can be purchased in different dimensions dependent on the size of the exerciser. Two important benefits of an exercise ball are their price and their versatility.  Exercise balls can be found in the fitness section of most mass merchandisers for less than $20.  They are also very versatile and can be used for many types of exercise.   Following are some different ideas on how to use an exercise ball for exercise.

Core Strengthening Exercise

An exercise ball is commonly used to strengthen the muscles of the abdominal, oblique and back muscles.  An abdominal crunch is an exercise done by sitting on the exercise ball with your feet planted firmly on the floor.  Crossing your arms over your chest, lean back until you feel the muscles of the midsection tighten, hold for 3 seconds, then return to an upward seated position.   Repeat 10 to 15 times. 

Chest Exercise

 An inexpensive exercise ball can easily be transformed into a workout bench which can be used to do multiple exercises that work the muscles of the chest.   A standard dumbbell press that is normally done on a more expensive bench can easily be recreated on an exercise ball.   Lie on your back with your shoulder blades on the exercise ball and your legs at a 90 degree angle and your feet firmly planted on the floor.  Slowly raise and lower a dumbbell on either side of your chest until you have reached the desired number of lifts.   

Arm Exercise

If you are looking to tone and sculpt your arms an exercise ball can help you get the results you crave.  Whether you are using your own body weight or adding free weights there are several  ball exercises that work the arms.  The exercises can be as simple as seated biceps or triceps curls using the exercise ball as a seat to support you while you are doing arm curls.  Not only will you see results from the arm curls but you will also get benefits to your abdominal muscles because you need to use your core to stabilize you while seated on the ball. 

Leg Exercise

Some leg exercises that use the exercise ball can be somewhat challenging because they require  balancing on one leg while working the other.  However, a simply exercise that keeps both feet on the floor is a wall squat.  This exercise is accomplished by squatting against the exercise ball that is pressed up against a wall.  Start in a squat position and slowly raise yourself and the ball up along the wall to a standing position.  Then reverse your movement to lower yourself back down into the squat position.  Repeat 10 to 15 times.