How to Exercise With a Weight Ball : The Ultimate Guideline

As you progress through your fitness journey, you begin to crave equipment that helps with your training. A weighted ball is one of the many pieces of fitness equipment that can aid your fitness training. Before we dive into how to exercise with a weight ball, let’s discuss what it is and how it works.

An exercise ball helps with improving your body balance by working on the muscles in your body that supports and stabilizes your movements. This happens with the consistent throwing off the weight balls as part of your workout routine which also improves your flexibility and eye coordination.

Weight balls help in improving your exercises especially when you work out in your home. Allowing you to achieve the same intensity as you would in the gym workout. These balls are portable, versatile and affordable. Doing abs exercise with an exercise ball daily can help you burn more calories with simple movements.

If you are a busy person with little or no time to visit the gym, you can work out from anywhere with the exercise ball. You may take your exercise ball with you everywhere you go. Whether you are working on your laptop, doing school remotely, or a work from home mum, you can just sit on the exercise ball and feel as if you are at a gym. It’s a fantastic alternative because you can concentrate on your task and exercise at the same time.

These weight balls usually weigh between 1-50 pounds. Abs workout with exercise ball is included in workout sessions to increase the session’s intensity and challenge you to improve in your fitness journey. Weight balls can be used in strength training exercises, to improve movements and for core training.

Exercise balls are usually made out of leather and rubber. There are several different types of weight training balls. They include:

• Slam Balls: This weighs 10-50 pounds
• Dual Grip Ball: This weighs 6-20 pounds
• Soft Wall Ball: This weighs 6-30 pounds
• Classic Rubber Ball: This weighs 4-20 pounds
• Swiss Ball

BENEFITS OF WEIGHT BALL

• Core Stability
• Muscle Balance
• Posture
• Back and Spine Health

WEIGHT BALL EXERCISE FOR ABS

BALL CRUNCH

The ball crunch is an exercise that targets the abdominal muscles and also improves your core strength. Doing crunches with the ball increases the intensity of the workout.

How to Do a Ball Crunch Exercise

Lie down on the ball

To begin, gently lie on your ball and press your lower back against the ball’s surface. Bend your knees and strongly press your feet to the ground. Throughout the exercise, keep your hands on the sides of your head with your elbows wide open. You may also cross your arms on top of your chest or down your sides.

Put Yourself in a Stretching Position

Get yourself into a stretching position, roll back on the ball to lower your upper body and place your neck in a fixed position resting on your head.

Crunch

Inhale deeply and try to contract your abs before curling your torso upward until you feel a nice contraction of your abs. Ensure your lower back is pushed against the ball’s surface. Twist your shoulders up to about a reasonable height from the floor. If your arms are at your sides, slip them up the side of your thighs.

Exhale after contracting the abs as much as possible at the top of the movement. Pause for a few seconds, in the end, to increase the intensity and take the exercise ball crunches to a whole new level. At the same time, slowly breathe in and return to the starting point. Repeat for a total of 5-10 repetitions.

SIDE CRUNCH

The side crunch is an exercise that focuses on your oblique muscles and your abdominal muscles.

How to Do a Side Crunch With a Ball

Position yourself on the exercise ball

Begin with your feet firmly planted against a wall. Place your body on the stability ball, so that it is under and supporting your hips. Maintain a sideways posture with your hands beside your head.

Position your legs

Curl up your legs using only your obliques and core muscles while keeping your lower body locked into position.

Crunch

Lean fully back on the ball, allowing your back to follow the contour of the ball. Put your hands behind your head or cross your arms over your stomach. Exhale and tighten your abdominal muscles to lift your upper body off the ball. Hold this crunching position for a moment before inhaling and slowly relaxing the muscles to return to the ball.

JACKKNIFE

This is a low impact exercise for strengthening your abdominal muscles.

How to Do a Jackknife With a Ball

Put yourself in a pushup position. Begin behind the ball, put your torso on it, and roll forward until your hands are on the floor. In that position, walk out until the ball is under your ankles. Keep your arms stretched out and balanced on the ground and your hands aligned with your shoulder.

Roll the ball, bending your knees towards your torso till your knee touches your thigh, close to your chest. Then roll the ball back to the starting position. Repeat several times to make a rep.

SITTING TWISTS

This is a core exercise that strengthens your oblique muscles and improves your stability and balance.

How to Do a Sitting Twist With a Ball

Sit with your knees bent and heels on the floor holding the medicine ball with both hands in front of your abdomen. Tighten your core and stomach muscles. Then move your shoulders so that the ball lowers and touches the floor. Repeat with the other side, turn your shoulders and bring the ball to the other side.

Continue twisting your shoulders without stopping. Make sure you engage your shoulders, core and oblique muscles. As you get better, you will be able to lift your feet off the floor when doing the twists and turns.

RAISED LEGS CRUNCH

This exercise improves your pelvic stability and strengthens your core.

How to Do a Raised Legs Crunch With a Ball

Lie with your back flat on the floor and your feet raised and placed on the ball. Put your hands behind your head or cross your arms over your stomach. Exhale and tighten your abdominal muscles to lift your upper body from the floor towards the ball.

Hold this crunching position for a moment before inhaling and slowly relaxing the muscles to return to the starting position. Repeat this exercise as many times as you can.

WEIGHT BALL EXERCISE FOR ARMS

BALL TRICEPS EXTENSION

Roll yourself on the ball unto your upper back. Keeping your hips lifted, placing your weight on your legs with your heels firmly on the floor, keep your knees and shoulders in a straight line.

Stretch out your arms till your hands are facing each other, then lower them at your elbow, keeping your forearms moving. You can repeat this exercise 10-20 times, using a dumbbell.

BALL WRIST CURL

Begin by kneeling in front of the ball and bending over it. Place your forearms on top of the ball, palms up, and grasp a barbell or dumbbell. Position your hands such that you can curl up the weight and lower it without the ball interfering.

Begin the exercise with your wrist fully extended, letting the weight fall to your hand, then slowly curl it up, squeezing your forearm at the top. Return to the starting position, then repeat.

BALL TRICEPS EXTENSION – STANDING

Place the ball in a standing stance against a flat surface, such as a wall. Firmly press your forearms and palms against the ball. Use your body weight to lean on it. Maintain a flat back and feet on the floor.

Pull yourself away from the ball with your hands outstretched and your arms extended, contract your triceps, pause, and return to the beginning position. Repeat as many times as you can. Note that this exercise posture is similar to that of a pushup.

TRICEPS PUSHUP

Assume a push-up position on the ball with your hands close together. Put your hands under your upper chest and extend your head and shoulders beyond your hands. The exercise ball is quite wobbly and performing this exercise while keeping good form requires a lot of strength and coordination.

BICEP CURL

To do a medicine ball bicep curl, stand tall and hold the ball in front of your thighs with your arms straight. Then flex your arms and move the ball closer to your chest. Bending your elbows, or elbow joints works your biceps. To complete the workout, lower your arms.

WEIGHT BALL EXERCISE FOR CORE

STABILITY BALL CRUNCH

The stability ball crunch is an abdominal exercise that predominantly targets the abdominal muscles. It improves the strength and flexibility of the abdominal muscles.

Sit on the ball with your feet flat on the floor and hip-width apart, so that your knees and hips form a 90-degree angle. Roll down on the ball until your mid to lower back is in touch with it and your torso is parallel to the floor. Place your hands near the sides of your head or cross your arms across your chest.

Curl the torso so that the upper back is off the ball and gently bend the neck to bring the chin closer to the chest. Return to the beginning position slowly by uncurling the torso.

SQUAT AND TOSS

Pick an exercise ball and stand with your feet about hip-width apart and your toes slightly pointing outward. Position your hands beneath the ball so that it is at chest level. This is your starting point.

Begin by squatting such that your thighs are parallel to the ground and your knees are in line with your toes. As you rise from the squat, lift the medicine ball overhead, allowing it to leave your hands. Catch the ball and lower yourself into the next squat.

BALL HIP THRUST

First, lie on the ball. Then walk your feet out as you roll down the ball keeping contact with the lower shoulder blades. Place your feet on the ground under your knees. Engaging your abdominal muscles and pelvic, move your hips upward and downward. Keep your head connected to the movement of your torso. Repeat this as many times as you can.

FOREARM PLANK JACKS

This exercise strengthens your shoulders, arms and core. Get into a plank position with your arms stretched out and placed on the exercise ball. Shifting your weight backwards, roll the ball towards you till you are in a straight arm plank position.

Pause and return to the starting position gently. Make sure you engage your abdominal muscles and glutes. Repeat as many times as you can.

SQUAT AND SQUEEZES

Maintain a straight-ahead posture with your head and chest raised. Squats can be demanding on the knees. Keep your knees in line with your ankles and prevent bouncing at the end of the squat to minimize excess stress on your knees. Inhale as you descend into a squat and exhale as you stand with the ball between your knees. Roll up and down the wall until you are tired.

WEIGHT BALL WITH HANDLE EXERCISES

BALL SWING

Standing with your feet apart, wider than your shoulders, hold the exercise ball in your hands with both palms placed downwards. Keep your chest high and bend your knees into a squat position, lowering the ball in between your legs.

Swing the medicine ball up in one explosive motion as you press through your heels, straighten your legs, and pull your hips forward to a standing position with the ball above your head.

WOOD CHOPS

Stand with your feet slightly wider than your upper body and grip the medicine ball with one hand on each handle, palms facing in. Lift the ball into your chest and over your right shoulder by bending your elbows. Twist from the waist and come up onto your right toes as you turn your right knee in toward the left in one continuous movement.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

Take one hand on each handle of the medicine ball, palms facing each other. Bring it to the ground with straight arms and locked elbows, then step your feet back until your body forms a straight line between your heels and your head. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, with your shoulders packed over your wrists. As you draw your left knee into your right, brace your core.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)