Building Core Strength & Toning with Ab Ball Exercises

Ab ball exercises are great for toning the abdominal muscles. While they improve your appearance and metabolism like other exercises, they are really good for relief from lower back pain. The transverse abdominus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominus, erector spinae, multifidus, hip flexors and adductors, hamstrings and priformis together constitute the core muscles that must be strong and balanced to bear the body weight. If the ab muscles are weak, more pressure falls on the back causing back pain and lumbar herniation. Core-strength building workouts are essential to rectify this.

Many ab ball exercises are aimed specifically at the this - they improve your core stability, exercise the deepest muscles in your abdomen and effect weight loss. Here are four ab ball exercises that you can use for general abs toning or for tackling back pain. Make sure you select a ball that is right for your height and weight.

Ab Ball exercises: Raised-ball crunches work out the transverse abdominus, obliques and thighs. These are similar to simple crunches. Lie down on your back with knees bent in an inverted 'V'. Place the ball between the legs (just below the knees). Pull the abs inwards and press the lower back against the floor. Hold the ball with your legs and raise them to make right angles with the floor. Place the hands across the chest or behind the head and use your abdominal muscles to crunch. Raise your upper body towards the ball and lower gradually. Alternately raise it obliquely towards your left and right and gradually lower it back. When the body is raised, press your legs against the ball and feel the stress in your inner thighs. Perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 raised-ball crunches everyday.

Ab Ball exercises: Sitting-crunch exercises workout the ab muscles and are gentle. They increase your range of motion and create more stability in the body. Here is how you do them - Sit stably with your buttocks on the ball and your feet hip-width apart on the floor. Cross your arms across your chest and pull the abs in. With the back straight, lean backwards and hold for 10-15 seconds. Gradually return to the start position. Exercise in sets of 10-15 and breathe through the workout. Perform 3-4 sets of these sitting-crunches everyday.

Ab Ball exercises: Simple Ball-raise exercises are also gentle and intensely workout the abs and the thighs. Perform these exercises lying flat-back on the floor with legs placed on the ball such that you can hold the ball and lift it with your legs. Press the lower back into the floor and pull the abdominal muscles towards the spine. Squeeze your legs inwards putting pressure on your thighs and raise the ball with your legs. Hold for 10-15 seconds and gradually lower the ball to the floor. Repeat 3-4 sets of 10-15 ball-raise exercises.

Ab Ball exercises: Reverse crunch is more strenuous than the other exercises and works out the abs, thighs and hips. Start by lying over the ball on your stomach. Place your hands on the floor to stably support your body. Then gradually walk your hands away so that the ball moves towards the lower part of the body. When the ball rests beneath your upper thighs, place the palms firmly in the ground. Draw in the abdominal muscles. Press the ball with your knees and roll towards your hands by raising the lower back. The strength to hold the body raised and to roll forth should come from your abdominals. If not, you could hurt your back. Practice slowly till you can work this out with your abs. Hold the crunch for 10-15 seconds and gradually lower the body again to start position. Repeat 2-3 sets of 10-12 reverse crunches everyday.

With all these exercises, keep in mind that you must exert your abs and not your back! It is important to warm-up with 10-15 minutes of simple cardio exercises like brisk walking, running, biking, etc. before starting the ab ball exercises. Also add some hamstring stretches to your routine to improve flexibility. Drink plenty of water and breathe through out your workout.

I had two lumber disc herniations that resulted in chronic lower back pain. My physical therapists recommended these ab ball exercises for improving my core stability. Since practicing them for 4-6 weeks, I have experienced dramatic relief from back pain. These exercises also toned my abdominal muscles helped me shed 8-10 lbs.