Roll Into Awesome Abs!

To give you a little history of how stability ball training emerged, we would have to start in Europe. These oversized looking beach balls evolved there as a tool for treating neuromuscular disorders such as MS, cerebral palsy and spinal injuries. Stability balls made their way to the States in the early 60s in the physical therapy arena for the same purpose.

When we were introduced to the ball in 1992, we realized that there was minimal information in the health and fitness industry regarding training with the ball. This inspired us to develop an educational program that would introduce and establish a stability ball instructor-training program known as C.O.R.E. (competent on Resist-A-Ball® education).

Recent surveys conducted by fitness associations show that abdominals are still the number one area the public wants to train. No matter how much we preach that you cannot spot reduce, our clients and classes still want to work their abdominal muscles more than any other part of their body. We know strong abs will lead to a healthy back, and no matter what our client’s goal may be, abdominal training remains an important part of a fitness program. We view abdominal strength training as the foundation for a good overall program.

We know you have seen and experienced various gimmicks promoting the ultimate abs. By now, you have also probably discovered that, in most cases, these do not work.

Also, if you use the traditional sit-up performed flat on the floor, you must realize how limited the range of motion for the abdominals is in that position. Because of the natural curvature of the lower back, there is no resistance against the abdominals during the range of motion the spine goes through to initially flatten against the floor. This means that you have moved through most of the movement that the abdominals do in a sit-up, without any challenge (resistance) to the muscles. Once your shoulder blades leave the floor, the abdominals finally kick in with little range of motion left. If you do the exercise correctly for abs, you should think of pulling your rib-cage down towards your hips. You will find that there is not much movement left before the ribs press into your organs preventing any further range of motion. Anything past that point would require your hip flexors to pull your trunk up defeating your goal of “ab training."

A unique property of the Resist-A-Ball® is that it is round, allowing your spine to conform to its shape. The ball fills the curve of the lower back and allows the abdominals to work through a greater range of motion. The other benefit is that because of its dynamic nature (rolling) other muscles are working to stabilize you from rolling off the ball. So it is not only recruiting more muscles to get involved while you are isolating the abdominals, but it is also challenging your body to improve its balance.

We will reference the primary movers and stabilizers for each exercise. Because of the dynamic nature of the ball, it will require a tremendous amount of stabilization for each movement pattern and it is difficult to name all the muscles involved. However, we will do the best we can to focus on the major players. Note that whatever extremity is anchored to the floor, some or all of the muscles of that extremity will be working to a certain degree to stabilize the body. We may classify these stabilizers by their joint action, i.e. hip extensors, spinal rotators, hip adductors, etc. and these will be noted by the initials PS – primary stabilizers. When it comes to identifying the prime movers we will be referring to the muscles primarily involved in the joint action being performed against resistance. Again, we may also refer to these groups, i.e. abdominals, hip flexors, and hip external rotators. These primary movers will be noted by PM.

Supine/Incline Trunk Curl

Note: You can vary the degree of incline by re-positioning the body. The closer the buttocks are to the floor, the less load on the abs and more load on the quads for stabilization. The further away the seat is from the floor, the more load is placed on the abs and less on the quads for stabilization. Cue: Pull the ribs down toward the hips. Stabilize the neck and pelvis - this is the most common problem and needs to be addressed initially. Avoid thrusting the body forward and also control your eccentric (lowering) movement. The ball does not move.

Start	Finish

Supine/Incline Oblique Curl

Note: Stagger feet slightly and slightly rotate hips to one side. When adding resistance, position the body in a more supine position and only add one arm to the side that you are working. Anchor the lower hip into the ball. Cue: Think of moving the rib cage at a diagonal moving in the direction the legs are pointing (right elbow to right inner thigh). Stabilize the neck and pelvis.

Start	Finish

Prone Plank Pike Pushup

Note: This is one of the most challenging exercises on the ball. Start in the pike position with the hands placed for a wide base of support and positioned to allow the elbows to move outward. Lower the body towards the floor maintaining the pike position. Return to the starting position.

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Supine EL Leg Press

Note: When performing this exercise maintain your normal neutral spine by stabilizing with the abdominals. In the more intense version with the legs in a lower position, more abdominal stabilization is required and more load is placed on the quads. Cues: Abs contracted, tighten quads to straighten the leg, lift the chest and press the shoulders into the floor.

Start	Finish

Supine EL Reverse Trunk Curl

Note: This exercise is most effective if you anchor your upper body. Because the lower body, in most cases, is heavier than the upper body, you often use momentum to move the lower body instead of the abdominals. Without an anchor, to perform this exercise, press your arms into the floor and pull the pelvis towards the ribs lifting the seat off the floor.

Cues: Press the shoulder blades and arms into the floor; pelvis to ribs; keep knees stacked over the hips; lower hips with control. With the arms straight and anchored, curl the pelvis toward the ribs with control. Keep the knees stacked over the hips as you lift the pelvis off the floor. Lower with abdominal control.

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We are grateful for the opportunity to share with you some of the information that we have researched and developed on stability ball training over the past eight years for the Resist-A-Ball® educational program. We hope the content of this article was useful to you and will continue to expand your knowledge in our growing fitness industry!