Stability Ball Challenge { with dumbbells }

Stability Ball Challenge { with dumbbells }

Today I want to share a workout with you that I finally ended up doing this past Tuesday.

Now, I’m feeling the tightness in my core & the aches in my muscles….which is why I decided to share. I wasn’t going to post this workout because I actually took these pictures last summer and personally, think they’re terrible!

BUT

why not?

I can’t possibly let any workout go to waste.

Moving on….;)

The Workout

Complete the following reps for each exercise in the order below for a total of one round.

No resting in between each exercise, only moving on to the next exercise :)

After completing one round, rest up to 2 minutes and continue to the next round.

Complete a total of 3 rounds…..but if you’re really good with the ball…..aim for 6 rounds!!

Oh & you’ll need a pair of dumbbells…or you know…a filled 2l water bottle; whatever works!

15 Inner Thigh Squeezes

15 Bent Over Flys

20 Reverse Bicep Curls

20 Chest Presses

15 Hip Bridges

20 Skull Crushers

15 Back Extensions

20 Lunges (per leg)

10 Ab Rolls

The Exercises Explained:

INNER THIGH SQUEEZE: Sitting on the ball with both knees bent, stabilize yourself with all core muscles. SQUEEZE your core!! Ok, now that you’re stable – squeeze your thighs in & hold for 2 – 3 seconds then release & repeat. *

This exercise can be really tricky !! Keep your tippy toes on the ground for added support. If you don’t have to do so, then you can come give me some of your core strength.

BENT OVER FLY: Sitting on the ball, with your feet together & knees bent to a 90 degree; bend forward holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other & dumbbells in front of your legs. Chest to your knees. Raise the dumbbells with a slightly bent arm as far upwards to the ceiling as you can – without bringing them past your shoulders. Pause & release.

*Remember to keep a flat back.

REVERSE BICEP CURL: Remain sitting on the ball & hold the dumbbells in each hand with palms facing the ground. Keep your arms straight, upper body slightly bent forwards & dumbbells beside your calves. Bend your elbow, raising the dumbbell into your shoulders to complete the reverse curl. Pause & release.

*Your weight may need to go down for this exercise as it isn’t targeting the same bicep muscle as the regular bicep curl would. If so, not to worry – practice makes bigger & sexier arms ! ;)

CHEST PRESS: Sit on stability ball, walking forward with your feet as you roll your back onto the ball. Keep your upper back positioned on the stability ball with knees bent at a 90 degree and keeping your back straight. Keep your core tight and hips high. With your arms bent at a 90 degree angle, hold dumbbells with your palms facing towards your feet. Slowly push through your chest and raise dumbbells until arms are straight in front of you, bringing dumbbells close together. Slowly bring dumbbells back down to starting position.

HIP BRIDGE: Place the ball under your shoulders as you would for the chest presses. Keep your hips aligned with your body to begin. Hold dumbbell with both hands, resting slightly on top of your hips. From this point, lower your hips as far as you can without sacrificing form, then push back up through your hips raising them as high as you can. Repeat.

SKULL CRUSHER: With your upper body & shoulders on the ball, feet flat on the ground and knees bent at a 90 degree, hold a dumbbell in each hand, directly above your head,. Palms facing each other, bend your arms bringing the dumbbell into your forehead. (Not hitting yourself of course – you want to keep it a few inches away from your face.) Hence the name – skull crushers. Release & repeat.

BACK EXTENSION: Position stability ball underneath your core, keeping your legs straight & toes on the ground behind you. Keep your upper chest off the ball, back straight, core tight & place your hands behind your ears while looking towards the ground.Using your lower back to perform the movement, raise your upper body up away from the ball, squeezing your lower back & core, pause & release.

LUNGE: Stand in front of the ball. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, beside your hips during the entire exercise. Lift one foot up & place the top of your foot on the ball behind you. Bend your front knee as you lower your opposite knee to the ground. Be sure your front knee doesn’t go over your toes & keep a nice flat back & chin high. Use those thigh muscles to push yourself back upwards & repeat.

AB ROLL: Begin on your knees, placing the ball in front of you. You want to roll the ball out so when you place your forearms on the ball, your elbows are right near the edge of the ball and your palms are together, in the centre of the ball. This is the starting position. Now, push the ball away from your body, (using your abdominals) as far as you can while leaning towards the ball, then pull the ball back towards you (again using your abdominals) until you bring yourself back to starting position.

*This exercise can be really hard, to make it easier don’t roll out as far.

I hope you enjoy this workout as much as I did. In the end, it really killed my core – much more than expected but after all, each exercise does include core work – whether it was targeted, or stabilization.

Oh & I was wondering…

….if you would be interested in another butt workout??

Because I have one planned for myself for tomorrow – & I think I just may share it with you…!

What do you think?

xoKaren

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