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4 Reasons to Add an Exercise Ball to Your Home Gym

Leta Shy — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:58:44 PDT

The exercise ball may occupy a lot of room in your home gym, but it's one versatile piece of equipment. Find out how to get the most out of your exercise ball below.

A healthier seat: Ditch your normal seat on the couch and sit on an exercise ball instead. Using a ball to sit helps correct your posture, tones your abs, and encourages you to stretch, all of which sounds a lot better than the lower back pain that too much sitting on the couch can cause.

Routine shakeup: Adding an exercise ball to your normal mat routines can shake things up and challenge you. For example, you can plank using an exercise ball at your feet to make holding your pose that much harder, or sit or lay on your exercise ball while you execute arm exercises. Even just practicing your balance by kneeling on the exercise ball can help you tone and whittle. Need some ideas? Try these amazingly effective ab and butt workouts using the exercise ball:

Find out how to do the plank pike and the hamstring curl using an exercise ball with this advanced exercise ball workout video.
Skip boring crunches and do this ball pass ab exercise instead.
Challenge your core and balance with this single-leg squat, done against a wall using an exercise ball.
Lie on the ball and work your arms with this chest press move.

Read on for more reasons to use an exercise ball.

Tone Your Abs and Booty With Two Easy Moves

Susi May — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:41:16 PDT

We love the versatility of the exercise ball and decided to share our two favorite moves with you: learn how to work your abs without crunches and your backside without squats. Remember, size does matter! It's best to work with a ball appropriately sized for you, so check out this exercise ball chart to see what dimension best fits you.

Reasons to Give Up Your Desk Chair For an Exercise Ball

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:08:06 PST

This week I replaced my office chair with an exercise ball. Aside from being fun to bounce around on while blogging, sitting on a ball over a regular desk chair has other benefits. If you're desk-bound, here are some reasons to consider swapping out your chair for a stability ball.

Better Posture
With no chair back to slouch into or armrests to lean on, you're almost forced to keep your back straight, which can encourage better posture. Although there's no scientific evidence to back this up - studies show that sitting on a medicine ball can still lead to slumping - I have to say that my posture has definitely improved since I started using a medicine ball instead of a chair. Using an exercise ball doesn't automatically result in better posture; you have to remain aware of your torso and maintain a straight spine. Of course you can do this on a regular chair too, but sitting on a ball with no back or arms acts a constant reminder.

Stronger Core
Sitting up tall forces you to use your core muscles, which not only tones your midsection, but can also help prevent back pain. Remember to actively sit on the ball with a straight back - slouching forward on a ball will not give you a six pack!

Continue reading to find out two more reasons you'll want to sit on an exercise ball at your desk.

How to Get Your Arms Picture-Perfect For the Big Day

Heather Dale — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 04:23:15 PDT

I'm in full-on wedding planning mode - I've decided on the venue, the photographer is booked, and the save-the-dates have been sent. But there's one area I haven't really tackled yet - my "get in tip-top shape for the wedding" game plan.

Here's the thing, I just want to tone up and look my best, so I don't think that requires going to boot camp for three hours a day until the big day. An area of my body that I would like to get picture-perfect ready is my arms - a neglected area that thankfully gets a decent regular workout during yoga class. Other than that, I don't do weights or targeted arm exercises. . . sorry biceps.

I'm not stressing at all, because I know if I start incorporating some of the following exercises into my regular fitness routine, I'll be all set to show off my arms when the wedding day arrives. And you will too! Here are some of my favorites:

Weekend Workout: Arms, Abs, and Booty on the Ball

FitSugar — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 03:05:46 PDT

If you're pressed for time and can't fit in a long workout, you can still effectively tone your upper body, core, and tush. Grab an exercise ball and do 20 reps of each exercise, and cycle through the routine three times.

Push-Ups With Tuck Crunch

Crunches on an Exercise Ball

Plank Booty Leg Lifts

Itching for more short workouts? Check out these Weekend Workouts to learn how to tone other areas of your body.

Stretch It: Spinal Stretch on the Ball

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 06:24:10 PST

Hands down, this is one of my favorite stretches to do on an exercise ball. It feels good on your back, but also gives your abs, chest, and shoulders a wonderful stretch. It's the type of stretch you do and immediately say, "ahhh."

To learn how to do this relaxing stretch

Sit on an exercise ball, lean back, and walk your feet out so the ball is now underneath your spine. Keep your knees bent and your feet hip distance apart for stability.
Slowly walk your feet away from you to straighten your legs.
Extend your arms overhead to increase the stretch.
Stay here for 30 seconds, breathing deeply as you lengthen through the spine.
To release, walk your feet in and sit up.

I try to do this stretch after spin class or long bike rides. It's a great antidote for hunching over handlebars or a keyboard.

Get on the Ball: 5 Commercial Break Exercises

Michele Bell — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 04:30:07 PST

'Tis the season for terribly cheesy commercials. Instead of sitting on the couch and listening to that Kay's jingle or watching another ridiculous, "He got it at Jared's!" spot, get off your bum and get on the ball! These five simple and quick workouts are perfect to do during the downtime of your favorite show and will have you in better shape than those silly Old Navy mannequins. Come check them out and get ready to roll!

Source: Thinkstock

Get on the Ball: Upper Back Lifts

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 08:00:12 PDT

We devote much of our strength training sessions to our arms, abs, and legs, but not a ton of attention is paid to our backs. Not only is a sculpted back sexy, but strengthening those muscles can also prevent back and neck pain, and make running and other physical activities easier.

Grab an exercise ball and give this effective exercise a try when you read more.

Do You Use a Stability Ball?

FitSugar — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 04:30:03 PDT

Looking for a way to amp up your ab work? Then get on the ball! An inflatable rubber stability ball may look like a toy, but it's a great way to make your workout harder.

There are so many ways to use them, from torso stretches to thigh twists to arm-toning moves and, of course, ab work - the list just goes on and on. No wonder stability balls are so popular. Still, I know plenty of people who've never used one. How about you?

Get on the Ball: Side-Leg Lifts

FitSugar — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:30:00 PDT

Using an exercise ball when strength training is a great way to add a little bit more challenge to basic exercises. Since you have to work hard to keep the ball in place, you end up using more muscle groups. This exercise will tone your thighs, especially your inner thighs and also your core.

For instruction

Lie on your side on the floor with your arms crossed in front of your body. If this is uncomfortable, bend your bottom elbow and rest your head on your hand.
Place a large exercise ball in between your feet and slowly lift the ball up toward the ceiling using only your hips and butt. Return to the start position. This counts as one repetition.
Complete three sets of 15 reps.