Free Pilates Ball Exercise at Home

A free Pilates ball exercise that you can do at home should focus on stabilizing the core while simultaneously working the arms and legs.

There are, of course, more than one most effective free Pilates ball exercise.

We’ll look at a few different exercises that I use for myself and in my ab exercise ball classes.

These exercises are available for you in the newly released Pilates Ball Exercise Workout Challenge DVD available here.

Bridging with Leg Curls:

Purpose: To strengthen the hamstrings while stabilizing the pelvis and improving your balance. Position: Lie on your back on a mat with your feet positioned hip width apart on the ball. Your heels, Achilles, and lower calf should all be supported.

Movement: Lift your hips up off the mat pressing your heels into the ball so you are up in a shoulder bridge position.

Bend your knees digging your heels into the ball and dragging the ball toward your bottom. Extend your legs back to the start.

Repeat for 6-10 repetitions then come down out of the bridge. Do 2-3 sets.

Tips: Keep your hips lifted using your abdominals. Weight should be in your shoulder blades not your neck.

This is by far my favorite free Pilates ball exercise because of the many body parts working at once!

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Side Oblique:

Purpose: To work the muscles of the internal and external obliques which support the spine in twisting and laterally flexing.

Position: Sitting next to your ball with the closest arm draped over it and the bottom knee bent with top foot right in front of ankle.

Movement: Inhale as you push off the top foot extending your legs and reaching up and over the ball with your body and top arm, bottom hand reaches for the floor to support.

Do 8-10 times on each side.

This is probably the hardest free Pilates ball exercise to get in the beginning. Be patient and it will come.

Push Ups on the Ball:

Purpose: To work the whole upper body as you improve your core strength and balance.

Position: Lie with your belly on top of the ball and walk out your hands out until legs are extended and parallel to the floor.

Your hands should be directly under your shoulders. The farther out you walk the more difficult it will be.

Movement: With hands directly under your shoulders bend the arms lowering your chest directly between your hands. Then push back up. Repeat 10 – 15 repetitions for 2-3 sets.

Tips: Imagine your body like a plank or teeter totter, as your upper body goes down your lower body goes up. Stay long and engaged in the abdominals to balance.

This is one of my favorite ball exercise Pilates moves to work the whole of the upper body.

Challenge yourself by supporting less of your body on the ball to begin and then sequentially walking back as you fatigue and continue doing them through a full set.