Planks on an Exercise Ball

[surgtech1956]

How big of an exercise ball do you need?

[Veronica]

I read twice and now I'm still asking myself if I maybe didn't understand you right

You KNEEL on a swiss ball, and, if that wasn't enough, you then raise your arms and bend over holding a broomstick in your hands?!

I wish I could balance sitting/lying on a swiss ball for some seconds without doing anything... (I could picture myself doing the above, but the broomstick would need to be a Nimbus 2000... )

I think she's talking about doing hyper extensions on the ball. I did almost all of my upper body work today while standing or squatting isometrically on a Bosu.

Everything except the kettle bell work. Kettle bell swings with 35 pounds - ouch!

Veronica

[Veronica]

How big of an exercise ball do you need?

The size my feet are on.

You can use a Bosu for a lot of things too.




You can use a Bosu either flat side down or round side down.

Veronica

[OakLeaf]

Different brands come in different sizes, but they usually have height charts on the package. You want to be able to sit on it with your knees bent at 90 degrees or wider.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks for the photos, Veronica - I was having a very hard time visualizing this whole "planks on an exercise ball" concept. I was thinking the arms/hands went on the ball! No wonder I was so confused.

And by the way, I *heart* your arms!

[crazycanuck]

Dumb question, can somene please describe a hyper extension...

All I know is, I don't sit on my heels while on the ball...

[Veronica]

Thanks! I'm actually doing push ups in that photo. You can put the ball at either end for planks.

The instability of the ball really forces you to work so much harder. Or fall off and start giggling.

Veronica

[Artista]

Emily, I am doing the planks with my feet on the ground & my forearms on the ball.

Catrin, I have to move the ball with my forearms to make the exercise harder than a traditional plank on the floor. I've done this exercise several times now. I move the ball constantly during some sessions. During other sessions, I hold a position for several seconds before rolling the ball just a few inches with my forearms to a different position.

Crazycanuck, I am amazed that you can do anything else while balancing on your ball...especially on your knees. My balance exercise consists entirely of trying not to fall off.

Wow, Veronica! I want to do what you do when I grow up. I *heart* your arms, too.

[Veronica]

Dumb question, can somene please describe a hyper extension...

All I know is, I don't sit on my heels while on the ball...

There are a lot of you tube videos showing it on a ball. Here it is on a Roman chair.




I thought this might be what you were describing because I do this with a weighted bar, but not on the ball.

Veronica

[crazycanuck]

Urm, i'll have to jump onto our computer w a broadband connection as it'll take me forever to find a you tube video showing exactly what i'm trying to describe..

The joys of dial up...

[marni]

[QUOTE=Artista;557909]Careful what you wish for How do you think you're coming 1/2 way through the 1st quarter? (Would that be 5% improvement in an eighth?)

1/2 through the first quarter and I have progressed at least 5 pounds per hand on any of the free weight exercises, plus doing most of them on a Bosu ball. My leg presses have gone up to 175 pounds ( which is 35 pounds over my body weight whoo hoo!) from 155 and all the other weight machine exercises are up by at least 10 pounds, plus we have added five minute running intervals or jump rope intervals 2 or 3 times a workout. The latest fun masochism is side plank dip with a free weight in the working hand on a bosu ball and one legged push ups either on the bosu or on small medicine ball type balls.

for inquiring minds, side plank dip- hit a side plank with bottom arm straight- hold a ten pound weight in the free hand,lower it tucking forward so that your arm goes down and under your body and you're twisting your your oblique muscles, then lift up again, while maintaining a straight bottom arm and not falling over.

[Susan]

I think she's talking about doing hyper extensions on the ball. I did almost all of my upper body work today while standing or squatting isometrically on a Bosu.

Everything except the kettle bell work. Kettle bell swings with 35 pounds - ouch!

Veronica

Oh, you could be right The kneeling ON the ball thing gets me confused. Maybe it's because they were showing our women Ski-Teams training on TV last week. One of the women was standing with one foot on a body ball (not a bosu, a real ball), balancing, while catching a ball her trainer hurled at her. It was quite stunning. I wouldn't have thought that was possible before seeing it.

Atm I do the "Making the cut" workout regularly, there are quite a lot of Body ball exercises too and I had to add some in because I am training at home without gym equipment. Yesterday I had "pike Pushups on BB" and "Bench Dips with feet on BB" - not fun I wish my arms would look just a little bit like yours someday in the future

[crazycanuck]

I was lost but now i'm found

Here's what i'm referring to-please refer to the lifting of arms in the 58sec to the 1min mark http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqzV0O139Yk

Start from that position.

I'll try and find more stuff..

[OakLeaf]

I can just barely kneel - not that I've been practicing all that much lately.

But I'm still not sure of the progression you're describing, CC - do you bend your knees and keep your hips straight (similar to reclining Hero); or is it a backbend (similar to Camel)?



If you're not sitting on the ball with feet on the ground, then you don't have to worry about sizing the ball to protect your knees, and you can instead use size and inflation to adjust the difficulty. Larger ball is easier (because the contact patch with the floor is larger and the contact patch(es) with you are less angled); slightly underinflated ball is easier, for obvious reasons.

I've seen a guy stand on a ball and do squats. And it wouldn't surprise me a bit if the next thing V. posts is a video of her doing squats on the ball with a 50# bar.

[Catrin]

I tried this again last night and had my trainer check out my form - this was just normal planks on the ball and that was quite easy. It seemed TOO easy when I did it on my own which was why I asked him to check me out on it. Then I started moving the ball around with my forearms and THAT was a different story So I have found a new core exercise - thank you!