“Have a Ball” Full Body Stability Ball Workout

I love a fun workout!  One that you aren’t dreading, one that makes you laugh at yourself a bit.  A workout that goes by quicker than you expect because you are actually enjoying it.  They can be hard to come by, but when I do find one I try to keep it in my rotation and come up with new ways to challenge myself with it.

Stability balls can provide an awesome workout as they take a regular move and add a whole new dimension of crazy to it.  For instance, a pushup is much harder when you are trying to balance on a ball, but it takes it from the boring old standby that everyone knows to something much more fun.

So come on, let’s have a ball with this full body stability ball workout!

Okay, let’s start by getting a few things out of the way…firstly, please ignore my cheese sauce faces in these photos.  I usually set my tripod up and work with a self timer when taking workout photos, but my hubby was around and offered to help.  Of course his “helping” was making me crack up and give him silly faces.  Secondly, yes…I totally moved my living room furniture out of the way for this.  I normally work out in my bedroom (we are working on adding a home gym to our garage right now – yay!), but I figured that you didn’t need to see my pile of dirty laundry or my stack of Game of Thrones DVDs that are never more than 6 inches from my Blu-ray player just in case I get the urge to watch my most recent favorite character meet a cruel and untimely death.  And lastly, there is no special equipment needed for this workout other than a stability ball and a great attitude.  If you don’t have a stability ball, no worries.  You can pick one up almost anywhere (even Walmart and Target) for less than $10.  It’s totally worth it, and your kids will love it too!

Whew, now that all of that is out of the way, let’s get to work!

Reverse Lunges

With one foot on the ball behind you, lunge forward with your opposite leg, making sure that your knee does not go over your toes.

Ball-Cycle

Just a cute name for a bicycle crunch done while holding the ball with your feet.  Crunch up and bring opposite knee to opposite elbow, return to center and repeat on the other side.

One Leg or Pistol Squat

This is a challenging squat that I have been trying to conquer for a while now.  I cannot seem to do it without either a ball or holding on to something.  My goal is to be able to knock these out like a champ one day soon.  For now, I place the ball between my low back and the wall and slowly squat on one leg, while holding the other leg straight out in front of myself.

Plank to Pike

Oh how I love these!  They burn your core, but they are just so darn fun to do.  Start out in plank position with your feet on the ball.  Start pushing your bottom into the air and pulling the ball in with your feet at the same time.  Try to get as close to 90* as you can.  Return to plank position and repeat.

Tricep Dips

I find this move to be easier when the ball is in a corner, but definitely leave it out in the middle of your space if you are able.  With hands on the ball behind you, slowly dip your body down, so your elbows are at a 90* bend and push back up.  Try not to let your legs help you out!

Windshield Wipers

My kids are in love with this move!  It’s pretty straightforward.  While flat on your back with arms out to your sides, hold the ball between your legs and slowly twist to one side.  Making sure that you are keeping your core tight and back on the mat, bring your legs back to center and then to the opposite side.

Squats

Looking to up your booty game this summer?  Squats are where it is at!  When I started working out with my trainer, I went from no butt to looking like I got a booty implant and squats played an enormous role in that.  Love them!  With the ball behind your back, squat down to a 90* bend in the knees, then stand back up.  Make sure to squeeze that butt at the top each and every time!

Plank Leg Lifts

Again, I’ve got my ball in the corner (if you’re a rockstar and thinking, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner,” then by all means throw it out in the center of the room and get some!).  Start in plank position and raise one leg at a time while keeping the other foot on the ball.  Squeeze your booty at the top each time.

Push Ups

Nothing fancy about this move, it’s your standard push up, just done with your feet kicked back on the ball.  Again, this move can be done with the ball in the corner or freestanding.

Hands to Feet Crunch

Don’t worry, I saved the best for last!  This move is so much fun, I am obsessed with it!  Start by laying back, ball in your hands above your head.  Crunch up, bringing both hands and feet together while crunched.  Transfer the ball from your hands to your feet and slowly lower yourself back to the mat.  Now repeat, except this time you will pass the ball from your feet to your hands.  Fun, right?!

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds each with a ten second rest in between.  That should give you just enough time to get into position for the next move, but not enough to cool off.  Repeat the entire workout four times through.  *Tip: I like to do even numbers of rounds so that I can do right, left, right, left and not worry about trying to switch my legs in the middle of a 30 second set.  Be sure to warm up and cool down before and after as well.

And remember, the stability ball adds a new layer of challenge to your moves.  Don’t worry if you slide off or fall over.  Just get back up and keep at it.

Most importantly…have a ball!  😉