Medicine Ball Core Exercises: Ab Crunches

Series Summary

Many people want to lose weight, yet despite claims of quick fat burning pills and powders, the best way to lose weight is still through proper diet and exercise. Exercise does more than maintain physical fitness. Working out improves bone density, builds muscle strength, and improves joint mobility. It can also reduce general health risks, boost the immune system, and help with depression and insomnia. Whether exercising to lose weight or improve muscle mass, working out is always a good idea to promote mind and body health. In this free video series an expert fitness trainer demonstrates a variety of core exercises using a medicine ball. Learn to do figure eight, squats and jump squat exercises with a medicine ball. Explore how to do core exercises with the medicine ball such as the diagonal raise and bridge exercises. Interested in maintaining or improving core muscles by using a medicine ball, watch as this expert demonstrates everything needed to know to do these effective abdominal exercises.

Video Transcript

"This functional core exercise that we are going to be doing is using a stability ball and a medicine ball. So we are going to be performing abdominal crunches and we are going to add a little bit of omph to this exercise. So come on down to your stability ball, gently walk your feet forward to where the small of your back is connected to the stability ball, then you can use about a four pound ball, medicine ball or you can use two pounds or six pounds depending on your fitness level. Either way take your arms, extend them straight up, and have a really good grip on your medicine ball. Now, use your entire core region to lift straight up and lower down. Now, you want to keep your arms nice and straight and allow your abdominals to do the work. Inhale as your come back, exhale as you lift. Inhale back, exhale lift. Now, what you want to try to focus on is lifting the ball straight up as to coming forward so lift straight up and come back. And when you are finished simply just bend your arms and gently walk up out of the position. And those are your abdominal crunches on the stability ball using a medicine ball."