Core Workout

Welcome to my Fit Ball workout series! There are six workouts in this series and they're all listed in a row. 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 - Full Body - This exercise is great for handstand training but also requires effort from the whole body, making it one of my go-to exercises. I'm demonstrating 3 levels of difficulty. The farther down the ball is on the legs, the more challenging this is.

• If you have a fear of falling over, do this against a wall.
• Make sure you have an understanding of handstand alignment for hands, wrists, and shoulders before working on this. I cover this in my reverse handstand prep tutorial.
• Remember to breathe and avoid locking out your elbows if you tend toward hyperextension.

Exercise 2 - Full Body - I've labeled this as full body because if you're new to exercise, this will challenge every muscle group. However, it's more of a "back" body and shoulder exercise if you're not new to exercise.

• You can use different leg positions, but here I'm actively pushing into the ball in a turnout position.
• Fingers are spread wide, arms straight, and fingers can be pointing out to the side.
• Imagine trying to slide the hands out to the side as you engage the arms.

Exercise 3 - Core and glutes - Here's another exercise that will work your entire body if you're new to working out. Try doing this exercise as a warm-up before working on inverts! You may find a new "ease" or "lightness" in your invert movement.

• Keep both legs straight but don't lock out the knees.
• Tuck your tailbone slightly if you tend to stick your butt out or have a natural curve where your booty sticks out.
• Actively push down into the ball with the leg as you squeeze through the back of the leg.