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An Exercise Ball Workout For Transforming Your Core

This exercise ball workout is the third in a three part series. This one focusses mainly on working your core muscles. It is so important to keep these muscles strong. A strong core not only look great but it helps you maintain good posture and stops lower back pain.

Lets get this show on the road...

Here's what you'll learn from this exercise ball workout:

 

 

Abdominal Squeeze With Hip Raise

This exercise is great for your abdominals. Your muscles have to do a lot of work to keep your body stable on the ball. The exercise also helps to strengthen your arms because you have to hold your body up.

  1. Get into a pressup position with the exercise ball supporting your feet
  2. The exercise ball should be placed on your lower shins
  3. Bend your body at the hips and roll your feet along the exercise ball
  4. Stop and hold when you get to a right-angle
  5. Lower back down again
  6. Repeat

 

Tom doing calf raises with an exercise ball

Tom doing calf raises with an exercise ball

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Exercise Ball Lift

This is an excellent abdominal exercise. The added weight of the ball makes it more difficult than your basic crunch.

  1. Get into the position shown in photo one
  2. Crunch your abdominals and lift the ball up vertically in the air
  3. Make sure you keep your lower back on the ground
  4. Lower back down to the floor
  5. Repeat

 

Tom is doing lower back squeezes with an exercise ball

Tom is doing lower back squeezes with an exercise ball

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Dumbbell Tricep Dips

This is a very good tricep exercise. The unstable ball makes you need to work even harder to stay in position. :)

You don't have to use dumbbells as the weight on your lap if you don't want to. Get creative... How about a bag of sand?

  1. Get into the position shown in photo one.
  2. Lower your hips towards the ground.
  3. Stop when your elbows are at right angles
  4. Push up again
  5. Repeat

 

Tom is doing a chest exercise by using the exercise ball and a wallTom is doing a chest exercise by using the exercise ball and a wall

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Dumbbell Crunch

This exercise can take a bit of trial and error to find out the perfect spot for the exercise ball to be placed. You'll know you're in the wrong place because your abdominals won't be tensing much.

  1. Lie with the exercise ball at about lower back level
  2. Place the weight behind your head
  3. Crunch up using your abdominal muscles
  4. Lower back down
  5. Repeat

 

 

Tom doing a thigh dip with an exercise ball

Tom doing a thigh dip with an exercise ball

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Straight Leg Hip Raise

This exercise will work your back, hamstrings and glutes. It's great if you don't have a lot of time. Just do a few sets of these and that's a fairly good workout.

  1. Lie on your back with your feet raised up onto the exercise ball
  2. Lift your hips up as high as you can (You can use your arms for balance)
  3. Hold for 2 seconds
  4. Lower back down slowly
  5. Repeat

 

 

Tom doing a thigh dip with an exercise ball

Tom doing a thigh dip with an exercise ball

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Full Abdominal Crunch

 

  1. Lie on your back with your feet up on the exercise ball
  2. Crunch up and roll the exercise ball towards you.
  3. Keep your lower back on the ground
  4. Lower back down again and roll the ball away
  5. Repeat

 

Tom is doing a chest exercise by using the exercise ball and a wall

Tom is doing a chest exercise by using the exercise ball and a wall

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We hope you enjoyed the exercise ball workout. If you combine it with other ab exercises you're sure to turn heads. Hey, you might even win the abdominals competition...

Just in case you haven't seen the other two workouts, here they are...

 

Other fitness training articles that we have linked to from this page:

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