GET THE ROTATOR CUFF & SHOULDER BLADE MUSCLES MORE INVOLVED

These are good progressions from standard planks or stability ball planks, they are more challenging and they will give your upper body more of a workout. Since the exercises are done with the arms on the stability ball, the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles will be more active. With the arms on an unstable surface, the muscles will need to be making continuous adjustments to hold the upper body balanced on the ball.

Stability Ball Arm Planks is a full body movement - targeting a lot of different muscles at the same time. These are fun exercises to add to your exercise program on days when you don’t have a lot of time. They will work a lot of muscles at once to improve strength, endurance, coordination, body awareness, stability, and balance.

GREAT EXERCISE FOR THE SIX-PACK MUSCLE + WAY HEALTHIER THAN MOST YOU’VE SEEN

These are good exercises for strengthening the rectus abdominis (6-pack muscle/trunk flexor) and the obliques. There is a common belief that the only way to work the rectus abdominis muscle to develop the much sought-after “6-pack” appearance is by doing many crunches or sit-ups. These exercises involve moving over and over again at one or two segments of the lower spine, this movement can stretch the important ligaments of the spine leading to too much movement at that level, which can damage the joints and soft tissues over time. 

The stability ball arm plank exercises target the rectus abdominis muscle by holding the torso still when the body is inclined, the low back will begin to drop down because of the pull of gravity, and the rectus abdominis (6-pack muscle) will contract to prevent the low back from sagging down. This may not seem important, but when the spine curves down it compresses the vertebrae (the bones that make up the spine) which can strain the ligaments and discs. 

WHY STRENGTHEN THE MUSCLES AT AN INCLINE?

You may wonder why we don’t just strengthen these muscles in the standing position since that is how we use them. There are many very effective standing exercises that can work the core muscles. But, in the standing position, when you stand with good posture, the vertebrae, ligaments, discs, and muscles are in the neutral position - the position where they don’t have to work very much to keep you upright. If you were to draw a line down the spine that shows how gravity is acting on the joints the line would be straight down - so gravity will pull the vertebrae closer together but will not have a big effect on what the muscles or ligaments are doing. In order to strengthen the muscles in this position, you would have to move the arms and legs against resistance. 

An alternative to moving the arms and legs against resistance is putting the body in a position where the muscles do need to work to hold the spine in a neutral position. The plank position will do this. Imagine tipping the body so it is no longer upright, moving horizontally, now draw a line on how gravity is acting on the spine - at every point along the spine, there would be a line straight down to the floor, which means that all of the muscles along the spine will be active to try to hold the spine in alignment. The position of the arms and legs will affect how active the muscles are. The further away the arms and legs are the harder the muscles will have to work.

IMPROVES STABILITY & HEALTH OF SHOULDERS, ELBOWS & WRIST JOINTS

Another benefit of stability ball plank exercises is that your arms are balancing your body on the ball. This increases the amount of work the smaller muscles that hold the shoulder blades, shoulders, elbows, and wrists still. This is a really nice way to improve the stability and health of those joints. The more stable those joints are, the more weight you will be able to lift with your arms with less chance of injury. 

Weight-bearing through the arms stimulates bone growth and improves bone density. This is a bonus of this exercise if you have a family history of osteopenia or osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercises also stimulate the receptors in the joints that help with motor control and coordination - two things that can decrease with age. Exercises that are done with the arms or legs in weight-bearing are good for training proprioception - the brain's knowledge of where the body is in space. Proprioception plays a huge role in balance and the ability to recover from slips and trips.