Top 12 best exercises on a fitball for the abs
Fitball rolls
Perform complex coordination practice at the beginning of the block. It warms up the joints and tones all the muscles of the body.
- Lie on the ball, place your palms on the floor, and lift your legs in the center.
- Move your hands forward and move the ball behind you until it is under your pelvis.
- Align your body with a ruler, raise your head and stay in this position for 5 seconds.
- Make a series of reverse movements and return it to the starting position. Work until you get tired.
Push-ups on a fitness ball
Although lifting the body from a support requires maximum effort, compared to the classic version, their efficiency is much higher. Practice requires mental control and coordination of movements.
- Remaining in the same position, perform a series of push-ups.
- To make the process easier, roll the ball under your knees.
Single leg raises
- Lie on the sphere with emphasis on your shoulder blades, without touching the surface with your shoulders.
- Connect the hands at the back of the head into a lock.
- Bend your knees at a right angle and with a rounded back, pull your body and right leg up.
- Freeze for 3 seconds and repeat 14 more times.
- Repeat the movements for the opposite leg.
Direct rolls and ascents
- Lying on the floor, place your feet on an exercise ball.
- Using your abdominal muscles, roll it towards you.
- Pause and bring it back.
Crunches lying on the floor
- Now place your feet on the sphere. Place your hands behind your head.
- Pull your stomach in and pull your shoulders toward your hips until a burning sensation appears in your stomach.
For optimal training, perform 2 sets of 15 reps with legs bent and legs straight.
Fitball press for women while sitting
- Slide down from the ball.
- Without changing the position of your back, bend your knees.
- Raise your buttocks while straightening your knees. Roll the ball back with your shoulders, resting your shoulder blades on the surface.
- Make sure that a straight line is formed between the top of the head and the knees, and maximum tension is maintained in the abdominal muscles.
Lie down for 30 seconds and repeat 2-3 more times.
Glute bridge on a fitball
- Sit on the sphere with a straight back, placing your feet on the floor in line with your hips.
- Slide down until your shoulder blades touch the surface.
- Place your hands behind your head and perform pelvic lifts with tightened abdominal muscles.
Fitball exercises for oblique abdominal muscles
- From this position, lift your body up and to the left, reaching with your right hand to the opposite knee.
- Then return to IP and make similar movements to the right side.
Side plank
- Lean on the ball with your left side and hug it with your hand.
- Place the outer arch of your foot on the floor.
- Raise your top leg as much as possible and don’t forget about pauses at the top.
Hourglass
- Lower your back to the floor and hold the ball between your ankles.
- Without lifting your pelvis from the surface, move your legs in opposite directions (15x2).
Double crunches
- Take a lying position, hold the fitball between your knees.
- For balance, keep your hands at the back of your head.
- As you inhale, lift your shoulders and pull the ball up perpendicular to the floor.
Springs with ball transfer
- Without changing your position, take the ball in your hands and place it behind your head.
- Stretch your legs and lift them slightly off the floor.
- As you inhale, lift your shoulders and reach towards your feet. Place the ball between them, fix it, twist it and lie on your back.
- Then rise again and grab it with your hands, twisting at the waist in the opposite direction. Work until you get tired.
Reverse crunch exercise with a fitness ball
- Lie down, squeeze the exercise ball with both ankles, and raise them 45°.
- Support the back of your head with your palms closed.
- Lift your shoulder blades off the floor and stretch your shoulders toward the apparatus.
Girls and women who take care of themselves, regardless of age, pay great attention to their figure, doing everything possible to make it slim and attractive. For this purpose, they visit gyms and fitness centers, because physical exercise will allow them to correct their figure in problem areas. Particularly popular are exercises with a fitness ball, which can be performed even while at home, without special training.
This special device is often called a fitball or gymnastic ball. Regular exercise with a fitness ball has a positive effect on the body, namely:
- muscle tone increases;
- body flexibility develops;
- coordination improves;
- fat deposits are burned.
In order for exercises on the ball to be beneficial, it is important to choose the right indispensable device. For this purpose, it is better to visit sporting goods stores, where sellers must provide a table of the optimal ratio of the diameter of a gymnastic ball and the height of the athlete.
Basic exercises on a fitball for the press
Every self-respecting girl and woman should take care of her figure. To do this, it is not at all necessary to go to gyms or visit expensive fitness clubs. You can take care of yourself at home, the main thing is desire. The problem area of almost every representative of the fair sex is the stomach. To keep your abs toned and pumped up, it’s not enough just to watch your diet, you need to do special exercises for your abs. There are different sports techniques, but only a few of them are effective.
Today we will tell you how to pump up your abs using a fitball. Abdominal exercises on a fitball will help transform your figure and tighten your abs.
Features of fitball
Since this sports equipment was invented in the mid-twentieth century by the Swiss doctor Susan Kleinvogelbach, it is also called the Swiss ball. It was used for the rehabilitation of patients with a damaged central nervous system and an injured spine, cerebral palsy.
But during the classes, it became clear that convex rubber has a beneficial effect not only on the musculoskeletal system, but also on muscles, ligaments, the functioning of the vestibular apparatus and metabolism in the intervertebral discs improves, which allows them to quickly recover. Since the spine affects the functioning of all internal organs, a person feels better overall after exercising on this universal simulator. In addition to the healing effect, fitball helps to form beautiful posture.
In some ways, a fitball can serve as a substitute for an exercise bike, since it can be used on the spot while simultaneously performing active movements. Exercises for weight loss are based on physical properties, including the abdominal area, because it can safely touch the body, creating additional stress on the muscles.
The effectiveness of exercises on the ball
Fitball exercises are one of the most effective. When exercising with a fitball, you will constantly be under tension so as not to lose your balance and fall off the ball. Thanks to this, additional muscles are included in the work. The participation of stabilizer muscles makes abdominal exercises effective. There are no restrictions for practicing with a fitball; the main condition is to choose a ball that will match your height. If sitting on the ball, your legs are parallel to the floor, then the fitball is the right size for you. You can tighten your stomach and reduce your waist only with the help of properly selected sports equipment.
At one of the world's sports exhibitions, which took place in 2008, fitball was recognized as the most useful and effective fitness device.
Projectile selection
When choosing a ball, you need to make sure that it can withstand more than 150 kilograms of weight, is made of high-quality odorless rubber, and the surface must be dense and uniform. When purchasing from a store, ask permission to use it to make sure you are comfortable. Sit on the ball and make sure that there is a right angle between the thigh and shin; if this is not the case, ask for a ball of a different size. This way you can avoid excessive stress on your joints and internal organs.
A small ball of 45 centimeters is recommended for heights less than 150 centimeters, a ball of 55 centimeters for heights of 150 - 165 centimeters, a ball of 65 centimeters for heights of 165 - 180 centimeters, and balls of 75 centimeters in diameter are recommended for those taller.
General recommendations
A set of exercises on a fitball will help you pump up your abs at home. The execution scheme is quite simple, the complex is suitable even for beginners. The purpose of the exercises is to strengthen and develop the abdominal muscles. Some of them affect the rectus and oblique muscles, others affect everything. When working out your abs on a ball at home, it is important to perform several exercises with a fitball. This way you will not only load different muscle groups, resulting in an effective workout.
You can put your figure in order on your own; the main rule of home training is regularity.
Don’t be afraid to do fitball exercises - you definitely won’t harm your body. Exercises with a ball are used in their practice by physiotherapists and rehabilitation specialists, which once again confirms the safety and effectiveness of the “air projectile”. Do abdominal exercises on a fitball 3-4 times a week, and within a month not only you, but also those around you will notice the results.
Ab exercise: ball crunch
The first recommended exercise that will allow you to get the desired result is crunches on a fitball. In order to do the exercise correctly, you need to adhere to the following sequence:
- Sit on the ball, fix your hands on your chest.
- Then, moving your legs alternately, move the ball under your back. It is in this position that you will perform crunches on a fitball.
- Slowly raise your head, then your neck and shoulders. You will feel the tension in your abdominal muscles and then lie down on the ball again.
Please note that crunches must be performed from a sitting position.
By pumping the ball under your back, you will gradually prepare your muscles for work. At the beginning of the training complex, perform this exercise no more than 2 sets of 10 times. Over time, increase the time of crunches on the ball to 15 times in each approach. If you play sports and can withstand physical activity well, you can perform crunches with weights. A basketball or dumbbell is suitable for this. Fix your hands with weights behind your head, then do everything according to the described scheme. Initially, it is recommended to do three approaches of twelve times. The load can be gradually increased, the number of sets is 3, 15 repetitions.
Crunches with additional load are not recommended for beginners.
Exercise for the rectus and oblique abdominal muscles
Starting position, sitting on the ball. As in the previous technique, roll the fitball under your back and place your right hand behind your head. Lift your pelvis up, then your shoulders. Turn your right shoulder (if your right hand is behind your head) to the left. While performing the exercise, do not forget to pull in your stomach. Repeat the execution pattern with your left hand. This technique is aimed at strengthening the rectus and oblique abdominal muscles.
Start with a small number of repetitions; for beginners, two sets of 7-8 repetitions will be enough.
Butt lift exercise
For this ball exercise, take the starting position, lying down, fix the fitball between your ankles, do not bend your legs. It is further recommended to adhere to the following sequence:
- Place your hands behind your head, grab the support with them.
- Raise your buttocks for a few seconds, then return to the starting position.
Do not bend your lumbar region; only the abdominal muscles should be involved in lifting. Start the execution scheme with 12 reps, 2 approaches.
Ab exercise: rolling the ball away from you
A good exercise on a fitball would be to roll the ball away from you. To do this, kneel down and grab the ball with your hands. Pump it forward to feel the tension in your abdominal muscles. This technique is quite simple and effective. When performing it, it is important not to bend the spinal region, this will make it easier for you to perform, and there will be no stretching of the abdominal muscles. During the first training sessions, it will be enough to repeat the fitball rollbacks 30 times in two approaches.
- Lie on the floor and fix the exercise ball between your ankles, keep your hands behind your head.
- Raise your feet with the ball 45 degrees, lift your body and pull your arms towards your feet, then return to the starting position.
- For the first time, 1 approach with one repetition will be enough.
If you decide to pump up your abs on a ball, do this set of exercises. Between approaches, rest as little as possible so that the muscles do not lose tone. As you can see, there is nothing complicated about this.
Exercise effectiveness
“It’s difficult to remove me, easy to grow out and impossible to retract” - a joke about excess deposits in the abdominal area. It's funny for some, but for others it's an insurmountable problem.
If you want to lose weight and tone your muscles, I recommend training with a fitball. What are the benefits of playing with a ball:
- Improved coordination of movements. Believe me, at first it is difficult to stay on the ball. You have to balance and maintain balance all the time. This helps develop control over your body.
- All muscle groups are involved. Even if you just sit on the fitball, it tries to slip out. You need to constantly strain during training. These efforts help to lose weight in problem areas, including the abdomen and sides. Add special clothing to your training to enhance the effect of weight loss breeches and the results will be noticeable twice as fast.
- Posture alignment. Exercises on a fitball involve static and aerobic exercise. Taken together, such loads strengthen your posture.
- Strengthening ligaments. Muscle strength depends on strong ligaments. Systematic exercise on the ball allows you to make your ligaments and tendons strong.
- Development of flexibility. Training with a fitball helps stretch and lengthen muscles. This property of the muscle corset gives flexibility to the entire body.
- Burning calories. Active training with constant muscle tension contributes to successful weight loss in “difficult places”: hips, abdomen, sides and legs.
Advantages and functions of fitball
With a lot of weight, there is a lot of stress on the back and limbs. The fitball will help you perform the exercise with maximum efficiency, without overloading your back, knees, or legs. It is especially recommended for people suffering from excess weight, varicose veins, joint diseases and disorders of the spine.
Due to its versatility, fitball is especially effective for achieving a slim figure. Performing one exercise, almost all muscles are involved. Exercises with a fitball can be performed by both older people and very young people.
Fitballs are easy to purchase in all sports stores. Its cost is publicly available. You can practice with it yourself at home.