Fitball exercises: a fitness ball instead of a gym

The uniqueness of the fitball is not only in the wide variety of exercises performed with it. The features of the fitness ball also include:

• a large range of movements, provided by both the relatively large size of the projectile and its round shape;
• an unstable position that forces you to constantly strain your muscles to maintain balance;
• elasticity that reduces shock and axial loads. This allows almost everyone to do fitball exercises — people with joint injuries, the elderly, overweight, pregnant women, children.

Any exercise on a fitness ball requires the inclusion of all muscle groups in the work (to maintain a balanced body position), but in most cases an accentuated effect on one or more of them is also assumed. In accordance with the accents in the loads and classify the main fitball exercises. Let's list the best of them:

For feet

1. Squats with a fitball

The exercise involves the quadriceps (the front part of the thigh) and the buttocks.

Stand with your back to the vertical surface, and place a fitball between you and the wall at the waist level. Put your feet shoulder-width apart, bringing them slightly forward relative to the body. In the initial position (IE), the lower back should be tightly pressed against the ball.

As you inhale, start bending your knees until your hips are parallel to the floor. At this point, it is better to linger a little, creating an additional load on the muscles of the buttocks and legs. The ball should smoothly "roll" to the shoulder blades, providing support to the back. Then you need to slowly return to the IP.

Variations of this exercise for legs on a fitball:

• squats with holding a fitball between the knees (the lower back and inner thighs are also involved here);
• weighted squat (with dumbbells);

• squats with a partner (instead of a stop, it is not the wall, but the back of the second person. Maximum synchronicity of actions is needed for execution);
• squat with a ball over your head (hands are involved in the work);

• squats on one leg with an emphasis on the wall.

2. Return bridge

In this exercise, the buttocks, the back of the thighs, the lower back and the abs work on the fitball.

We lie down on our backs, throw our legs on the fitball, which lies on the floor and lean on our calves (not feet!). Then we strain the abs and biceps of the thigh, lift the pelvis, rolling the ball to the feet and bending the knees. Lingering in this position, we return the ball to the IP, without lowering the buttocks completely to the floor. We keep the balance with the help of our hands.

You can complicate the exercise by weighing it down: put a pancake or a dumbbell on your stomach. Also, a more complex variation of the bridge is its execution of each of the legs separately (the free leg must be kept straightened in the air or put, bent at the knee, on top of the working one).

3. Lunges with a fitball

Another exercise for the buttocks and thighs. In the IP, you need to stand with your back to the ball and throw your foot on the fitball, while the support should be at a distance of about 15 cm from the fitball. To lunge, bend the knee of the supporting leg 90 degrees: the "back" leg should "roll" on the ball. Linger at this point, and then return to the starting position.

When performing, check that the knee does not go beyond the sock line, and the back is flat.

To simplify the exercise, use a hand support — a chair or a railing. An even simpler variation involves classic lunges with a fitness ball in your hands. To complicate the leg exercises on the fitball, take dumbbells:

For the press and muscles of the bark

1. Twisting on the fitball

The exercise affects the rectus abdominis muscles.

Performing this exercise on a fitball for the press is not much different from the classic twists. Just instead of the floor, you need to lean on the ball. Two more support points are the feet: the legs are bent at the knees and widely spaced. Bend in the lower back. Hands can be clasped in a lock on the back of the head or crossed on the trunk.

On exhalation, try to reduce the sternum and lower abdomen, twisting the body. Do not tear your lower back away from the fitness ball, try to stay in the position of maximum tension of the press, and on inspiration return to the SP.

The exercise is performed before the appearance of a characteristic burning sensation in the muscles.

To complicate the twisting, take your hands away from the body, for example, lift them up. The next level of difficulty is to take dumbbells in your straightened hands. To include the oblique muscles in the work, in the described technique, perform lateral twists, conditionally trying to connect the left part of the sternum with the right part of the lower abdomen and vice versa:

2. Plank, wedge and fold

The zone of influence of the plank is not only the press, but also the entire muscular corset of the abdomen (core), as well as the lower back and forearms.

There are two classic versions of the plank with a fitness ball: with the support of his hands or feet. In the first case, the fitball is supported by the forearms, and the hands, usually, are compressed into a lock:

The body from the feet to the head should be as straight as a string. By straining the muscles of the abs and legs, keep the position from 20 seconds to a minute. You can also lean on straightened arms.

The second option of the bar involves resting on the ball with the shins of the legs:

The technique does not change. With straightened arms, you need to lean on the floor, the body should be smooth, the muscles of the bark and legs are tense.

This variation of the bar is the starting position for another more complex exercise on the fitball for the press — "wedge". From the IP, pull your legs up to your chest, lifting your buttocks, and transfer the emphasis from the shin of your legs to the instep of your feet. At the end point of the movement, the body takes the form of a wedge, and the muscles of the press are maximally involved in the work:

In order to master the "wedge" faster, it is better to first pull your legs up to your chest not straightened, but bent at the knees. This variation is called a "fold":

For the back

1. Hyperextension on a fitness ball

With the help of this exercise on the fitball for the back, you can work out the muscles of the lower back.

Belly down on the ball, leaning on the floor with straightened legs. The trunk is lowered down, the hands are held behind the head. Slowly unbend so that the back and lower body form a straight line, and then return to the ready. Do the extension in full amplitude, but without inflection.

To complicate the workout, you can use weights — barbells, pancakes, dumbbells.

2. Swallow

This is a variation of the previous fitball exercise for the back, but here the upper part of it is additionally being worked out.

In the IP, you need to lie on the ball and distribute the body weight between the three reference points. So, with our feet we rest against the wall or floor, and with our stomach and chest — in a fitball. We put our hands on the ball, as if on a desk at school.

Before starting the exercise, tighten your abs, and then straighten your back, simultaneously tearing your chest and forearms from the projectile. Spread your arms wide apart, and strain your shoulder blades. Lock yourself in this position, and then drop to the ready.

For arms and chest

1. Push-ups on the ball

A classic exercise with your own weight, performed with your feet on a fitball. Here the chest and triceps are being worked out. The starting position resembles a plank, only we lean on the ball with our hips, not with our shins. Next, bending the arms at the elbows, we lower the body closer to the floor, and on exhalation we rise.

By changing the position of the hands, you can accentuate the loads: with a narrow grip, the triceps works more, and with a wide one, the pectoral muscles. As you prepare, complicate the exercise by shifting the support closer to the shin or even the feet of the legs. For beginners, the option with the support of the ball with your hands is suitable:

2. Reverse push-ups

First of all, the triceps works here. Put the fitness ball close to the wall. Stand with your back to him, bend your knees and rest your hands on the projectile with a reverse grip. The hips should be on the same parallel with the floor.

Go down lower, bending your arms to a right angle at the elbows and straining your triceps, linger at the bottom and rise to the ready. The back should remain straight during the execution.

3. Lift the dumbbells with the support of a fitness ball

Exercise allows you to strengthen the biceps. Take one dumbbell. Kneel down and rest your stomach and elbow on the fitball. Straighten your arm with a dumbbell and bend it at least 90 degrees without taking your elbow off the ball:

If necessary, keep your wrist working with your free hand. Then slowly straighten your elbow and return to the IP.

4. Dumbbell press on the fitball

Using a ball and dumbbells, you can work out the pectoral muscles.

We lie down on the ball on the shoulder blades: the pelvis should sag, and the back should be parallel to the floor. For stability, we place the legs bent at the knees slightly wider than the shoulders. We take dumbbells in both hands and stretch them out in front of us almost on straight arms (we leave a small bend in the elbows):

With an inspiration, we lower the dumbbells to the shoulders, bending our arms. Stretching the pectoral muscles on exhalation, we perform an upward lift, straining the sternum.

Practically from the same position, you can perform the wiring of dumbbells on the chest. At the same time, the hands do not go down, but spread out on the sides. Instead of an even position on the ball, you can lie down at an angle, lowering the pelvis, thereby including the deltoid muscle of the shoulder in the work.

Training for muscle tone

Fitball will help in building a sporty physique. Without connecting additional weights, it will be difficult to achieve an increase in muscle mass, but this goal is set mainly by men. But the fitball will provide tightened muscles with proper enthusiasm even when working exclusively with its own weight.

Need more? Use dumbbells, pancakes and barbells, medball together with the gymnastic equipment.

With strength exercises on the fitball, it is assumed to perform 8-12 repetitions 3 to 4 times when using 70% of the maximum working weight (the weight with which the student can perform only one repetition). And pumping (statodynamics) is performed with a weight of about 30% of the maximum for 15-20 repetitions with a shortened range of movements (without relaxing the muscle group during the approach) at 4-7 sets.

Fat burning training

More often, representatives of the fair sex resort to using a fitness ball. They are usually interested in fitball exercises for weight loss. An additional "passive" load on balance increases calorie consumption and makes training with a ball more effective against the background of regular exercises with your own weight.

It is possible to increase the effectiveness of any fitball exercise for weight loss by increasing the number of sets and repetitions and reducing rest time. But you will lose weight only when the nutrition is appropriately selected: there is a daily deficit of calories consumed against the background of the consumed ones.

Fitball for pregnant women and children

The versatility of the fitness ball allows you to use it even when the usual sports loads are not recommended. For example, there are special exercises for pregnant women on fitball. Let 's list the most universal:

• Slopes. Sit on the ball with your legs wide apart for support. Raise your arms and lean to the side while exhaling, keeping your balance. Slowly straighten up and tilt in the other direction.
• Squeezing the fitball with your hands. In the standing position, take the ball and fix it in front of you on your outstretched arms. Squeeze the projectile several times, alternately straining and relaxing the muscles of the arms. Then lower the ball to the floor, take a deep breath and exhale, repeat the exercise.
• Rifts. We sit on the fitball, holding onto it with our hands. On exhalation, slowly moving our legs forward, we roll down with our buttocks until the ball is at the level of the shoulder blades. Then we slowly return to the IP.

Recommendations of trainers for pregnant women:

• consult your doctor for contraindications;
• do a warm-up before training;
• in the first trimester, give up exercises on the rectus abdominis;
• at the slightest deterioration of the general condition, immediately stop the training;
• in the first three months of pregnancy, hip workouts are useful (except for deep squats), in the second — moderate loads for the pelvic muscles, and all 9 months — ball exercises for the pectoral muscles;
• from the 18th week it is better to train in a bandage;
• almost all expectant mothers can perform bends, leg movements, torso turns with a ball in their hands, various breathing practices:

Various fitball exercises for children also impress with their wealth. Firstly, it is an opportunity to instill an interest in sports in preschool and school-age children. Only a smaller diameter ball is needed. Secondly, special classes with a fitness ball and babies are recommended:

• Swaying. We put the baby on the ball with his stomach, hold his legs with one hand, and hold him behind his back with the other. We shake it in different directions. We do the same on the back, controlling that the baby's head does not tilt back.
• A spring. We put the baby belly on the fitball, holding the legs. Lightly press on the buttocks to make the ball spring. Repeat the exercise, turning the baby on his back.
• Tremors. The baby is lying on a swaddle or sofa. We bring the fitball to the legs and lightly press on them. Instinctively, the kid will try to push the ball away with his feet.

Such gymnastics and fitball exercises for infants will provide:

• removal of hypertension;
• muscle strengthening;
• pleasant massage effect;
• improved functioning of the digestive system;
• development of the vestibular apparatus and coordination.

In general, fitball will not remain idle, and both an amateur athlete and a young mother who wants to regain excellent shape for herself and improve the baby will be able to find a decent use for it at home.