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9 Exercise Ball Moves That Strengthen Your Entire Body

Reminder! We’ve partnered up with the good peeps at PaleoHacks to bring you recipes (like this immunity-boosting soup), workouts (like this leg day at home one), tips, and more! PaleoHacks is a top source for amazing Paleo recipes, fitness tips, and wellness advice to help you live life to the fullest. Read on for one great workout using an exercise ball!

9 Exercise Ball Moves That Strengthen Your Entire Body

If you’ve ever used an exercise ball, then you know that they are complete gold when it comes to building core strength and stability. That’s because the circular shape of the exercise ball requires the deep abdominal muscles, obliques, lower back, and glutes to activate in order for you to keep your balance. Building strength in these muscles is essential for maintaining proper posture, increasing mobility, and preventing lower back pain.

What’s even better is that you can use your exercise ball in your office as your desk chair to increase core strength, improve posture, stay alert, and improve lower back and hip pain. Then, when it’s time to do your workout, all you have to do is roll your ball off to the side and get started!

All you need for these moves is a medium or large exercise ball and an exercise mat. Remember to always listen to your body and stop any exercise if it doesn’t feel right.

Wall Squats | 10-15 reps

Build strength and stability in your glutes, thighs, and core with this exercise.

  1. Stand with your back to a wall. Set the exercise ball behind your lower back, using the wall to keep it in place. Walk your feet as far forward as you can while still leaning against the ball. Clasp your hands together in front of your chest and separate your feet hip-width distance apart. Engage your abs.
  2. On an inhale, sit your hips back and down so that the ball rolls up towards your shoulders. Bend the knees to 90 degrees and make sure that they are stacked over your ankles.
  3. Then, exhale as you press into your heels to straighten your legs and stand back up to the starting position.
  4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Leg Curls | 15 reps

This exercise strengthens and tones the hamstrings, calves, and of course, the core!

  1. Lie on your back and prop your ankles up on the ball. Reach your arms down alongside your body and engage your abs.
  2. Press into your arms and heels to lift your hips off the ground. Make sure that you can maintain your balance here.
  3. Exhale to bend your knees and curl your heels in towards your glutes, rolling the ball in towards your body. Then slowly inhale to roll the ball back out as you straighten your legs.
  4. Repeat for 15 reps.

Bulgarian Split Squat | 8-10 reps per side

This exercise will make your thighs and booty burn while challenging your core to keep you stable. If you need help with balance, place your hand on a wall for support.

  1. Stand with the ball a few feet behind you. Shift your weight into your right foot and place the top of your left foot on top of the ball. Hop your right foot forward a bit so that your stance is wide. Engage your abs and place your hands on your hips.
  2. Inhale to bend your knees to come into a lunge. Keep the front knee stacked over the ankle and work to bring the thigh parallel to the ground.
  3. Exhale to press into the front heel and straighten the legs back out. Squeeze your glutes at the top.
  4. Repeat for 8-10 reps, then switch legs.

High Plank | 30-60 sec

You’ll feel your shoulders, arms, abs, and thighs working hard as you hold this simple, but effective, isometric exercise.

  1. Lie on the ball on your belly. Place your hands on the floor and then walk forward until your shins are on the ball and you are in a high plank position.
  2. Engage your abs and thighs and press down firmly through your palms so that your upper back is puffing up slightly.
  3. Hold here and breathe deeply. Start by holding for 30 seconds, then work up to 60 seconds as you get stronger.

Decline Push-up | 8-10 reps

Get ready to see those shoulder and chest muscles pop after you try out this exercise!

  1. Start in the high plank position, and engage your abs.
  2. Inhale to bend your elbows out to the sides and lower your head and chest towards the ground to do a push-up.
  3. Exhale to press through your palms and straighten your arms back out.
  4. Repeat for 8-10 reps.

Back Extension With Fly | 15 reps

Strengthen your shoulders and upper and lower back with this exercise. You can make it even more challenging by holding a lightweight dumbbell in each hand.

  1. Kneel facing away from a wall, so that your feet touch the bottom of the wall. Place the ball in front of you so it’s touching your belly.
  2. Press into your feet and lift your knees off the ground so that you are lying on the ball with it under your belly. Reach your arms in front of you and bend the elbows to 90 degrees, bringing the forearms to touch.
  3. Exhale to lift your torso up and back, coming into a back extension. At the same time, fly your arms out and back. Pause at the top to squeeze your shoulder blades together. Inhale to lower back down.
  4. Repeat for 15 reps.

Forearm Plank | 30-60 sec

This simple exercise builds strength in your deep stabilizing core muscles, as well as in the chest, shoulders, and thighs.

  1. Place your forearms down on top of the ball and clasp your hands together.
  2. Step your feet back one at a time to come into a forearm plank position.
  3. Press down through your forearms to keep your shoulder blades from caving in and firm up your abs, glutes, and quadriceps.
  4. Hold for 30-60 seconds.

Leg Raises | 10-15 reps

Tone up your lower abs and inner thighs with this exercise. Keep in mind that the lower you bring the ball towards the ground, the harder the exercise will be.

  1. Lie on your back with the exercise ball between your feet. Slide your palms underneath your booty and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
  2. Squeeze the ball between your ankles and straighten your legs up towards the sky. Draw your navel in towards your spine and press your lower back down.
  3. Inhale to lower your straight legs and the ball halfway towards the ground, squeezing through your inner thighs. Then, exhale to lift it back up towards the sky, using your lower abs.
  4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Ball Tucks | 10-15 reps

This dynamic exercise will build strong abs as you also work the arms, shoulders, chest, and thighs!

  1. Start lying on the ball on your belly.
  2. Set your palms on the ground and walk your hands forward until you’re in a high plank position with your shins on top of the ball. Press firmly through your palms so that your upper back and arms feel strong.
  3. Exhale to lift your hips up and bend your knees into your chest to roll the ball in towards your arms. Then, inhale to slowly roll the ball back out and straighten your body.
  4. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Who knew you could do so much strength work with an exercise ball? –Kelly Collins

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Comments

4 Comments
  1. Emily G says:

    Since I do not get time to do gym all the time, I realized, having exercise ball makes things so much easier to move and sweat without losing space to chunky gym machines at home.
    These workouts sound amazing for me!

  2. Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table, but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Purefun says:

    Wonderful article and helpful tips. These tips should be implemented. They will immensely help to strengthen the body.

  4. Recently, I’ve seen your article and read it carefully. You’ve explained very good. I really liked it. So, keep up the good work. your all ball moves exercises are really good. I will try all the exercises, Specially the lower chest exercise i will definitely do. I am always excited for your upcoming Post.

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