Stability Ball Circuit Workout
A total-body circuit workout you can do anywhere, using a stability ball and a pair of dumbbells.
Hi friends! How’s the morning going?? Hope you’re having a great day so far!
We’re off to the beach -it’s EXTRA gorgeous outside!- and spending the afternoon getting some Tucson stuff packed + Liv’s back to school goodies together. She requested a ladybug backpack… thank goodness for Amazon.
Today, I have an all-new stability ball workout for you!
(Outfit: c/o Fabletics, Shoes: New Balance)
The stability ball is one of my favorite workout tools. It adds some balance challenge to many traditional exercises, and is a fun way to get different muscles (especially those deep core stabilizers) guessing. It’s also one of my favorite chairs. I’ll often sit on my stability ball to keep my core awake and engaged while I type away.
Here is the workout, which includes some of my very favorite stability ball compound movements:
Tips and form cues:
Push-up and pike: keep in mind that the closer the ball is to your ankles, the more challenging this exercise is going to be. Make sure that your hands are wide and you’re pressing through your entire hand. As you bend your elbows, lower your chest towards the floor. Your elbows should go slightly back. Exhale and squeeze your chest to rise, so you’re in a plank position. Inhale, and as you exhale, lift your hips up towards the ceiling, keeping your legs as straight as possible. If the pike is too much, do a knee tuck instead. Bend your knees to bring them towards your chest, then extend back out to a plank position.
Booty V raise: this is one of my all-time favorite moves! The ball will be on your low stomach; put it where it feels comfortable. Press your hands into the floor, and step your feet apart, so your legs make a “v” shape. Take an inhale, and as you exhale, squeeze your glutes to lift your legs off the floor and bring your heels towards each other. As you lower down, feet are wide (back in that “V” shape).
Dumbbell Y’s and T’s: for this one, the ball will be in the same spot as your V raise. Use a light to moderate set of dumbbells. Take an inhale, and then as you exhale, keep your arms almost straight (slight bend at the elbow) and the weights up in line with your torso, making a “Y” shape. Lower down as you inhale, then exhale to bring them out (so your arms are perpendicular to your toroso; a “T” shape), and lower down.
Alphabet plank: place your forearms on the ball and step your feet back, so you’re in a plank position. Keep your hips down in line with your torso and your neck long. Start the timer and begin to “draw” the alphabet with the ball. See how far you can get in 30 seconds 😉 If you need to take a break, lower your knees to the floor, take a deep breath, and pop back up when you’re ready.
Hamstring curl and chest press: hold a pair of moderate to heavy dumbbells, and lie onto your back, placing your feet on top of the ball. Bring your arms to a 90-degree angle, and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the floor, with legs as straight as possible. Inhale, and then exhale to bend your knees in towards your booty, as you chest press the weights up, squeezing your chest. Inhale to lower to weights, and extend your legs. Keep your hips lifted the entire time.
Single leg squat to lateral lunge: stand about 3-ft in front of the stability ball and place one foot back on the ball. (Stand close to a wall if you need to for balance.) Sink into a lunge position, making sure your torso stays upright and your front knee remains stacked over your front ankle. As you rise, straighten the back leg, and pivot your torso to perform a lateral lunge. Complete all of your reps on one side before switching to the other side.
Full sit-up: start lying in a supine position with your feet on the ball. Keep your legs as straight as possible. Bring your arms overhead, take an exhale, and as you exhale, engage your transverse abdominis (deep core muscles) and keep your belly pulled in as you complete a sit-up.
Complete all of the exercises in a circuit, moving quickly from one exercise to the next. This circuit can be completed up to 3 times total. As always, honor your body and talk with a doctor before making any fitness changes.
Please let me know what you think! What’s your favorite stability ball exercise?
xoxo
Gina
More stability ball workouts:
Stability ball strength workout
Hard core stability ball workout video
Focus On: Stability Ball exercises
20 things to do with a stability ball
Photos: Arielle Levy
Location: Point Loma Sports Club
169 Comments
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This looks awesome–thanks for sharing! I added it to my Saturday short run 🙂 I think my favorite stability ball exercise is the hamstring curl–gets the booty burning!
perfect!!
yes- i love that one, too!
Although I’ve used stability balls in workouts before, I’ve never based an entire workout on it. I’ll have to give it a try this weekend when I’m at the gym.
let me know what you think! 🙂
I love your workout circuits… Do you have any pregnant workouts? Second trimester-ish ones or ideas?
Thanks so much!!!
i do! i have quite a few + some tips on the post baby bod site: postbabybod.com
Thank you!! Ur the best!!!
Woo-sah! Those booty v-raises are intense. Such a good point to focus on raising with your glutes. Before I thought about it, I used to raise with my lower back rather than keeping my abs tight. No gouda!
I’ve never tried out leg squat to lateral lunge. I’m excited to see how that one goes!
Thanks for the great workout!
XO, Jessica
http://www.semisweettooth.com
Stability balls are one of my favorite ways to add variation and challenge to my workouts. They’re under used and when I use them people are always asking me what the heck I’m doing. BOSU is another favorite of mine too! Love these variations.
i agree! they’re always so sad and alone on the ball rack 😉
Perfect timing…I’m in Florida and little Tropical Depression 9 is blessing us with oh so much rain (there goes a run!). I needed something new to do inside tonight!! Thanks!
This is awesome! Thank you! Also, I was at TJs and they had the unsweetened oatmeal you’d posted about a while ago. I got it because of you. Had it with protein powder this morning and it was great! Thanks for recommending it.
I love hamstring curls, give me that lovely leg bump ya know????? I did those today and knee tucks it was terrible and amazing at the same time!
I love incorporating stability ball and BOSU ball compound exercises into my workouts. I like stability ball grasshoppers with pushup and stability ball hamstring roll-ins.
I am totally doing this in the morning! Great ideas! Love your blog!
So I call it “stir the pot” but my favorite stability ball movement is similar to the ABC one in plank. I used to have clients do that one all the time and do it myself. Great workout, Gina! 🙂
My favorite stability ball exercise is lying on my back and picking up the ball with my feet. My feet then pass it to my hands. While my hands move it above my head, my feet lower.. Then raise again to take it from my hands.. And repeat! Haha.. Hope that makes sense!
My favorite Stability Ball Exercises involve super sets — I love doing Stability Ball Hamstring Curls with Stability Ball Back Lunges. Heyyyy there legs!
Also, another favorite SS Combo is: Stability Ball Back Extensions with Stability Ball V-Ups. Honestly, I’m horrible at V-ups and hoping that using the Stability Ball eventually gets me to a V-up unsupported.
My favorite stability ball exercise is the hip bridge while having your feet on the ball. That one always challenges the glutes!
I’m still new to stability ball workouts, but I like the plant to pike move! 🙂
I think my favourite stability ball exercise is the hamstring curl. Those always work my legs in the best way possible
My favorite stability ball exercise is hamstring curls! But I have to say I tried “writing the alphabet” with the ball this morning like you recommended in this post and that was pretty fun! In a fiery, burning kind of way 😉
My favorite stability ball exercise is either the hamstring curls or the jack knife. However I tend to use it as a bouncy ball while sitting on it in between exercises.
My favorite stability ball exercise is definitely either hamstring curls or pushups!
Love the 1 leg lunge! Works the legs and core.
My favorite stability ball exercise is push up to pike. I like the alphabet idea and I’m going to incorporate that in to by routine.
I love the push-up roll in and also doing toe taps while in a plank. KILL-AH!
I love the Hamstring curl 🙂
Chest press and hamstring curl is totally my fav stability ball workout!
My fave stability ball exercise is hamstring curls, fo sho
I love doing the plank to pike move. Plus, if I want to zone out and get a little strengthening I love a classic crunch on the ball. (We need a snap fan hashtag #snapnessista)
Sneaky. 😉 My fave stability ball workout is the one where I steal my co-workers ball and bounce around the office on it!
My favorite stability ball exercise is chest press.
My favorite stability ball exercise is using it in place of my chair at work for an hour or two a day – it’s much harder than I expected when I first tried it, but I love feeling my core improving after every month that passes!
My fave exercise are hip raises on the ball
I love/hate hamstring curls!
Love your sneaky-ness! Def hamstring curls for me!
I love chest flies and presses!
Push-ups on the ball!
I have always loved using the stability ball for sit-ups/crunches!
I can always count on pike ups to get my core on FIRE so those are definitely my fav. I never thought of adding a push up to it, so I’ll definitely give that a try…love those moves that work multiple muscles at once 🙂
I love doing a plank with my feet on the ball and rolling the ball forward/tucking my knees. Burns those abs so good!!
Hamstring Curls!
my favorite stability ball exercise is the hamstring curl! learned it first during the PT while i was recovering from my knee surgery and i love it!
I’ve never thought to do an entire circuit on the stability ball, what a great at home workout! I’m getting back into working out after a chronic illness, so things like this are perfect for me. Thank you so much for posting! My fav stability ball exercise is a jackknife or pike, they are sneakily hard.
I love doing hamstring curls on the stability ball. One of my favorites. 🙂
I love hamstring curls!
My favorite is push-up to plank. Always hard- about to do it at the gym right now!
Chest press is my favorite stability ball exercise!
My favorite stability ball exercise is a plank on the ball. I find that if I do anything with my stomach across the ball I get heartburn. Weird!
My favorite stability ball excersize is crunches
Fave stability ball exercise is using the ball as a bench for dumbbell bench presses.
I love using the stability ball instead of a bench when I do chest flies!
I’ve been loving the stability ball pike. It’s not something I normally do, and it challenges me!
My favorite stability ball exercise is the hamstring curl!