Swiss Ball Plank - Feet on Ball
How to Do the Gym Ball Plank - Prone Core/Ab Exercise | In-Depth Guide [VISUAL LEARNERS] Beginner
Proper Form, Common Mistakes, & Harder Variation | Home Resistance Training
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE?
QUICK DEMO
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MUSCLES THIS WORKS
MUSCLES
MAIN MUSCLES WORKED IN Stability Ball Planks
lots of CORE muscles - see below
transverse abdominis, obliques, quadratus lumborum, rectus abdominis, pelvic floor, erector spinae, multifidi, iliopsoas, gluteals.
OTHER MUSCLES WORKED:
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Mid and Lower Traps
- Rhomboids
- Pectorals
- Serratus Anterior
- Deltoids
- Biceps
- Triceps
- Forearm Muscles
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
WHAT & WHY
BENEFITS OF TRAINING THE core muscles
WHAT
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
ALL WE'RE DOING:
Feet on the ball, palms on the ground, holding a plank.
FREQUENT, EVEN DAILY, CORE WORK IS TOTALLY A THING
This is the classic Stability Ball Plank, done in a plank position with your feet on the ball and your hands on the floor. This is a core-strengthening exercise that targets the entire abdominal region. Not only will you target all of the core muscles, but you will also work on balance, motor control, and coordination.
This exercise will work all of your core muscles to hold your spine in a neutral position. It will also work the muscles of the arms to support the upper body, and the hips and legs to stabilize the lower body on the unstable ball. This is a full-body workout - working the muscles from the head to the feet. It is important to include core exercises in your workouts, and the stability ball plank is a really time-effective one to choose.
Many exercises for some muscles you only want to do every 2-3 days, giving your muscles time to heal and rebuild in between. But the nice thing about working the core is that these are endurance muscles, they are designed to work at a low level for a long time - basically all day long. This means that you can do core exercises every day. Adding a few core exercises to your daily routine can really pay off.
WHY BOTHER DOING IT?
WHY
WHY DO WE EVEN CARE?
FULL BODY EXERCISE
Stability Ball Planks are a full-body workout - targeting a lot of different muscles at the same time. They can be used to strengthen the core, shoulders, and arms, and to challenge coordination, stability, and balance. That makes them a good choice if you have a limited amount of time. Including full-body exercises is more functional because they improve coordination, body awareness, and control.
CORE MUSCLE STRENGTH IS THE FOUNDATION OF HEALTHY MOVEMENT. KIND OF LIKE CHOCOLATE IS THE FOUNDATION OF BROWNIES. NO CHOCOLATE, NO BROWNIES. NO CORE STRENGTH, NO HEALTHY MOVEMENT.
The main focus of stability ball planks is strengthening the core muscles. Having a strong core is the foundation of healthy movement. The core has also been called the pillar of strength or the powerhouse. If you want strong and healthy arms and legs, it is important to have a strong core to support them. Stability ball planks are a fun way of achieving that.
PSYCHOLOGICALLY SATISFYING! FEEL LIKE A ROCKSTAR OVERNIGHT
One of the best things about the ball exercises is that you tend to see progress pretty quickly. This is an interesting phenomenon. I think it comes from the fact that balance and motor control is more about mental control than physical strength. This is exciting because it means that you don’t have to actually grow the muscle to feel the improvements, you just have to practice.
The more you use the stability ball, the quicker your brain will learn how to move on it, you will most likely feel more confident on the ball within 3 -4 exercise sessions. Which of course makes you feel like you’re an overnight success. None of this 6 months to see improvements stuff! Just kidding, of course that’s part of our workout program too. But this is a wonderful quick-win feeling. We all need those “I’ve obviously made major progress” moments sometimes!
GRAVITY IS A WONDERFUL THING- HOW TO MAKE YOUR CORE WORK HARD WITHOUT WEIGHTS OR BANDS.
When we are upright with good posture, the muscles of the core are not very active - that is the beauty behind the design of the spine. When all of the vertebrae are stacked up and aligned properly, the muscles don’t have to do much work and the body can conserve energy. As soon as we move our legs or arms, the muscles become more active. If we lean forward or backward, gravity will pull down on our heads and upper body and the muscles become even more active. Planks put the body into a horizontal position where gravity really has an effect - just getting into this position and holding it is very demanding on the core muscles. This is easy to feel when you are in a plank.
PROTECT YOUR BACK. OR HELP YOUR BACK IF IT’S ALREADY HURTIN’.
Strong and healthy core muscles are needed to keep upright and to prevent damage to your spine, and even the rest of your body. The main job of the core is to hold us up. Anytime that we are not being supported by something, like a bed or chair, our core muscles are working to hold us upright.
The muscle activity increases as soon as the weight of the head is no longer directly over the spine. So if you lean forward, the weight of your head starts to pull your torso forward, The core muscles work to prevent you from falling. The muscles also move each individual vertebra to keep them all properly stacked and aligned. Between every two vertebrae, there is a disc and two small joints on the side. There are also two small passages where the nerves exit from the spinal cord and travel to the different areas of the body. If the vertebra moves too much it can lead to injuries to the ligaments, discs, joints, and nerves.
Most low back pain is due to too much movement between the vertebrae. The muscles need to help stabilize the vertebra and also absorb shock from the lower body to protect all of these structures. Back and neck pain are a huge problem, leading to disability and loss of independent living. Learning safe exercises that train the core muscles to move in the healthiest way possible can help to prevent joint damage and prolong independence.
HOLD ON TO THAT BONE MASS (IT’S A THING OVER 40)
Another benefit of stability ball plank exercises is that you are weight-bearing through the arms - not many exercises require that you put a lot of weight through the arm bones. Loading the bones in this way will stimulate bone growth, making the bones stronger. Weight-bearing exercises are frequently used for prevention or as a treatment for osteopenia or osteoporosis (low bone density).
Exercises that are done with the arms or legs in weight-bearing will stimulate the proprioceptors more - these are receptors in the joints that send information to the brain to tell the brain where the limb is in space. Proprioception (the awareness of where the body is in space) is important for motor control, coordination of movement, and balance.
EVERYDAY LIFE
EVERYDAY LIFE &
MUSCLE FUNCTION
HOW WE USE OUR core muscles IN EVERYDAY LIFE
1. THE CORE MUSCLES WORK ALL DAY LONG TO HOLD US UPRIGHT DURING ALL DAILY ACTIVITIES:
- Sitting
- Standing
- Walking
- Lifting
- Pushing
- Pulling
- Carrying
- Pushing a wheelbarrow
2. THE CORE MUSCLES HOLD THE SPINE STILL WHILE USING THE ARMS OR LEGS:
- Washing windows
- Kicking a ball
- Reaching
- Climbing stairs/ladder
- Stepping into/out of a high car/truck
- Running
- Golf
- Painting overhead
STARTING POINTERS
Starting Pointers
The Stability Ball Plank can be used to train for a standard plank by leaving your hips or thighs on the ball and using the ball to decrease the amount of weight-bearing on your arms and to partially support your body weight. It can also be used as a ball plank progression by walking all the way out until just the feet are on the ball. The instability of the ball will make the core, arm, and leg muscles work harder to keep your body balanced on the ball and the spine neutral.
Remember that the focus is on form and control, this is really important when you are doing core exercises.
Your attention should be on keeping your spine in neutral (the healthiest position for the spine) and holding the body very still. Using a ball makes it easy to be challenged but successful - start by only walking your hands forward a little bit. Make sure that your form is good, if it feels too easy, continue moving your arms out until you are feeling challenged. Hold that position. Repeat this process as you gain control until just the tops of the feet are on the ball.
Once you have gained control of the ball and can hold the plank position with only the tops of the feet on the ball for 20 seconds with effort (meaning that you are working moderately hard to hold the position), increase the level of difficulty. There are many fun variations for making the exercise more challenging.
HOW TO DO THE EXERCISE
LOOKS
HOW Stability Ball Planks SHAPE OUR BODY
Nice, confident, upright posture. Controlled, graceful movement. Flatter stomach, toned midsection.
PROPER FORM
PROPER FORM: Stability Ball Plank - Feet on Ball
EQUIPMENT, SETS & REPS
EQUIPMENT
Stability Ball
SUGGESTED STARTING WEIGHT FOR WOMEN:
None - walk out as far as possible while maintaining control. A good starting position would be one that you can hold about 5 seconds with moderate effort (working fairly hard).
SETS & REPS:
3 reps holding to fatigue - fatigue is when you can no longer hold the position with good form.
PACE:
Move into position with slow control, the hold is as still as possible.
BODY POSITION
BODY POSITION FOR THE Stability Ball Plank
Place the stability ball on the floor and kneel behind it. Lean over and place your chest on the ball. Push yourself forward with your feet. Continue rolling the ball forward until your hands are on the floor. Continue to move your hands forward, moving your torso forward off of the ball. Keep going as long as you can control the movement. Stop when you feel that you will not be able to keep your body balanced. This may be anywhere from having your hips, thighs, knees, shins, or tops of feet on the ball.
BODY STANCE: Neutral spine (includes cervical, this exercise works the muscles of your neck also so it is important to have the cervical spine in neutral). Your body should be in one straight line - earlobe - shoulder- hip - knees - ankles, and parallel to the floor. Gently engage your abdominals, if you can also activate your pelvic floor muscles it will help stabilize the spine.
ARMS: Arms straight down (90 degrees of flexion) - keep the space between your earlobe and the top of your shoulder. Arms straight, the elbows soft.
HANDS: Hands under shoulders. Palms on the floor, fingers facing forward
LEGS: Legs are together, straight, energized.
HOW TO DO
HOW TO DO Stability Ball Planks
CUE: The goal is to be controlled and stable. You should be doing a body scan as you hold the end position - scan from head to toes and repeat.
Hold until your form fails ie: hips pike up, your upper body sinks down into the shoulders, low back sags, or you are unable to keep the ball still.
Maintain stability and control as you slowly walk back to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of reps.
HOW TO SAFELY GET OUT OF THE EXERCISE
Walk the hands back until the feet touch the floor. Continue to push the ball forward under you until your knees are on the floor. Push up to standing.
COMMON MISTAKES
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT TO AVOID WITH THE Stability Ball Plank
KEY TIP:
Guess what? Good news! Many avoids are the same for most movements. Once you learn the basics, there's really only a few extra avoids for each individual movement.
1. Avoid Sagging Low Back
AVOID: Avoid letting the low back sag.
WHY NOT?
- Too much extension in the low back can strain the muscles and ligaments of the spine.
WHAT TO DO:
- The back can sag if you collapse in the shoulders or upper back.
- Maintain a neutral and stable spine.
- Activate the abdominal muscles - the rectus abdominis will work to prevent spinal extension.
- Push down into the floor with your hands, pull your shoulder blades in and down the back and lift the sternum.
- Try engaging the pelvic floor.
- Even lengthening the neck can help to control a sagging low back because it helps to activate the back extensors (they run the length of the spine from cervical to lumbar region).
2. Avoid Rounding Spine
AVOID: Avoid rounding the back.
WHY NOT?
- Too much flexion in the spine can lead to irritation or compression of the spinal joints and discs.
WHAT TO DO:
- LIft the sternum, push your upper body up and lower your pelvis (hip in line with shoulder and knee).
- Lengthen the spine - from head to tail.
3. Avoid Lifting Hips
AVOID: Avoid lifting your hips.
WHY NOT?
- Lifting the hips up is a common cheat that decreases the muscle activation of the core and the hips.
- Lifting the hips results in an angle or v shape - the hip joint is higher than the shoulder and higher than the knee.
- It is important to avoid holding the hips in a flexed position; it activates the hip flexors.
- This will decrease the effectiveness of the exercise.
WHAT TO DO:
- The goal is to make your body a straight line - earlobe, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle. {in the starting position, in the knee tuck the knees will bend].
- Lower your pelvis down and activate your core muscles.
- Keep the front of the hip flat - no crease.
4. Avoid Locking Elbows
AVOID: Avoid locking or hyperextending your elbows.
WHY NOT:
- This puts too much force through the joint and may result in long term damage over time.
- This will decrease the muscle activity of the arm muscles that stabilize the elbow joint.
WHAT TO DO:
- Keep the elbows slightly bent throughout the movement.
5. Avoid Lifting/Tucking Chin
AVOID: Avoid lifting the chin.
WHY NOT?
- This can lead to neck strain and damage to the soft tissue and small joints of the cervical spine (neck).
WHAT TO DO:
- Keeping your neck (cervical spine) in neutral will strengthen the muscle of the neck in a neutral position - the healthiest position for the joints and nerves (part of a neutral spine position).
- Keep your neck long and look down at the floor.
- Keep space between your earlobe and the top of your shoulder.
6. Avoid dropping into the shoulder joints
AVOID: Avoid dropping into the shoulder.
WHY NOT?
- Stresses the shoulder joints, increases the lumbar curve.
WHAT TO DO:
- Keep the shoulders back and sternum lifted.
- Press down into the floor with the support hand.
- Lengthen the spine (including neck) and energize the arm that is reaching out.
- This will activate the muscles of the core.
MAKE IT HARDER
HARDER
MAKING THE Movement MORE CHALLENGING
Tops of Toes On Ball
Toes only on ball Plank
In the end position flex the ankles and put just your toes on the ball, complete the reps. Put the top of the foot back on the ball and walk back in. This will increase the activity of the core and leg muscles because it decreases the stability (less of the foot in contact with the ball).
SCIENCY STUFF
SCIENCY STUFF
SPIFFILICIOUS FACTS ABOUT MUSCLES & MOVES
All of the muscles of the core work together to stabilize the spine. The muscles include the erector spinae and deep back extensors: (semispinalis, multifidi, rotatores, interspinalis and intertransversarii. The back extensors can extend (bending backwards) the spine, or control or prevent spinal flexion (bending forward); The quadratus lumborum muscle can side bend the spine, or prevent or control sidebending, The internal and external obliques can flex and rotate the spine, or prevent or control rotation and extension of the spine. The rectus abdominis flexes the spine and controls or prevents spinal extension. The transverse abdominis muscle is the deepest abdominal muscle, it wraps around the entire abdomen in the transverse plane (horizontally) like a corset. The function of the transverse abdominis is to compress and stabilize the abdomen.
The iliopsoas muscles originate on all of the lumbar vertebrae and attach on the top of the femur. The primary function of these muscles are to flex the hip (lift the thigh as in marching), the secondary function of the muscle is to stabilize the pelvis
The muscles of the back and abdomen work at low levels intermittently when standing upright. They become more active when the body is no longer vertical, and gravity pulls the torso into flexion, side bending, or extension.
The main function of the muscles of the torso is to protect the spine from excessive movement. Too much movement in the spine can lead to injury or damage to the joints of the spine, or the nerves that exit between the vertebrae. These muscles work any time we are in an upright position: standing, sitting, running, walking. The muscles become more active when on an unstable surface, and when we are moving the arms or legs.
ALLLL MUSCLES & WHEN
ALL MUSCLES WORKING & WHEN DURING THE Swiss Ball Plank - Feet on Ball
In the beginning position, the muscles of the torso are fairly quiet because the torso is resting on the ball. The quadriceps act concentrically to push off of the floor to move the body forward.
The hands contact the floor and begin walking the body forward. The arm and shoulder blade muscles (deltoids, biceps, triceps, teres major, muscles of the forearm, scapular muscles, rotator cuff muscles latissimus dorsi) work together to stabilize the shoulder blade and move the body forward. When the torso passes the ball the muscles of the core - extensor spinae, deep spinal extensors (semispinalis, multifidi, rotatores, interspinales and intertransversarii), quadratus lumborum, obliques, rectus abdominis, and transverse abdominis all contribute to holding the spine in neutral. Pelvic floor can help if you work on activating it.
The hip muscles work to hold the pelvis level: iliopsoas, adductors magnus, brevis, and longus, gracilis, gluteus maximus,medius, and minimus, hamstrings, and the quadriceps femoris. Other muscles (deep hip stabilizers, sartorius, lower leg muscles) may help if you are able to walk out so that only the lower leg/feet are on the ball (the more you need to work to hold yourself still the more muscles will be recruited).
Once you have walked out as far as you are able while maintaining control - all of the core muscles, the shoulder, arm and hip stabilizers work to hold the body still.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
