Build Strength and Balance in Your Upper Back with an Exercise Ball

You can use an exercise ball for a variation of chest flies. Drape your body across the top of the ball. Extend your legs, keeping the balls of your feet on the floor, and keep your stomach on the ball. Hold a small, weighted ball or a soup can in each hand and extend your arms perpendicular to your body. Raise and lower your arms about two inches and repeat 15 times.

Exercise Balls Build Balanced Abs

Doing situps with an execise ball under your shoulders will engage your deep abdominal muscle much more than doing situps while lying on the floor.
Position the ball underneath your shoulders and bend your knees, keeping your feet flat on the floor. You will engage the transversus abdominis, the muscle that wraps around the lower torso below the rib cage. This muscle helps you keep your balance while standing, and complements other ab exercises for a total abdominal workout.

Athletes Take Note: Exercise balls Can Help Loosen Tight Hips

Many serious athletes, and runners in particular, suffer from tight hips, and a fitness ball exercise can help. Sit on the ball with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Slowly rotate your hips clockwise 3 to 5 times, then reverse. Breathe deeply and concentrate on releasing tightness in the hips and lower back. Repeat as needed.

Start in a seated base position. Slowly circle your hips clockwise three to five times; reverse, circling counterclockwise. Focus on releasing tension in the hips and lower back.

Fitness Ball Exercises Firm Your Thighs

Thighs can benefit from a fitness ball workout. As an alternative to the adductor/abductor machines at the gym, try this: lie on the floor on your left side with the fitness ball on top of your right thigh. Use your right hand to hold the ball in place. Bend your left arm and prop your head on your left hand.
Lift the right leg, leading with the right heel, and use your right hand to hold the ball in place. Repeat 10-15 times, then switch sides.

Choose an Exercise Ball Size Based on Your Height

An ideal fitness ball size lets you sit on the ball with your knees at about a 90-degree angle and feet flat on the floor.
Some generally accepted guidelines for choosing a ball size are:
- 45 cm diameter: Under 4'8''
- 55 cm diameter: 4'8'' to 5'4''
- 65 cm diameter: 5'4'' to 5'10''
- 75 cm diameter: 5'10'' to 6'4''
If you are on the cusp of one of the sizes, stand next to a ball and see which size is at or just above knee level.

Sports Specific Training

Balance training on a BOSU Ball improved postural control and sport-related activities in a recent study. The BOSU Ball is a unique device. Although it is like half a ball, you can do exercises on it that you wouldn't do on other devices. Athletes and coaches devise sports specific exercises, and fitness enthusiasts use it for a variety of balance and agility exercises.

Fitness Ball Exercises Firm Your Glutes

Strengthen both your glutes and calves with this exercise: Lie with your back on the floor, legs extended fully, and heels on top of the fitness ball. Rest your arms on the floor by your sides. Slowly raise your buttocks off the floor while contracting your abs. Lower slowly, and repeat 10-15 times. If you are strong enough, don't let your buttocks reach the floor between repetitions, just lower them to a few inches above the floor before lifting again.

Get the Right Ball

Inflatable fitness balls are remarkably sturdy and durable. Even so, it's important to get the best one for your purpose. If you are a small individual who intends to use the ball as part of a flexibility program, a quality ball with lighter construction is fine. If you are a large individual and/or you are going to sit on the ball while doing heavy strength training, you should use a stronger ball.

Ball Exercise vs. Floor Exercise

For five weeks of core stability and balance exercises, researchers compared an experimental group who did curl-ups and back extensions on an exercise ball with a group who did the same exercises on the floor. Those who did ball exercises had better balance scores than a control group who did the exercises on the floor.

Trim Triceps With Use of an Exercise Ball

Performing an overhead triceps extension while sitting on an exercise ball also enhances your balance. Why? Because sitting on the ball engages your core muscles and keeps you from falling off the ball. Be sure to keep your abs tight to avoid arching and straining your back. Hold one end of a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms bent at 90 degrees. Slowly extend your arms until the dumbbell is above your head. Repeat 8-15 times, then rest and do another set of 8-15 repetitions.

Exercise Ball for Abs

Using an exercise ball will make the basic abdominal crunch more effective. Lie on your back, bend your hips and knees 90 degrees, and rest your lower legs on the ball. Curl up until your shoulder blades clear the floor but your lower back is flat on the floor, then return. Using a ball makes it easier to use the correct range of motion and trains core stability because of the slight instability introduced by the ball.

Burn Calories by Sitting

Research has shown that people who tend to fidget a lot burn more calories. When you sit on an exercise ball, you constantly make small movements to maintain balance. These movements are invigorating rather than tiring, and they add extra activity to your day.

Exercise Balls Can Relieve Back Pain

Exercise balls strengthen the core muscles in the body and improve balance. This way, exercise ball workouts can help relieve back pain when done mindfully and carefully. Many people have an imbalance between the strength in the lower back muscles and the abdominal muscles that leads to back pain.
One exercise to try: stand with the exercise ball between your low back and the wall. Slowly walk your feet away from the wall and bend your knees to a 45-degree to 90-degree angle, depending on your fitness level, and hold the position for 45 seconds. Gradually straighten the knees and return to the starting position.

Exercise Balls Add Power to Your Push-ups

One way to build upper-body strength with an exercise ball is to roll across the top of the ball so your lower legs and feet rest on the ball while your hands are on the floor in pushup position. Do 10-15 pushups with your feet on the ball. This will not only build upper body strength, but it helps to increase your core body strength because you will engage your core muscles to keep your balance and keep from falling off the ball.

Balance Balls Can Help With Injury Recovery

Balance ball exercises are a great way to help you gain strength and mobility after an injury. Depending on the nature of the injury, a balance ball workout allows you to engage many different muscle groups without irritating the injured area. For example, a shoulder injury may keep you from traditional weight-lifting, but balance ball exercises can work some of the same muscle groups. But be sure to seek advice from your doctor, physical therapist, or other medical professional before returning to exercise after an injury so you can develop a safe injury rehabilitation plan.

Stretch Safely and Simply With an Exercise Ball

Balance balls aren't just for vigorous exercises. A balance ball workout can include simply stretching, especially stretching the sides and back. Try this simple, but effective stretch: Sit on the ball with your fingertips behind your head and your elbows pointing to the sides. Slowly walk your feet out until your upper back is lying on the ball. Allow your head to fall back, but support it as needed on the ball on with your hands. For more intensity, release your arms and stretch them overhead, and walk your legs out farther from the ball. Remember to breathe deeply and hold the stretch for as long as you feel comfortable.

Ball Chairs Help Posture

Consider your posture when you decide whether you want to sit on an exercise ball instead of a traditional chair. Do you tend to slump in your chair? You probably know that sliding down in your chair and rounding your back is bad for your posture, but it's hard to break long-time habits, and even the best designed chair may not correct this one. If you tend to slump, sit on an exercise ball whenever you can. It doesn't let you slump and you have to maintain your balance to keep your seat.

Exercise Ball are Fun For Kids

Children can enjoy and benefit from exercise balls. Children aged 5 years and younger should stick to the smallest (45 cm) size. They can do many of the same structured exercises as adults, with modifications, or they may just want to roll, bounce, and play. If you want more information about Swiss ball activities for kids, search online for exercise videos for kids.

Don't Over-Inflate Your Exercise Ball

When you first inflate your fitness ball, follow the manufacturer's instructions and fill the ball to the point where it gives slightly when pushed. It should not be so tight that there is no give at all, but it should not be too squishy, either. Then you can add more air as desired, but the ball should not be so tight that there is no give at all; you may need to experiment. Remember that a firmer ball is more difficult to sit on, so if you are new to a fitness ball workout, start with a less firm ball that provides a wider platform for sitting.