ATHLETIC COMPANY

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STABILITY BALL PROGRESSIONS

By
JC Santana, MEd, CSCS

TheStabilityball has. become verypopular a tool withintheclinicalrehab setting.Their versatility allowstheirusewith anypopulation. Recently, Stability Ballshavebe-come popular outside rehab the settings. Theireffectiveness developing in balinceandcorestrength earned has therna spotin ther'vorld athletic functional of and conditioniig. Various strength and' conditioning experts have designedmultitude exercises a of cJvering entii body.The the followingexercise progressions some theexercises progressions are of and I haveieveloped over the lastfour years. omittedfrom this list aremanyrudimentary rehab exercises, well as as combination trainingwhere other pieces equipmlnt used conjunction thestability of are in with Ball' Yourirnagination theonlylimitation is encountered whenusing great this conditionrng tool. Ball Selection Notes 1) selecting ball is a sized ballwill allowyou to sit on it withyourknees }mple A properly and hip at 90 degrees. However, using different ballswill allowyou rnore size flexibilityand withyourStability training. Ball _ variation 2) General teaching cuesandexercise mechanics will increase safetyandfun of that the workingwith theStabilitv Ball. 3) Always exercise with a tt irt - a sweaty bodywill slideoff the ball whichcouldcause an injury,especially onefallswhileholdingweightoverhead. if 4) do not useanytypeof support anchois or for-supporting lirnbswhentrainingwith the ! stabilityBall. Thewholeideais to trainin an unstable environment. 5) Whenusingexternal resistance, musthandle you lighterloads thanyou wouldwhentraining on a standard bench' I do not recommend usinghigh loadsto failurewith this typeof training. 6) Spotters recommended are whenusingexterna'i resistance equipment. However, you are if usingappropriate loads form,minirnal and supervision needed. is 7) Now, let's talk aboutthebodyalignment someof the in fundamental positions: exercise Bodv Alisnment Unless otherwise specified, neutralalignment the spineshouldbe maintained a of when exe cisin g. r 1) Head(ball under hips)Thecervical spine, neck, or should behyper-flexed. to maintain in theposition not Try it used whenyou arestanding in a neutral position. Likewise, not hyper do extend neckwhen the exercising. 2) Core (ball under hips,knees feetprogression) and when performing exercises whenthebodyissrsp.na"a theprone in position between distal two support-points,is moreimperative thecorebestrong it that enough maintain forr.ilo, pelvictilt. to u Thisprotects lurnbar the spinefromhyperextension reiuiresexceptional and abdominal hip and flexorstrength'Noticethestraight bodyarignment from headto toe.

3) Abdominal strength and tests A simple methodof assessing abdominalstrengthis to check if a personcan maintaintheir lower back flat to the ground when lifting one knee. This test can then be advancedto two knees and eventually to an extended leg. If an irrdividual cannot maintain a flat lower back during this test, they should not to perform exercisesthat risk lumbar hyperextension. 4) Prone Lever system (hip) kneesl Feet) 2 Leg) lLeg) The lever system inherent to Stability Ball training can take into account not only the core stability of an individual; it can also adjustthe resistance appliedto the extremities. Push-up: As the ball support goes further away from the arms, the demand for core stability is increased as well as the weight the arms must support. The longer the distance between the supportpoints, in this instantthe ball and arms,the harderthe exercises will be. 5) Increased neural demand (reducing contact area of support) Reducing the contact surface of any supporting limb can increasethe neural demand of any exercise,especiallywhere the legs contactthe ball. 2 Leg supporton the shins or instepsis the easiest, then proceedto 2 legs on ball ofthe foot, then lleg on ball of foot, and finally I leg on toes. 6) Leg position for stabilization progression (2 Legs vs I leg, wide vs narrow ) The width of the supportat the legs can also provide adjustments the demandof an exercise. A in wide leg position offers more support than a narrow position making the exercise easier. As the legs get closer to each other, there is less of a support base making the exercise harder. Ultimately I leg suppofted exercisesare the hardest due to the additional support demands. Careful attentionshould be paid to stabilizingthe hips in a stableand leveledposition, preventing lumbar hyperextension and core or hip ration. 7) ProtractionAletraction Finally, exercises requiring the arms to supportthe weight of the body demandoptimal integrity of the shouldercomplex. The key elementto look for is proper stabilizationof the scapulas. An individual should be able to prevent scapularcollapseto a retractedposition. Ideally, a neutral scapulais desiredduring isometric support,however,protractioncan be incorporatedat the end of the chestpressingmovements. 8) Excrcise during standing When exercisingin a standingposition there are a few teaching cues,which will help make the learningand training processflow smoothly. a) During wall slides the middle of the stability ball should be at about the belt line. This ball position will provide adequatesupport when in the bottom position of a beforeprogressing single leg exercises squat. Always master2 leg exercises to b) During one-legexercises where the free leg is being supportedby a ball, smaller balls require less flexibility from the adductors and hip flexors. Choose the smallest ball available to start. Then progressto larger balls, which require the greatestamount of flexibility. c) Consistentwith the lever systempreviously discussed prone and supineexercises, for the closer the ball is to the mainline of the body the less flexibility and stabilizing requirement. The closer the ball is to the foot the greater the requirement for stabilizationand fl exibility. d) During one-leg exercises,start with "stationary"- free leg support. This requires less balancethen the dynamic movementyou will progress to. Once you have advanced the dynamic, one-legexercises, "foot to mid-lower-leg role" adds a to a bit of stability in terms of ball position. However, the action and speedof the exercise dominate the stability requirements. If you do not have perfect executionduring this dynamic exercisethe ball will role the "free les" off.

STABILITY BAI,L PROGRE,SSIONS VolumeI Chest,Shoulders,Balance

Chest
l) Push-upprogression a) 2 Legson Ball - hip t instep)Toe stability progression

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--> 0"r-T. ----> t*--n

b) Push-upsI Leg on Ball - hip ) instep)Toe stability progression 2) Push-ups (Handson Batl) a) 2 llands on ballr2 Feeton ground

P ush-up and fo Ilow pro gr ession b) I lland on ball,2 Feet on ground 3) Hops

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Explosivetakesmalljumps -forwards then back.

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One of the earlier weaknessof Stability Ball Training was working the shoulder area. No Stability Ball weight exercises had been developedwhich simulatedoverheadpressingwith less than body weight. Until now! 4) Knee tuck press

Push-up from thisposition a) Pike Press

Push-upfrom this position b) I Leg Pike Press A)

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Push-up from thisposition

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5) Roller coaster (two-balls)

Roll over the ball and immediatelypush yourself back

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Shoulders - EXTERIIAL RESISTANCE

6) DB Sitting overhead press (two arm, alternating, I arm)

7\ DB Sitting Upright rows

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Back
StabilityBall trainingcaneffectivelytargetthe variousmuscles the back. Both,the small of prime rlovers. stabilizers, well asthe large as Roll outs, S) Shoulder (handsapart) a) Straight arm Shoulderrollouts,from knees

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b) Straight arm Shoulder rollouts, from knees(hands apart)

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Back - EXTERNAL RTSISTANCE

The Stabilityball canbe useto providean unstable environment moretraditionalbackexercises for using extemal resistance. 9) Seated rowing (follow sameprogression pressing) as parallell feetfurther back) 10) t ,Lrm DB Row (Staggered,

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Balancinguno,tuou,6lilffinh","nttoTl_LworkinvolvingtheStabilityball.However'one factorin an uy mar<i"gtltt* the primaryor limiting caneasilyemphasize?h;;;'"*fi;nts iollowing arej ust someexamples' "."t"it"lrrre 11) Four Point Balanceprogression

13) One Point balanceon knee 14) Sitting balance

15) Impact Training

16) Acyclic Impact rriffigGrroulder,

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standingcore-all versions) push-uplockoutso

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STABILITY BALL PR9GRESSIONS VolumeII Legs, HiPs, Core

Lees and hiP$

legway to rehabilitate' prepare for more intense The wall-slide series is an excellent to Wall Slides can be used by any PoPulation *otf., or strengthen the lower body' the legs' n rr"tiottutty ana progressively strengthen

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Back wall slide a) Two legs

b) One leg ----)

c) One leg -Free leg extended

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2) Front Wall Slide

a) Two legs b) One

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3) Side Wal!-Slidc
a) Two legs

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------>

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c) One leg, inside leg

b) One leg, outside leg

4)

dmobility (instepto toes)

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5) Lateral one leg squat (balt supported leg to sidel mobility - circles and Fig 8s)

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6) Prone knee extension/elbowsupported (progress from two legs )

to one leg )

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7) Supineleg curls (progressfrom two legs) to one leg ) heel I dmobility) CurlLees

Mobility notes:free leg straight stationary )strt leg/hip flex ) free leg run mech.

B" -)4"

LeeS.EXTERNAL RESISTANCE (Refer to body weight exercisesand add resistance)

Wall slides (all versions) 8) DB Resisted SB 9) DB Resisted One leg squat(all versions)

Hips (Lumbar)
1) Bridges (Progress to one leg ) Lift andlower hips heel lmobility)

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2) IIip lifts supported on ball of foot (Progressto one teg )mobility) Lift andlower hips

3) Kneelingprone hypers

4) 3 point prone hypers (feet on floor)

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s) Contralateral supermans (ball supporting trunk

6) Reverse llypers

- 6 point position)

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7) Unilateral - Hip Extension (Stabilization; Knee)Shin)Toe)

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Hips (Abdominals/Obliques)
1) Side lying batl lift

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2) Leg scissors rotationswith ball

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3) Prone knee tucks (2 legs)lleg)

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.1) Pike Tucks (2leg)lleg)Toe)

5) IIip roll-outs (Knees) Feet)

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Progress to)

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6) Hip twisters (scissoring rolls) log

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7) Prone Skiers @rogress two leg ) *

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mobitity-Js)

Abdominals/Obliques
(progress ABCs) to 1) Crunches feetelevated -

2') Abdominal crunch

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(Progress ABCs )) 3) Reverse crunches to

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4) FulI crunch ABCs

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5) Lateral crunch (Hips on ball)

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