Ab Workout

Welcome to my Fit Ball workout series! There are six workouts in this series, and they're all listed after this one. You can purchase a ball here. Each mini workout contains 3 to 4 exercises; below you'll find suggestions for how to use them.

• A warm-up before pole training.
• A quick workout to help you maintain strength when you're short on time.
• Target training for specific muscle groups.
• Guidance for your time at the gym.

Performing 1 set of 12 reps of each exercise will only take you about 3-4 minutes! You can mix things up by doing each exercise for however many sets you choose in a row. You can also do them as supersets, meaning you'll do each exercise one after the other without stopping. Rest for a few minutes or more and start over, completing however many sets you'd like. I suggest starting with one set if you're new to exercise.

Exercise 1 - Abs - In this demo, you'll see 3 levels of difficulty going from least difficult to hardest.

• Sit towards the front of the ball, not in the middle.
• Start with the easiest variation.
• Arms overhead (by the ears) is a great way to improve strength for pole dance and aerial work. 
• If your feet slip, sit facing a wall to anchor yourself.
• If you're hypermobile, you can also place a small ball between your knees to encourage the adductors to work.

Exercise 2 - Back-bending strengthening - I love using this exercise as it targets more than one area and is awesome for pole dance training. As always, there are several options starting with the easiest first. At the end of my reps, I like to add the overhead reach to really open up the chest and shoulders.

• Start with whichever arm position feels good to you.
• Make sure you're lying on the ball so you can see, or almost see, behind you.
• When reaching overhead, keep the arms by the ears as best you can.

Exercise 3 - Core and more - For this exercise you'll be using your feet, adductors, quads, abs, chest and shoulders if you choose the last option. This is a wonderful pole conditioning drill!

• Keep the knees in line with the hips.
• Keep the lower back pressing down into the floor.
• If choosing to reach the ball overhead, work towards a hollow body position.
• Remember to engage your pelvic floor muscles when exerting.