Hi, I'm Denise Dress.
I'll be your personal trainer for this fun and effective exercise ball workout.
This is Jules, she'll be helping me demonstrate these exercises for you today.
We've designed this program to help you improve your core strength, your flexibility, and
your overall muscle tone.
I'm going to challenge you to push yourself and I promise you'll have fun too.
The advantage of working with this exercise ball is that it allows you to work your body
from the inside out.
We'll focus on the muscles around your torso, which I will refer to as your core muscles.
This includes your abdominals, your waist, and your lower back.
We'll also do some great exercises to strengthen and tone your hips, glutes, and thighs.
Now before we begin, make sure to warm up by marching in place or just move your body
around enough to raise your core temperature a little.
First, we'll show you how to perform each of the exercises and then we'll do the entire
workout routine with you so that we can help you achieve your fitness goals.
Are you ready?
All right, let's go.
There are two important principles that apply to all of these exercises.
One is core stabilization and one is natural curvature of your spine.
Let's take a look at Jules from the side and look at the way her spine lines up.
Her shoulder blades are depressed and there's a nice natural curve in the lumbar region
of her spine.
Now watch as Jules lays down.
She maintains that neutral spinal alignment.
She can slide one hand comfortably under her back and still maintain strong core muscles.
Now a great way to work on this is to roll up a small towel, place that towel under your
lower back, and as you do the exercises, try not to compress that towel as you stabilize
your core and go through the range of motion.
Let's take a look at the exercises you'll be doing in your exercise ball workout.
We'll start with squats.
So stand with your feet about shoulder distance apart and gently squeeze the ball in front
of you.
Let's take a look at this sideways.
As you reach forward with the ball, feel the weight in your heels and make sure that your
toes are slightly in front of your knees.
Remember to have that nice natural curve in your spine and your core muscles are engaged.
Now let's do a great exercise for the muscles in your lower back.
Place the ball on the floor and kneel right behind it and then just roll your body right
up to the center of the ball.
Take your feet wide enough that you feel balanced and gently press up on the ball to use the
muscles in the lower back to raise you.
Remember that nice natural curve in the spine.
Now a variation of this exercise is to take it slightly forward and extend one arm and
one leg.
Now balance is a little bit tricky here so make sure you have your balance first and
then think of extending out of the fingertips and out of the toes.
You'll hold this for a few seconds and then change sides.
Okay now let's do an exercise for the abdominal muscles.
Come around to a sitting position on the ball and roll your hips down, walking your feet
out to where your hips are just lower than your shoulders, maybe about a 45 degree angle.
Cross the chest and very slowly raise your upper body so it feels like your rib cage
is coming closer to your hip bones.
This is kind of like a crunch.
Be careful not to bend too far backward over the ball.
If this is difficult for your neck, gently put your fingertips on the back of your head
to give your neck some support.
Be careful not to pull on your head and neck.
Okay come up to a sitting position and we'll come around to the floor with your feet up
on the ball.
Now for the next exercise we'll be using the muscles of the core so you're actually going
to squeeze the ball with your feet and extend the ball straight up over your hips.
Make sure there's a little bit of pressure here so you're engaging the muscles of the
inner thigh.
Now we'll do an oblique twist where you'll actually reach the opposite arm over toward
the outside hip, crossing over the midline of the body.
Make sure you maintain strong core muscles by keeping your feet in, your back neutral,
your abs strong.
Now a great variation of this exercise, simply bend the knees and watch to make sure that
your knee is right over your hip as you reach across.
Again, make sure you're squeezing against the ball with the inside of your feet, natural
spine, strong core muscles.
Now let's do a great exercise for your internal rotators, the inner thigh muscles.
Place the ball on the ground and your feet flat on the floor.
You'll be squeezing the ball with the insides of your legs.
You'll want to make sure that your knees aren't all the way on the outside of the ball.
Make sure you have a nice neutral spine and the core muscles are engaged and strong.
Keep your spine in neutral alignment and as you squeeze the ball, hold for a few seconds
and then release.
And let this exercise work all of the muscles around the middle of your body.
Next we'll do an exercise that works your hamstrings and all of your core muscles at
the same time.
So you'll place your feet right on top of the ball and you'll dig your heels into the
ball.
Now you'll slowly raise your hips up to a bridge position.
You can use your hands for balance and you'll feel your weight up above your shoulder blades.
Keep that spine neutral and strong with strong abdominal muscles.
Now once you feel balanced and strong in your bridge position, you can slowly curl the ball
toward you for a nice hamstring curl.
Try to keep that back strong and high and the abdominals working to keep you stable.
And then slowly roll down through the spine one vertebrae at a time.
Great.
Let's get started with the exercise ball workout.
The first exercise is squats.
Start with your feet shoulder width apart, lower your hips as you raise the ball in front
of you.
With each exercise we'll do 12 repetitions.
You can do as many as you can and work up to 12.
Remember to counterbalance by reaching the ball in front of you as your hips reach back.
Make sure your toes stay in front of your knees and think about neutral alignment of
your spine.
Inhale as you lower and inhale as you lift.
One more repetition.
Excellent work.
Let's move on to back extensions in a prone position.
So place your ball on the floor, kneel right next to your ball and then roll on top of
the ball.
Your feet are comfortable width apart.
Place your hands on the ball and gently raise your torso.
Be careful to use the muscles in your back but maintain neutral alignment.
With this exercise, exhale as you raise, inhale as you lower to a neutral position.
This is a great way to strengthen the muscles in your lower back.
Let's do three more repetitions, trying to keep your neck long, balancing your weight
on your feet.
Last one up and relax.
And then let's go to that variation of this exercise where we extend one arm and the opposite
leg.
Now with this exercise we'll hold the position for a few seconds, trying to find your balance
and stabilize through the core.
We'll just do three on each side here.
Think about reaching long through the fingertips and back through the toes, keeping your back
strong and your core muscles tight.
Last time up and relax.
Good job.
Let's move on to ab curls.
Come around to a sitting position on the ball.
Take your feet shoulder width apart and walk the feet out in front of you so you can lower
your hips just below your shoulders.
You're looking for about a 45 degree angle.
Cross your arms over your chest and curl the weight of your upper body forward.
Think about squeezing the bottom of your rib cage down towards your hip bones, shortening
the distance in your torso.
Now remember if you want a little bit of support for your neck you can take your fingertips
lightly behind your head, being careful not to pull on your neck and give your head a
little bit of support.
Keep the chin lifted and the neck long.
Exhale as you lift.
Two more repetitions and last one.
Nice job.
Go ahead and come up to a sitting position on the ball and then we'll move around to
a sitting position on the floor for an oblique twist.
Place the ball right between your feet.
Apply gentle pressure and raise the ball straight up over your hips.
Reach across the body one arm at a time toward the opposite hip.
And make sure you've got your spine in neutral alignment.
Pull the navel toward the spine to keep those abdominal muscles nice and strong.
Remember the advanced variation of this exercise where you bend your knees.
The exercise is exactly the same.
The knees are right straight over the hips.
This is just a more challenging position.
Last time across and relax.
Set the ball down on the ground.
For the next exercise we'll stay right where you are and we'll work the muscles of the
inner thigh.
Scoot the ball away from you just slightly.
Stabilize your core muscles and you'll squeeze in on the ball with your inner thighs.
Once you squeeze in hold for a couple of seconds and then release.
Notice how this works all of the muscles in your core including your back, your obliques,
and your abdominal muscles.
It's important on an exercise like this that you don't hold your breath.
Keep your breathing slow and natural right with the rhythm of the movement.
Two more repetitions.
And last time in and relax.
Let's move on to hamstrings.
For the last exercise we'll place the feet on top of the ball pressing in with the heels
on the very top of the ball.
Now using your hands to stabilize you bring your hips up into a bridge position.
And when you have your bridge then roll the heels in toward the body.
Try and engage your hamstrings as much as possible.
And even though your weight is up over your shoulders pay attention to the neutral spine.
Notice how you can feel the muscles in your lower abdomen working as you bring the ball
closer to you.
Exhale as you roll in.
Inhale as you take the ball away from you.
One more time.
Try and lift those hips slightly.
Keep the lower back strong.
And gently roll down one vertebrae at a time.
That's it.
You did it.
Now let's do some exercises to tone your body all over.
Nice job.
Don't you feel great after making some time for yourself?
You know I honestly believe that life gets better with exercise.
Making a commitment to yourself to do these exercises just three times a week will change
your body and it will change your life.
You just completed six body friendly exercises that strengthen your muscles and your core.
And these exercises are all non-impact which means they're easy on your joints.
Now let's do a few stretches together to help you improve your flexibility and to cool down.
Let's start with a seated hamstring stretch with one leg bent.
Extend your leg out in front of you and reach forward with your whole torso trying to reach
the chin toward the top of the foot.
For a little greater stretch in the lower leg you can pull your toes back towards you.
Exhale as you reach forward and relax and round your spine.
Roll up slowly and bring the bottoms of the feet together.
This is called a butterfly stretch.
And if you want a little hip opener you can gently press with your elbows against the
insides of your legs.
Try to reach long with your spine and gently lean forward with your chest open.
Extend the opposite leg out to the side and we'll stretch the other hamstring.
Take a deep breath in as you sit up tall and exhale as you roll forward reaching your chin
toward your foot.
Try to keep both of your sitting bones grounded on the floor as you lengthen your spine.
Pull your toes back towards you to help stretch your lower leg.
Good job.
Slowly roll back up to the center and come around to all fours.
We'll do a nice stretch for your lower back and your abdominals.
So start with your weight evenly on hands and knees.
Exhale as you round the spine and inhale as you lift and gently arch the back reaching
the chin forward.
Just roll through a nice neutral spine.
Exhale and round.
Inhale and lift the chin slightly with a natural curve in your back.
Now slowly reach the hips back over the heels and reach out with your fingertips.
You'll feel a great stretch in your spine and also in your chest.
Exhale and relax placing your forehead on the mat in front of you and just letting your
hips drop down.
If you want to increase the stretch in your chest and your shoulders you can extend one
arm straight out to the side and turn your head away from that shoulder dropping the
ear toward the mat.
Exhale and relax just letting the weight of your upper body open the shoulders and the
chest.
Inhale come back to center with your head.
Switch arms taking the opposite arm out to the side.
When you're finished with your workout today make sure you drink plenty of water.
Even sweating a little bit means you've lost significant body water and you need to rehydrate.
Slowly come back to the center and roll up nice and easy.
Thanks for joining me for this fun and invigorating workout.
Remember just doing these exercises three times a week you'll be amazed at how great
you look and how you feel.