Pilates Ball Exercise Routines

Video Transcript

"Today I'm going to show you some exercises that you can do using the ball. The first thing you want to do is warm up on the ball. To warm up you can warm up by simply bouncing and this is going to engage the core muscles. If you want to add a challenge you start swinging your arms and the last added challenge is to kick one foot out at time so you are going to lift, lift, lift and lift. Another exercise you can do just to warm up on the ball is just pelvic tilts so forward and back, 12 and 6. You can also do circles here. Another exercise you can do is bridging so to do bridging with the ball you are going to bring the ball out to the side of you, lay down on the mat, feet go up, straight legs, make sure you have found neutral and from here you are going to roll or tuck the pelvis, engaging those hamstrings, exhale as you roll back down. So posteriorly tilt, engage the hamstrings up, hips are high. From here you can lift one leg, lift the other, and roll back down, back to neutral. Another exercise you can do while you are down here is double leg stretch with the ball. To do this start with the ball in between your ankles and you are going to have your arms up to the ceiling, lower both of them down and then switch, lower down and switch. Make sure you are in neutral and make sure that you don't lower too far allowing your abs to come up. You want them to stay nice and tucked in, engaging that transverse muscle. Another thing you can do is keeping the ball in between the feet do some pulses so pulse, bringing those knees and ankles together pulse the ball, about ten times is good. Another exercise you can do which is a little more of a challenge is the body curl and body pike. For this exercise you are going to start with the ball all the way down at the edge of the mat, roll your body over it and walk yourself out, keeping your shoulders nice and string, ball is about at the shins, you are going to tuck your tail in, chin to chest and exhale it out. That's body curl, to do the body pike you need to walk yourself out just a little bit further so that the ball is by your ankles and then bring your hips high, exhale it up. To get down you can bring one leg and then the other or you could roll back the way that you came and those are some exercises that you can do using an exercise ball."