10 Fun Things to Do With an Exercise Ball

You can do a lot more with an exercise ball than you would think.

Sure, you can sit on them, but you can also do many other activities like roll-outs and hamstring curls.

If you don’t know what movements you can do with an exercise ball on work breaks, then look no further.

Below, we have several fun things to do with an exercise ball from the comfort of your home office.

1. Stability Ball Ab Roll-outs

If you want to warm your abdominal muscles fast, then do ab roll-outs on your exercise ball.

Ab roll-outs are classified as a harder exercise with an ab roller, but a stability ball makes the move easier and more fun to do.

When you sit at a computer for hours, your abdominal muscles start to weaken. So this is a great exercise to decrease lower back pain and strengthen your core.

For this movement, you’ll start on your knees and rest your forearms on the stability ball in front of you. Then, from there, you are going to slowly press your arms out, pushing the ball away from you and lowering your hips at the same time.

Bring the ball back to you by engaging your core abdominal muscles. This activity warms your rectus abdominis, obliques, and lower back muscles.

2. Hamstring Curls on Exercise Balls

Hamstring curls on a balance ball can dramatically increase the strength in your lower back.

When you sit at a computer all day, your hamstring muscles are bound to shrink. To prevent this, try doing hamstring curls.

For this activity, lay flat on your back with your arms spread out to your sides for balance. Place your feet flat on the exercise ball with your knees bent. Lift your bottom off the floor and get ready to roll!

You will slowly push the ball away from your bottom and out to where your legs are almost completely straight. Don’t lock out your knees!

This fun exercise will work your hamstrings, glute, and core. You will feel more stabilized while you work.

3. Yoga Ball Knee Tuck Stretches

This one is our favorite! One of the more fun things to do with an exercise ball is knee tucks.

When you sit at home for long periods, the muscles in your knees wear thin, which causes friction on your knee joints. This activity will help strengthen the muscles in your knees.

Get down on your hands and knees and then place the lower part of your legs, or your shins, on the exercise ball.

This is a balancing act, so be careful!

With your hands on the mat and your arms stretched out, draw in your knees towards your stomach, almost to the point you are sitting on your heels. Then you’ll extend your legs back out to the original position.

With this movement, you’ll want to keep your body in a parallel line. So, no cheating by sticking your bottom in the air!

Keep your abs tightened to help strengthen your core during the movement. You will feel a burning sensation in your abs as your core gets stronger through the movement.

4. Stir-the-Pot on Balance Balls

This fun activity on a balance ball is on the beginner level. Kneel on a soft surface, like an exercise mat or rug, and set the fitball in front of you.

Clasp your hand around your other hand in the shape of a fist, and then lean on the ball with your forearms. Now you’re ready for some fun!

Your body should be in a diagonal leaning formation as you start stirring the pot in a clockwise fashion. Make sure to keep your arms tucked close to your body and your elbows firmly planted in the exercise ball.

Once you do ten circles, go ahead and stir-the-pot in a counterclockwise fashion for ten. This activity will target your rectus abdominis, obliques, and spine stabilizing muscles.

It’s a terrific way to loosen up that tight spine of yours and prepare for the second half of your day in your home office.

5. Fitball Bicycles

Bicycles with an exercise ball can be a lot of fun!

Not only is the movement fun, it also helps loosen tight hips from bad posture and long periods of sitting.

To start this movement, you’ll need to lay flat on your back on a Pilates mat or soft carpet.

Place the ball between your feet and lift your legs off the ground. Clasp your hands and place them behind your head.

From there, you will alternate from side to side by touching your right elbow to your left knee, then your left elbow to your right knee.

As you bring your elbow to your opposite knee, you will notice the ball rolling up your leg.

This exercise works your transverse, rectus, and oblique abdominal muscles. You will also feel warmth in your quadriceps since your legs will remain lifted off the ground.

6. Preacher Curls on Yoga Balls

For preacher curls, you’ll need free weights, like dumbbells, or DIY your weights using miscellaneous objects in your office. For example, you could use a book, water bottle, or paperweight.

If you happen to type a lot at your desk, then you’ll notice the random aches and pains you get in your arms from keeping them in the same position for a large portion of your workday.

Do ten preacher curls on a stability ball to bring blood flow back to your biceps.

Kneel on a soft surface and rest your chest on the yoga ball. With your body at an angle and your arms in front of you, rest your triceps on the ball with your weights in each hand.

At the same time, you’ll curl your weights from the floor to just below your chin and then back down again. Make sure to keep your triceps on the ball during the movement.

This activity is all about isolating the bicep muscles in your upper arm. Needless to say, this exercise will work your biceps and brachialis muscles.

7. Squats on a Large Gym Ball

A fun thing to do with a large gym ball is squat.

It doesn’t require you to have dumbbells. All you need is you, the ball, and a wall.

Exercise ball squats are a full-body stretch that every person should do on their breaks. Stretch your hamstrings, quads, and glutes with this movement.

Start by balancing the ball between your lower back and a flat, bare wall. Make sure your body is leaning at a small angle so that when you squat down, your knees don’t go over your toes.

Clasp your hands in front of you for balance.

While you’re keeping tension between you and the wall using the exercise ball, you will gently squat down to where your upper thighs are parallel to the floor and then come back up.

You’ll notice the yoga ball sliding from your lower back to your upper back as you dip down. Don’t let your exercise ball go as high as to touch your neck.

Do as many as you feel you can do without stopping.

8. Yoga Ball Prone Walkouts

Even kids enjoy this one! Prone walkouts on exercise balls help stabilize your core.

Lay your stomach on the ball and balance yourself by keeping your hands on the floor in front of you. Try to keep your torso from twisting or dipping as you walk your hands forward.

The ball will make its way to the lower part of your legs, or your shins, then you will walk your hands backward to bring the ball back to your stomach.

Although this is a balancing game, it is incredibly fun. Make sure you leave yourself enough room around you.

9. Single-leg Glute Raise on Stability Balls

This fun idea on your exercise ball can be difficult for some.

It requires a lot of balance. So, if balancing isn’t your strong suit, start with an easier exercise like hamstring curls.

Lay flat on your back with your arms at an angle by your sides for balance. Bend one knee and place the heel of that foot on the exercise ball.

Push your heel firmly into the ball and then lift your other leg straight up in the air. Lift your bottom and hips off the floor and then bring yourself back down to the floor.

Do this movement ten times before swapping to do the other side. This activity works your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and core muscles.

10. Pike on Pilates Ball

Doing a pike movement on an exercise ball reminds us of a dolphin or some wild water creature.

It’s similar to a “V-up” motion, only this move is done in the air. So, I guess it’s more like an “A-up” instead (if there’s even such a thing!)

Get down on your hands and knees, then place your shins firmly on the yoga ball behind you. Your body will be parallel to the floor in the starting position.

Tighten your abdominal muscles and push your bottom to the ceiling. The exercise ball will go from your shins to the tip of your toes, making your body look like an “A” in the air.

With your core still tight, gently roll the exercise ball back down to your shins. Your body will be parallel to the floor again, bringing you back to the start position.

This exercise is great for strengthening your core muscles, including your back, and multiple abdominal muscles. You will also feel the burn in your shoulders.

Conclusion

Of the ten fun things to do with an exercise ball, knee stretches, stir-the-pot, and walkouts are the easier movements to complete.

The hardest activities are the single-leg glute raise, ab roll-outs, and pike.

Whether you choose the second exercise ball idea or the ninth idea, it’s up to you which movements you find the most joy in.

Now it’s your turn to try these ten exercise ball activities from home today!