Staying fit and exercising regularly is a form of self care for many. However, with so many different forms and types of workouts, it can get intimidating, especially for a beginner.
Whether you’re into fitness or not, you must have seen people exercising with a gym ball. This underrated gym equipment is also known as a stability ball or an exercise ball.
Today, we will not only talk about the many lesser known benefits of using an exercise ball but also share 5 high intensity gym ball exercises with you.
Pull up your socks because it’s time to get that dream body!
Benefits Of An Exercise Ball
When it comes to fitness, most of us tend to rely on weight training as the best form of resistance. However, using a gym ball is a great way too. More so, buying fancy gym equipment can be really heavy on the pockets, while buying an exercise ball is way cheaper.
Coming to the health benefits, a gym ball is popularly used for active sitting. Which means your muscles are active, even when you’re sitting, especially if it’s for long hours at an end (anyone still working from home?).
Other than that, it also helps in strengthening your spine and improving overall posture. Adding a gym ball to your core workouts is an excellent way to amp up the difficulty levels. Lastly, it also helps in improving flexibility.
Now that you know all about the many benefits of using a gym ball in your workouts, here are some intense exercises to get your heart rate up!
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1. Gym Ball Crunches
This is one of the most popular gym ball exercises. We all know how to do abdominal crunches, but if you really want to work those abs, try doing crunches on an exercise ball. It’s not as easy as it looks. This exercise will not only strengthen your abs but also your back.
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2. Jack Knife Exercise
Taking it up a notch, our next gym ball exercise will definitely work your abs. Start off by getting into an elevated high plank position, with a gym ball under your feet. Next, rolling your legs over the ball, tuck your knees inwards, towards your chest. Go back to the initial position by straightening out your legs and repeat. Make sure to not sink in your back and you are sure to feel that burn!
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3. Hamstring Curl
Like we said, gym ball exercises help with the back and core the most. This next exercise is a great example of the same. Lie on your back with an exercise ball tucked under your foot. Place your arms on your side and lift up your hips. Now squeeze in your abs and bend your knees, drawing the ball closer to your hips.
Your knees should be pointing upwards towards the ceiling in this position. Now straighten them out and repeat, while making sure that your hips aren’t touching the ground.
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4. Decline Push-Ups
Push up is one of the most versatile bodyweight exercises out there, with so many variations for you to try. Well, today we will only talk about decline push ups using an exercise ball. All that you need to do is tuck in a ball under your feet and do your push-ups as you normally would. Balancing on the ball while doing the push-up adds an extra challenge for your core.
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5. V-Pass Exercise
The last one on our list of best gym ball exercises is a form of leg raise. If you like doing leg raises for your abs, you’ll love this one. Lie on your back and place the gym ball between your feet. Make sure your knees are straight. Now all that you need to do is pass the ball from your legs to your hands, while raising your legs and arms. Repeat this and make sure to bring your arms and legs all the way down each time.
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The Bottomline
Now go ahead and try out these gym exercises for yourself. Trust us, they aren’t as easy as they seem. If you want stronger abs and back, these exercises will not disappoint you!
