Do Sit Ups With an Exercise Ball

This low-intensity strength-training exercise uses your body's weight and your balance to work on your core muscles.

Steps

Getting in the Starting Position

  1. Know your way around an exercise ball before getting started.
  2. Sit down on the ball with your legs in front of you, knees bent and feet on the ground. Walk yourself forward so your back is leaning against the Buy an Exercise Ball rather than perpendicular to it. Plant your feet once you've achieved this, widening the space between them if you feel off-balance.
  3. Clasp your hands together and place your arms behind your head. Lean even further back, so that your back arches along the curve of the ball. This will help you open up the your chest to get a more effective workout overall.

Performing the Exercise

  1. Bend so as to bring your upper body towards your knees, tensing your abs as you do so. Some of your backside should still be leaning against the ball--try not to move anything below your hips. Make sure to keep your feet planted as you perform this action.
  2. Return to your original position, with your back arched over the ball and your head closer to the floor. Your feet should still not have moved and your arms should still be supporting your head.
  3. Repeat the previous two steps for the recommended number of sets. Stop if you begin to feel extreme discomfort, and make sure to keep your feet on the floor throughout the exercise.

Advanced Version

  1. To make this exercise more challenging, hold small dumbbells in your hands. If you don't have dumbbells, you can use bottles of water or heavy books.

Frequency

  1. Do 20 repetitions of this exercise per set. Repeat until you've completed three sets.
  2. In order to start seeing/feeling results, aim to do 3 sets 3 to 4 times per week for 6 weeks. For faster effects, increase the number of sets/times per week you exercise.

Tips

  • Put your feet together instead of apart. This forces your body to balance more using your core. Not a huge difference, but still one nonetheless.
  • To make this exercise less challenging, cross your arms across your chest rather than holding them behind your head.
  • The benefits of this exercise are increased strength and flexibility in your abdominal muscles. It does a really great job of targeting the rectus abdominus muscles in particular.

Warnings

  • Potential injuries that may be incurred if this exercise is performed incorrectly are muscle strains in the back and neck.
  • Those with poor balance should be careful when performing this exercise.

Things You'll Need

  • Exercise ball (make sure the size of the ball is suitable to your height)
  • Dumbbells (optional)
  • Water bottles (optional)
  • Heavy books (optional)
  • Towel (optional)

Related Articles

  • Do an Exercise Ball Squat
  • Do Leg Lifts With an Exercise Ball
  • Warm up With an Exercise Ball
  • Strengthen Quads Using a Fitness Ball
  • Do Reverse Sit Ups With an Exercise Ball

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