A stability ball can be a great tool to do a wide variety of abdominal exercises. With stability ball training, you are made to balance in an unstable environment, which forces you to use your stabilizer and neutralizer muscles in particular positions or motions.
This is not the only way I train my abs, but it is a good extra for my core workouts. I do it once or twice a week, and I do 3-4 × 14-20 repetitions of various exercises. I like it because I can train my lower and upper abs, obliques as well as lower back. I usually have a 30-second rest between the sets.
Stability ball exercises for abs and love handles
The following short stability ball workout will focus on your core muscle while targeting each of your major stomach muscles, building strength and tone for your stomach and pelvis.
Fitness Ball v-ups
- You need to put the ball between your ankles and hold it tight.
- Then move your legs up and, at the same time, lift your upper body and take the exercise ball.
- Concentrate on your abs and keep your legs extended.
This exercise mainly develops your lower ab and the upper ab (rectus abdominis) a bit.
Hold the Ball and Touch It
- Hold the ball with your legs.
- Get a 45-degree angle. Pull your upper body up and touch it.
- Concentrate on your abdominal muscles, and do not let the ball go down.
This movement stimulates your upper abs the best.
Stretching Forward
- Place your leg on top of the exercise ball.
- Then pull up your body forward it.
- Concentrate on the movement and try to achieve maximum traction.
This is an excellent alternative for crunches, but it improves core strength better.
Rolling the Ball
This bodyweight exercise is a great technique to develop your obliques and hips.
- Put your legs on it and place your arm on the ground. Your upper body must be stable.
- Then move it left and right.
- During the motion, concentrate on your sides and use them to move the bouncy ball.
- The deeper you let your legs towards the floor, the better
Learn more: 8 stability ball oblique exercises that will sculpt your side abs
Twist on the exercise ball
- You need to lay on it and put your feet on the floor. It is vital to keep your feet stable.
- Then hold your hands out and turn left and right.
- Be careful. You need to hold your body stable while you do the movement. You need to use your obliques seriously.
- Again the deeper you go, the better.
This movement is excellent to improve your balance performance and rotational strength.
Ball tucks
This is a bit harder exercise, but it builds a strong core.
- Put your legs on the yoga ball and have a push-up position (plank position).
- Then pull in and push it back. Control the motion with your shoulders, chest and glutes.
- Pull it as close as possible, and then stretch your legs.
- Do not let your stomach down!
This exercise is among the advanced movements, so it’s maybe hard at first to keep the proper form and body stability. It’s a great movement for the transverse abdominis.
Training Lower Back
This is an effective method to train your lower back and spine, which is crucial.
- Put the ball in front of you, lay on facing the floor then place your feet on the wall.
- You need to push the wall somewhat hard and keep your body stable. Hence, it works your thighs, especially your hamstrings as well.
- Raise your upper body as high as possible and place your hands on your neck
- Repeat.
This is a great way to develop your back besides core activation.
Learn more: Exercises to strengthen your lower back using a fitness ball
Workout with Ab Bench
For this work out you will need an ab bench.
- Lay on the ab board and fix you feet with knees bent.
- Then take the exercise ball with stretched arms and turn left and right at chest level.
- The lower you go down, the better.
- Repeat.
This workout helps to develop your entire abs. The 3-4 sets and 10-20 reps of the mentioned practices.
Related: Ab exercises with medicine ball
Stability ball ab workout for beginners
Within this video, you can learn five stability ball ab exercises that are good for beginners to improve their body awareness. You need to do each of the practices for 30 seconds and do as many reps as you can do during that time. The rest between sets is just 15-20 minutes and do at least three rounds or more depending on your fitness level.
Stability ball crunch punch
The first basic movement is the crunch punch for which you need a pair of dumbbells. If you do not have them at home, two water bottles will do as well.
- Sit back with the top of your back.
- Plant your feet to keep your balance.
- Now sit up and punch.
- While your press, the hand weights tighten your core muscles to keep your shoulder blades on it.
Leg roll out
- Place your forearms on the ball. Keep your torso straight.
- Lift your foot. Now roll it back to the starting position.
The ball ab rollout works your midsection very well since the swiss ball itself makes imbalance, but because of the one foot, the core engagement is even better. You can make this exercise more challenging by rolling it slightly to the sides.
Single leg reverse crunch
- Lay on the ground and put your foot on the stability ball.
- Lift your other leg up to the air.
- Now roll the ball towards you while you lift your pelvis.
This exercise works the lower abs and deep core muscles very well.
Reach through
- Lie on the floor and put the swiss ball between your feet.
- Squeeze it a little bit.
- Now lift your lower body as high as you can.
This is an enhanced version for floor leg raises which are great moves to build a flat stomach.
Straight leg oblique crunch
The next standing exercise is excellent for strengthening your side abs.
- Lift the ball overhead and balance on one of your legs.
- Now crunch in and out on one side.
- The best is if your toes do not touch the floor since this way, your obliques and hips are always engaged.
15 Min Swiss Ball Ab Workout
This is a 15 minute routine with several very efficient exercises for the abdomen. Optionally you can use lightweight dumbbells to make the compound movements even more useful. The pike position has a huge benefit because of the long-range of motion.
Edxercise ball ab workout with challenging exercises
Finally, there is conditioning from Fitnessblender, which is about 10 minutes. Some movements are challenging such as the ball bicycle crunch, ball pikes, and the ones with circular motion.
Finally, here is an excellent presentation with a lot of types of activities that help to shape your belly in different ways.
FAQ
Stability ball core exercises for seniors?
The ball is an excellent piece of equipment for senior people to enhance their stability and balance safely. To strengthen these muscles, there is no need to do an intense fitness routine. Simple moves that require a stable core will do.
How do you use a stability ball to lose belly fat?
The mentioned stability ball ab exercises are strength training exercises that mean they improve the muscles in size, shape, and strength. To get a lean stomach you should lower your body fat by a healthy diet and cardio workouts.
What a strong core can do for you?
The majority of physical activities are easier when you have strong core muscles. For athletes, such as runners, having strong core muscles is also important because weak core muscles can result in fatigue, decreased endurance, and injuries. You may also be prone to poor posture, lower back pain, and muscle injuries if you have weak core muscles.
To sum up
These stability ball exercises are great to have a complete abs workout at home. In 15 minutes, you can strengthen your entire core. Try these moves and tell us how they worked for you.