The Amazing Ball Workout

Exercise balls are not only fun, they're fast becoming the hottest trend in fitness. In this workout you'll learn easy-to-master exercises that will firm your belly, butt, thighs, and every other inch of your body, in just 30 minutes a day.

Find out 4 reasons why fitness ball workouts work

Learn 3 things you need before you begin

Try weeks 1 and 2 of the 6-week workout

4 Reasons Why Fitness Ball Workouts Work

Why does the fitness ball provide such amazing results for so many women? Let me count the ways.

1. Fitness balls provide a more efficient workout compared to weight machines and dumbbells. In fact, a recent study from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, found that people who did curl-up abdominal exercises on a ball rather than on the floor doubled the tension on their rectus abdominus -- the large muscle that forms your "six pack" -- and quadrupled the activity of their obliques -- the muscles that form the sides of your abdomen and waist.

The secret? The inherent instability of the ball's round surface. When you work out with dumbbells and a bench or with exercise machines, you primarily use only the muscle you are focusing on. When you do a biceps curl, you only work your biceps. But when you do that same move on a fitness ball, you must use the muscles in your legs, abdomen, buttocks, and back just to stay balanced. These muscles keep you from falling off the ball. With no other exercise equipment do you work so many muscles at once.

As recent ball convert Julie in Pennsylvania put it, "No other exercise has ever worked my butt while I'm targeting my chest or upper body."

2. Fitness balls encourage you to be consistent. Because you can keep your fitness ball at home, deflate it and pack it in a suitcase, and generally use it anywhere you find yourself, you'll never have an excuse to skip a workout.

"I'll be taking my exercise ball with me on vacation this summer, since it's so simple to transport and the exercises are so easy to remember and fun to do," said my good friend Karen, a veterinary intensive case unit nurse. "It's portable, economical, user-friendly, versatile, fun, and fabulous. I love it!"

We've all seen how often people set up their home gyms in a dreary basement or garage, not because these dark, lonely places inspire fitness, but because a weight bench and dumbbells take up a lot of room and don't really go with the living room decor. Not so your fitness ball. It fits in just fine anywhere, allowing you to do your workout in the living room or even in the backyard. On a beautiful day, you can roll the ball outside and do your moves as you breathe in the fresh air.

My friend Alisa does her fitness ball exercises while she watches Oprah. "I get a better workout than I otherwise would at the gym," she tells me. "At the gym I'm always thinking, 'How fast can I get this over with?' But when I'm at home, I tend to add extra exercises or do more sets or reps in order to drag out my session to match the full hour of the Oprah show."

3. Everyone benefits from using fitness balls. There are no cumbersome weights to maneuver. Anyone -- from an 80-year-old woman to a young child -- can exercise with a fitness ball. And, instead of hoisting heavy barbells and dumbbells for resistance, you work with small "heavy balls" that everyone can lift. These "heavy balls" are handheld, water-filled balls that offer lighter resistance than other weights, thus making your workout safer. These smaller balls also increase your grip strength. They allow you to put your muscles through a greater range of motion, and they encourage you to complete more repetitions at a lower weight, a big factor in sculpting the long, lean muscle look that many women seek.

4. Balls make working out feel fun and natural. Fitness balls and the handheld balls bring back fond childhood memories, whereas dumbbells tend to make women feel unfeminine and tense. Just about every kid in America has bounced or thrown a ball, whereas few women grew up with a set of dumbbells.

As one of my clients, Lori, put it, "It's a blast. I just feel good balancing on the ball."

One great aspect of the ball program is that it's so easy to get started. Unlike other programs, it doesn't require a cumbersome and expensive home gym. My ball workout has just three pieces of equipment: the fitness ball, some heavy balls, and an exercise mat. Here's what to look for in each.

1. The Fitness Ball

You can find fitness balls just about everywhere these days, including sporting goods stores. Though you'll find numerous brands, I prefer the Gymnic fitness balls. I find them to be more durable and more comfortable than other types. Other brands include Fitball, Duraball, and Gymnastic, among others. The balls range in cost from about $20 to about $50.

Fitness balls come in a variety of sizes. The right ball for you allows you to sit down with your knees bent at 90-degree angles.

2. The Heavy Balls

You will need weighted balls for some, but not all, of the exercises in my program. The heavy balls, which are filled with water, add resistance to particular exercises that target your upper arms and shoulders. You can use dumbbells or even large soup cans if you prefer. However, the heavy balls make your workout more effective. Simply grabbing them increases your grip strength, which is so useful in opening stubborn jar tops. Also, curling and pressing a ball recruits numerous smaller muscles to help stabilize your hands, thus increasing the efficiency of your workout. Finally, the round shape of the heavy balls fits perfectly into a woman's smaller hands and feels more natural than dumbbells, with their cold feel, metallic smell, and callus-inflicting roughness.

When choosing heavy balls, take your fitness level and hand size into account. If you decide to go with Gymnic heavy balls, note that the green ball is the size of a softball and weighs 1.1 pounds. Most women can lift this weight, and it fits their palm and gives a good grip. The balls increase in size by an inch and are color-coded from red to yellow to blue to orange. Most women do just fine with green, yellow, or red.

3. The Mat

Your mat serves two purposes. First, it holds your feet and hands in place, preventing them from sliding out from under you during certain exercises. Second, it acts as a cushion, allowing you to lie or kneel comfortably on the floor. Look for a mat that fits your body size. For example, I'm just over 5 feet tall, so I use a mat that's 2 feet by 6 feet. If you're much taller or have extra weight to lose, you might need a mat that's a little wider or longer, but you won't need one any larger than 3 feet by 7 feet.

Look for a mat with a nubby surface designed to reduce slippage. If you buy your mat at a sporting goods store, test it by pressing your hands into it. If your hands slide, the mat isn't sticky enough.

The Warm-Up

Before every ball session, warm up your muscles with four important stretches. These stretches have two benefits. First, they will help bring circulation to your muscles. Second, they help elongate the muscles to make your subsequent workout more effective. Stretches also feel wonderful!

Spend 60 to 90 seconds on each of the following stretches:

The Workout

Do two sets of 10 to 15 repetitions of each of the exercises below. Between sets and between each exercise, rest for 90 seconds.

Perform each exercise slowly, counting from one-one-thousand to four-one-thousand as you complete a movement. Also, try to synchronize your movement with your breathing, exhaling as you complete the hard part of the exercise (such as pressing up during a push-up) and inhaling as you complete the easier part of the exercise (such as lowering during a push-up).

Complete your workout three times a week.

When the ball is overhead during this total-body stretch, you target your shoulders, back, and arms. As you lower the ball, you stretch your buttocks and thighs. Around the World is a great warm-up stretch for golfers, because it simulates the motion of a golf swing.

A. With your feet a shoulder's width apart, grasp the ball with your palms facing one another. Raise the ball over your left shoulder.

B. Slowly lower the ball to the left as you draw an imaginary circle, circling counterclockwise and going down, across your torso, and then up on your right. Start with smaller circles and make them larger as you feel your muscles warm up. Then reverse the motion, circling clockwise.

The Low Body Stretch stretches the back of your body, including your lower back and buttocks, as well as the back of your shoulders.

A. With your feet slightly wider than a shoulder's width apart, your knees slightly bent, and the ball in front of your legs, bend forward from your hips and place your palms on top of the ball. Push the ball away from your body until you feel your spine is straight. Bring your right hand over your left as you walk the ball toward your left, feeling a stretch along your outer left back. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds.

B. Slowly walk the ball back to your right by placing your left hand over your right. You should feel a stretch along your outer left back. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Continue rolling the ball back and forth, eventually making larger C shapes with the ball as your body warms up to the stretch.

The Buddha stretches your entire back, particularly your upper back, as well as your hips. This feels wonderful on your spine and is a great stretch to do whenever you've been sitting for a long time and need to work the kinks out of your back.

A. Kneel on the mat with the ball about 2 feet in front of you. Reach out and place your palms on top of the ball with your arms completely extended, feeling a stretch in your buttocks and legs.

B. Bring your buttocks back toward your calves, keeping the ball in place as you do. You should feel a wonderful stretch along your upper back.

The Seated Leg Stretch stretches the front and back of your thighs, moving the stretch to different areas of your legs as you rock back and forth. It's a great stretch for runners because it relieves tight quadriceps and hip flexor muscles.

A. Sit on the ball in a lunge position with your left thigh pressed into the ball. Extend your right leg behind your torso, with your right knee bent at a 45-degree angle and the weight on the ball of your right foot. Keep your left foot flat on the floor. Place your left palm on the ball for balance.

B. Rock forward by extending through your rear leg and straightening your rear knee slightly. The ball will move forward a couple of inches, moving the stretch up the front of your rear thigh. Continue slowly rocking back and forth for 45 seconds and then switch legs.

As with regular crunches done on an exercise mat, Classic Crunches specifically target the top section of your rectus abdominus, or the front of your abdomen above your navel. However, when crunches are done on the ball rather than on a mat, you must use numerous smaller muscles along your sides and even in your buttocks, thighs, and calves to maintain your balance.

A. Sit on the ball with your feet flat on the floor and a shoulder's distance apart. Slide down on the ball until it supports your lower and midback. Relax your neck and make sure your chin is a fist's distance away from your chest. Fold your arms across your chest.

B. Contract your abs as you exhale and crunch up, bringing your ribs closer to your hips. Inhale as you slowly lower. Remember to keep your neck long and relaxed. As you crunch, try not to tense your neck muscles by jutting your head forward over your shoulders or by bringing your chin toward your chest. I've found that pressing the tip of my tongue against the roof of my mouth prevents me from craning my neck forward. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Ball Basics

The closer your feet are to each other, the tougher your balancing act. If you experience trouble balancing, place your feet wider than a shoulder's distance apart. If you find the exercise too easy, bring your feet and knees closer together.

For an extra challenge, change your hand position. Try doing the crunch with your fists just in front of your ears, your elbows out to your sides, and your chest open, as shown in photo C. If you need an even greater challenge, try the crunch with your arms extended overhead, as shown in photo D.

How much of your back you rest against the ball determines the difficulty of the exercise. The more you let the ball support your back, the less challenging the move.

The Upper Torso Lift targets the lower back and works the muscles that line your spine, helping improve your posture. It also works your legs and buttocks.

A. Lie in a prone position with your waist and tummy on the ball and your legs extended. Place the balls of your feet on the floor, with your right leg pointing at 4 o'clock and your left at 8 o'clock. Mold your body to the ball and place your fists by your ears.

B. Extend up as you exhale, bringing your shoulders toward the ceiling and straightening your spine. Stop once your back is flat. Lower as you inhale. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Ball Basics

Try not to hyperextend your back in this exercise by raising your shoulders higher than your buttocks.

You can change your arm position to increase the challenge of this exercise. Rather than keeping your fists by your ears, try doing the exercise with your arms extended in front, as shown in photo C. To increase the challenge even more, try the torso lift while holding a heavy ball in each hand.

The closer your feet are to one another, the tougher your balancing act.

Have you ever felt a pain right between your shoulder blades? This exercise targets that area and will help you carry a backpack pain-free.

A. Lie in a prone position with your chest on the ball and your knees, shins, and feet against the mat. Grasp a pair of heavy balls. Extend your arms and place your right arm at 3 o'clock and your left at 9 o'clock. Lift the balls 2 inches off the floor.

B. Exhale as you raise the balls to torso level, drawing your shoulder blades closer together as you do so. Inhale as you lower. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Ball Basics

Never lock your joints. Though your arms are extended to your sides during this exercise, you should keep a slight bend in your elbows at all times.

You can modify this exercise simply by changing your arm position. Holding your arms at 2 and 10 o'clock or at 11 and 1 o'clock will slightly change the target area along the back of your shoulders.

The first in this series of upper arm exercises offers you the most stability, because you will be pressing your upper arms against the ball.

A. Lie in a prone position with your tummy on the ball. Extend your legs, keeping a slight bend in your knees and placing the balls of your feet against the floor. Grasp a heavy ball in each hand. Bend your arms and press the backs of your upper arms and elbows into the ball.

B. Exhale as you slowly curl your hands toward your shoulders -- you should take at least 4 seconds to raise your hands to shoulder level. Inhale as you lower slowly. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Ball Basics

If you experience difficulty remaining balanced, use a mat and kneel so that your knees touch the mat.

For variety, try alternating arms, curling first with your left arm; lowering, and then curling with your right.

For an additional challenge, try doing the exercise with your upper arms and elbows a few inches in front of the ball.

This variation on traditional military push-ups does much more than target your chest muscles. Your abdominals and buttocks also work hard as you stay balanced on the ball.

A. Lie in a prone position with your belly on the ball. Scoot forward along the ball until you can place your palms on the floor directly under your shoulders. Keep your balance by pressing your thighs against the ball. Place your feet in a relaxed and neutral position -- neither hyper flexed nor pointed -- with your toes pointing down.

B. Inhale as you lower your chest to the floor by bending your elbows. Stop once your chin is even with the bend in your elbows. Exhale as you press back to the starting position. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Ball Basics

You can increase the difficulty of this exercise by scooting forward so that only your lower legs or your feet rest against the ball (see photo C). First, try the move with your shins against the ball. Then try it with the tops of your feet against the ball. Finally, try it with only your toes on the ball.

Keep your back flat throughout the exercise. Don't allow your hips to sink down, because then your lower back will arch.

Knee Fold-Ups are great for your entire core -- your abs, buttocks, sides, and back. They also test your coordination and balance, as well as work your chest.

A. Place the fitness ball in front of your body. Kneel on the floor, lower your tummy onto the ball, and place your palms flat on the floor. Walk your hands and upper body forward. Your torso will slide along the ball until you are balanced in a push-up position, with your hands under your shoulders and the ball under your thighs.

B. As you exhale, press your shins into the ball and draw them forward, bending your knees and bringing your legs and the ball under your torso. Uncoil and inhale as you press the ball back out to the starting position. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Ball Basics

You can increase the challenge of this exercise by starting with the ball under your shins.

You can increase the challenge even more by starting with the ball under the balls of your feet. However, doing so causes the motion of the exercise to change somewhat. Instead of bending your knees, pull the ball forward and bring your body into a jackknife or V-shape position, with your buttocks above your shoulders and your legs extended.

Forget hamstring curls on the machine at the gym or even curls on a mat with ankle weights. You haven't toned your hamstrings until you've tried Hamstring Curls on the ball. This move effectively targets the muscles along the backs of your thighs, as well as your abs, buttocks, and lower back. Don't be surprised if you immediately feel the burn on your first few repetitions.

A. Lie with your back on the mat. Extend your legs and place the backs of your heels on the fitness ball. Rest your arms on the floor by your sides. Press your heels into the ball to lift your buttocks, forming a straight line from your feet to your shoulders. Once you're in position, only the backs of your shoulders and head should rest against the mat.

B. As you exhale, bend your knees, press your heels into the ball, and pull it in toward your buttocks. Then inhale as you extend your legs and press the ball back out to the starting position. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Ball Basics

Keep your buttocks pressed up and your back flat throughout the exercise; try not to let your buttocks sink toward the floor.

The closer you place your arms to your body, the more challenging the exercise.

For a greater challenge, try lifting your forearms up and pointing your fingers toward the ceiling. For an even greater challenge, cross your arms over your chest.

The Butt Lift targets the piece of fat that tends to hang below the bottom of a bathing suit. This move also works your thighs, back, and abs to help you balance on the ball.

A. Lie on your back with your legs extended and heels pressed into the top of the ball. Rest your arms by your sides. Tighten your abs as you lift your buttocks a couple of inches off the mat.

B. Exhale as you press your hips up, creating a straight line from your heels to your shoulders. Inhale as you lower to the starting position. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Ball Basics

Try not to rest your buttocks on the mat between repetitions.

The closer you place your arms to your body, the more challenging the exercise.

For a greater challenge, try lifting your forearms up and pointing your fingers toward the ceiling. For an even greater challenge, cross your arms over your chest.

Push-Offs aren't the prettiest exercise in the world, but they may be the most fun. In addition to working your shoulders, the pressing motion of this exercise targets your chest and buttocks.

A. Lie in a prone position with your tummy on the ball, your knees bent, and the balls of your feet on the floor. Bend your arms and hold them out to your sides, palms facing forward.

B. As if you were a frog jumping through the air, push off with your feet as you inhale. The movement of your torso will roll the ball forward. Dive forward and land on your palms with your feet in the air, keeping your abdomen on the ball. Exhale as you push off with your hands and land in the starting position. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Ball Basics

Don't allow your head to touch the floor.

Keep your head in line with your back. Avoid looking upward and hyper extending your neck.

Be sure to keep your abdomen on the ball when you push off.

This should be a controlled movement throughout.

If you've ever tried "dips" either on a bench or on a dip bar, you'll love the Triceps Ball Press. Staying balanced on the ball will use just about every muscle in your body as you constantly adjust and readjust. If you complete 10 reps without falling off, give yourself a confident pat on the back for a job well done.

A. Sit on the mat with your hands behind your buttocks on either side of your hips. Your fingertips should be pointing toward the ball in front of you. Place your calves on top of the fitness ball with your legs bent. Press through the palms of your hands and lift your buttocks off the mat as you straighten your elbows.

B. Inhale as you lower your torso and bend your elbows. Don't allow your buttocks to touch the floor. Exhale as you rise. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Ball Basics

If you find this exercise too difficult, place more of your legs against the ball.

To increase the challenge, place only the backs of your heels on the ball. You can also try it with only one leg on the ball and the other elevated a couple of inches above the ball.