Fun, Effective Abdominal Exercises with the Ab Ball

When I first laid my eyes on the large gray ab exercise ball on one of those many infomercials I thought what a great idea for having a fun workout. The impression I got was that someone had finally thought about making exercising fun for adults, just like it was when we were kids. The greatest obstacle to overcoming a lack of adult exercise in my opinion is to make it fun for adults to participate.

Imagine my disappointment when I got the book and then later the DVD on the "official" exercises that had been developed for the ab exercise ball. Where was all the fun stuff I saw on the infomercials? The recommended exercises were not only boring but too repetitive for my liking. It was at that point I developed my own regimen of exercises for the exercise ball.

The first thing I do is make sure I have plenty of room to move around in for my exercise routine. The ab exercise ball does take up more room since the ball causes you to move around more than you would for stationary workouts. Next I add music. It does not matter what the pace or beat of the music is just as long as it is something that makes you want to move or dance to it.

When starting out for the first time using the ball just practice sitting on it and rolling side to side under your buttocks. Next add that music and just roll side to side in time with the beat. Just this simple few steps will help you gain your balance using the ball. The ball can be very deceptive since you can easily loose your balance on it. As your gain your balance and confidence just sitting and rolling side to side add rolling back and forth. This is where you could easily loose your balance and fall. This is more likely to happen if you are severely out of shape. As your legs strengthen your balance will get better.

Experiment with bouncing up and down while sitting on the ball. Use your legs to provide the motion and keep your feet flat on the ground. This exercise will strengthen your legs and trim your waistline.

As you gain your balance with the ball you can lay on your stomach on it and using your arms and legs roll it between your body and the floor from your upper body to your lower legs and back again.