If you are a beginner, there are several great exercises you can do with a yoga ball to make your workout more fun, challenging, and exciting.
The ‘key’ is to use the yoga ball to stabilize the muscles of your core, upper body, and lower body. There are a multitude of ways you can lay on the ball, hold the ball, or balance on the ball to create a challenging workout.
Doing exercises like the plank, pike, pushup, lunge, and squat will all become a more challenging activity when you create some instability within the movement.
But if you do the exercises with good form and add some resistance to the exercises with a weight vest, you can put together an increasingly more difficult workout with each exercise.
Next time you find yourself in the gym, pair these exercises with a yoga ball.
Exercises to Pair with a Yoga Ball
1. Plank with Elbow Rolls
The first exercise you can pair with a yoga ball is the plank with elbow rolls.
Simply put your forearms on the ball and roll your forearms back and forth on the ball holding a plank position.
This will make it very challenging to hold this position and your abs and hip flexors will have a tough time keeping it stable.
Try this exercise only after you’ve developed your core muscles to some extent.
2. Walking Pushup
The next exercise you can do with a yoga ball is a walking pushup.
This exercise is made for the advanced exerciser.
Simply put your feet on the ball and your hands on the ground.
Walk your hands back and forth performing a pushup on each side.
It will be very challenging to hold a pushup position.
3. Pike
Another tough exercise on the yoga ball is the pike.
Start in pushup position with your feet on the ball and the hands on the ground.
Hitch your hips up in the air as high as you can, then drop back down to center.
Rinse and repeat.
4. Inverted Shoulder Press
The next exercise you can do is the inverted shoulder press.
You are going to want to hold the pike position and do a shoulder press.
This is going to be challenging to hold and will work the muscles of your entire body to keep it stable.
5. Window Wipers
Another great exercise to pair with a yoga ball is the window wiper.
You will want to lay on your back and hold the ball up with your feet.
Drop your feet side to side to make it hard on your obliques.
Do 3 sets of 8.
6. Reverse Lunges
Next are reverse lunges.
Put your back leg on the ball and lunge down.
Go as low as you can and still have good form.
Use weights to make this exercise even more challenging.
7. Wall Squats
A wall squat is a great exercise a beginner can do with a yoga ball.
Simply lean up against the ball and push against the wall.
Squat down to parallel and stand back up.
Hold some dumbbells or throw on a weight vest to make this more challenging.
Summary: Exercises to Pair with a Yoga Ball
Some of the most challenging exercises are done with a yoga ball. The ball itself creates instability throughout the body and challenges the muscles to work harder than they have before. Use correct form and add a little bit of extra weight to make it a full body workout. Beginners are going to have a tougher time than most using the yoga ball so it’s imperative that you work your way up to it.
