6 Awesome Core Exercises with a Swiss (Stability) Ball

         A Swiss (stability) ball is essential for core training and strengthening. The Swiss ball provides an unstable environment which forces your core to work harder because it has to execute the execise and keep stable at the same time. The burns more calories and trains the core better than stable exercises of abdominal machines. 

People of all ages do not realize the importance of core training and strength. It keeps you from losing your balance, prepared for heavier lifting and reduces the chances of injury. Here are some examples of Swiss ball exercises you can use to change up your core training workouts.

Swiss Ball Crunch

Swiss Ball Tucks

Ball Double Side Leg Lifts

Swiss Ball Twists

Swiss Ball Back Extensions

Swiss Ball Alternating One Leg Crunch

 

 

Great Unstable Exercises For Legs That Burn Fat & Build Muscle!

 

Training in unstable environments forces you to concentrate and uses more of the muscles in the body to execute. It corrects muscle imbalances, improves stablization or the core, it prepares tissue for upcoming demands of training, improves cardiorespiratory and neuromuscular systems and establishes proper movement. 

Do unstable training for at least 4 - 6 weeks to see the increase in body fat reduction, strength in the stabilizing muscles, lean muscle mass and general performance. Here are some examples of unstable exercises: 

Bosu Ball Squats

Bosu Dumbbell Reverse Lunge with Knee Lift

Bosu Goblet Squats

Bosu Ball One Leg Bridge

Bosu Split Lunges

Bosu Stiff-Leg Deadlift

Swiss Ball Leg Curls

At Home Body Weight Leg, Glute and Abs Workout

Jump Squats

3 - 4 Sets

15 - 12 Reps

Walking Plank

3 - 4 Sets

8 Reps Leading with Right Arm

8 Reps with the Left Arm

One Leg Squat to Box

3 - 4 Sets

15 Reps Each Leg

Side Plank Lifts

3 - 4 Sets

15 Reps Each Side

One Leg Stiff Leg Deadlift

3 - 4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps

Hanging Scissors

3 - 4 Reps

12 - 15 Reps

Ball Leg Circles

3 - 4 Sets

24 Reps Forward Circles

24 Reps Backward Circles

Bridge

3 - 4 Sets

45 sec. - 1 min. 

One Leg Calf Raise

3 - 4 Sets

15 - 20 Reps Each Calf

Beginners: Beware of Fast Paced 30 Minute or Less Workout Programs

Are You Ready 30 Minute or Less; Fast-Paced Workout Programs?

I'm sure there are plenty people out there that FINALLY started their NEW YEAR NEW ME for 2020, barely got themselves used to doing some fitness activity and NOW quarantined at home for an undisclosed amount of time. Now what do you do? There are a lot of advertisements for at home workouts that require time and some equipment and then there are other programs that are fast paced and only take 30 minutes or less to do. Before you jump on the band wagon to these types of quick workouts, ask yourself, are you ready for high impact workouts?

A lot of these exercises do not seem like much, do not use much equipment and being done fast with a workout sounds very appealing, but how long has it been since you were active like the instructors are the program? If it has been more than 6 months since you were training consistently, you need to start from the beginning with regular slow paced workouts with adequate amounts of rest. This might sound boring and asking for too much time, but this will greatly reduce you chances of getting injured which will lead you to stopping your fitness goals for an undetermined amount of time. 

If you lack flexibility, core strength, joint stability and muscular development then you are deconditioned and need to start with a low intensity exercise program. A type of program that starts the focus on core strengthening, joint stability, flexibility and muscular endurance. Starting off with exercises that use a Swiss ball, Bosu ball and one legged exercise are key in strengthening stability and muscle coordination. In addition, the increased difficulty of using unstable exericses helps burn more calories which burns more fat. These types of exercises are done with moderate amounts of weight with high repetitions. Once you have mastered exercising with untable enviroments then you are ready to move on to more strenous type of training

In order to see results, I would recommend engaging in this type of training for at least 4 - 6 weeks. Log your workouts in a journal along with sets, reps and weight amounts. When an exercise becomes too easy is when you move up in weight. On this blog you can find many examples of exercises that include a Swiss ball (stability ball), a Bosu ball and are one legged. You can also find other examples on my Youtube Channel 

Workout from Home Quarantined Calesthenic Workout III

Total Body Calesthenic Workout III

Walking Push Ups

Beginners: Can be done side to side

3 - 4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps

V Ups

Beginners: As long as you get your torso and legs off the ground 5 inches

3 - 4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps

Inverted Row

3 - 4 Sets

Maximum Reps

Side Plank Twists

Beginners: Can be done on the knees with the legs bent 90 degrees

3 - 4 Sets

15 Reps Each Side

Box Jump Squats

Beginners: Can be done as Forward Jump Squats without box

3 - 4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps

Back Extension

3 - 4 Sets

15 Reps with a 15 sec HOLD on the LAST Rep

Walking Plank

3 - 4 Sets

12 - 16 Reps

One Leg Stiff Legged Deadlift

3 - 4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps

Plank with Dumbbell Row

Beginners: Can be done on the KNEES

3 - 4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps

Workout at Home During the Quarantine!

Total Body Calesthenic Workout

Targets: chest, arms, core, back and legs

Execute: Supersets or Circuit

Push-ups

3 - 4 Sets

Maximum Reps

Crossbody Crunch & Leg Lift

3 - 4 Sets

15 Reps

Jump Squats

3 - 4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps

Pull-ups

3 - 4 Sets

Maximum Reps

Side Plank Lifts

3 - 4 Sets

15 Reps

Diamond Push-ups

3 - 4 Sets

Maximum Reps

Superman with Leg Curls

3 - 4 Sets

Maximum Reps

Single Calf Raises

3 - 4 Sets

15 - 20 Reps

Back and Bicep (Pull) Workout

What is a Pull Workout?

Pull exercises are those where the muscles contract and the weight is being pulled towards you. The primary muscles used in pull workouts includes the back, biceps, hamstrings, obliques and trapezius. Examples of pull exercises are lat pull down, back rows, deadlifts, leg curls, rear delt flys and bicep curls.

Benefits of Adding Push/Pull Workouts to Your Program

• Less time at the gym
• Ensures muscle balance
• Promotes injury prevention
• Increases muscle mass

Back and Bicep Workout

Swiss Ball Dumbbell Wide Row

4 - 5 Sets

10 - 12 Reps

EZ Bar Curls

4 - 5 Sets

10 - 12 Reps

Cable Straight Arm Pull Down

3 - 4 Set

10 - 15 Reps

Standing Bicep Curls

3 - 4 Sets

10 - 15 Reps

One Arm Bent Leg Cable Row

3 - 4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps 

Swiss Ball One Arm Preacher Curl

3 - 4 Sets

10 - 15 Reps

Swiss Ball Back Extensions

3 - 4 Sets

15 - 20 Reps with 10 Sec. Hold on Last Rep

Legs and Abdominal Workout

Legs and Ab Workout

Hack Squat

3 - 5 Sets

Hypertophy:

 Heavy Weight & 8 - 10 Reps

Lean & Toned:

Light Weight & 12 - 15 Reps

Bench V-ups

3 - 4 Sets

High Reps: 12 to 15 

DB  Split Lunges 

3 - 4 sets

High Reps: 12 - 15 Reps

Side Ups

3 - 4 Sets

High Reps: 15 - 20

One Leg Ball Leg Curls

3 - 4 Sets

High Reps: 12 - 20

Decline Crunch

3 - 4 Sets

Low Reps: 8 - 10 

Calf Presses

4 - 6 Sets

Heavy Weight and High Reps

12 - 15

Abdominal and Core Workout

Ab and Core Workout

3 - 4 Sets 10 - 15 Reps

Cable Crunch

10 - 15 Reps

Swiss Ball Dumbbell Russian Twist

12 - 15 reps

Hanging Scissors

30 sec - 1 min.

Superman aka Back Extension

30 sec. - 1 min.

Some Tips To Keep off the pounds this Summer!

Summer Fitness Tips to Keep the Pounds Off!

Food and Beverage choices (80%)

• Keep the fried foods, fast foods, processed foods and red meat to a minimum.
• Look for words like: blackened, grilled, & roasted.
• Go for fruit instead of refined white flour baked goods.
• Eat lots of greens. They fill up half of your medium sized plate.
•  Ask for a doggie bag to put half of the meal to go. Or share with a companion.
• Alcohol is basically liquid carbs and over 2 beers is illegal to drive! 
• Not a good idea on a family vacation!
• 1 oz. of alcohol is 80 - 100 calories
• Drinking alcohol not only gets you drunk, but it also dehydrates, fills you with empty calories which equals weight gain and water retention.
• Keep hydrated with water!
• In the hot sun without water can lead to dehydration and heat exhaustion.
• Sodas, Teas and coffee are also diuretics! 

Activity Level (20%)

Just a reminder: The less activity you do without making proper food choices, the more weight you will gain.

Just because you are on Summer vacation doesn't mean you stop working out and taking care of

your health. 

• Keep the cardiovascular training going!
• 2 – 3 x a week is adequate to maintain a strong cardiovascular endurance
• Walk, jog or run on the beach, city or country side
• Ride a bicycle or mountain bike
• Go hiking on a hill or mountain side 
• It will make you feel like a kid again
•  Play volleyball at the beach or regular outdoor activities.
• Resistance training is also just as important!
•  The more muscle you retain the stronger immune system you will have with proper
• nutrition.
• Muscle weighs more than fat, but takes up less space on the body.
• Each pound of muscle burns an additional 14 calories per pound.
• More muscle equals higher the metabolism
• A minimum or 2 – 3 times a week is adequate for weight and core training
•  Most hotels and resorts have small fitness rooms with Tvs!
• Resistance bands are great for traveling
• They can be used to train:
• Biceps
• Triceps
• Shoulders
• Glutes
• Hips

• Calisthenics: Body weight exercises
• Pushups
• Crunches
• Wall Static Squats
• Superman
• Single-leg stiff-leg deadlift
• Inclined Plank
• Single-leg calf raises
• Side plank

Falling off the band wagon for too long will make it very HARD to get BACK ON TRACK. You will have to grow through the soreness and stiffness all over again! Why go through that? I'm a bodybuilder and post contest we usually take 1 - 2 weeks off to heal from the extensive resistance training from the contest prep. However, I can only stand taking 1 week off. I get very sore once I start training again. I can only imagine 2 whole weeks off!

Upper Body Stable and Unstable Workout

Upper Body Workout

Barbell Chest Press: 4 Sets

Hypertrophy: 8 - 10 reps

Strength Endurance: 12 - 15 reps

Behind the Head Pulldown: 4 Sets

Hypertrophy: 8 - 10 reps

Strength Endurance: 12 - 15 reps

Swiss Ball One Arm DB Curl

Hypertrophy: 8 - 10 reps

Strength Endurance: 12 - 15 reps

Tricep Push-ups

Maximum Reps

Military Press

Hypertrophy: 8 - 10 reps

Strength Endurance: 12 - 15 reps

Abdominal Workout

Abdominal Workout

• Weighted Decline Crunch: 3 to 4 sets
• Flat, Tight Stomach
• Light Weight
• High Reps: 15 - 20
• Develop a six pack: 
• Heavy Weight
• Low Reps: 8 - 10

Side Ups: 3 to 4 sets

• High reps: 15 - 20

Flutter Kicks: 3 to 4 sets

• Timed: 30 sec. to 1 min.

Single leg wood chop

A balance variation of the standard wood chop exercise. Stand on one leg and shift your weight on that leg. Tighten up your core as you lift the other leg up. The leg you are standing on bring the dumbbell to the side of the thigh and lift the weight up in an angle above the opposite shoulder. Repeat on the other leg.

Swiss Ball Single Leg Curl

A more difficult variation from the regular Swiss ball leg curl. It mostly targets your hamstring, glute and core. Make sure to keep you core engaged when you lift your body up from the floor. Lift one leg up to the sky and keep the other leg on the ball. Bring the ball towards your glute and then push it back away. Repeat on the next leg.

2016 WNBF Pro Iron Eagle Classic

Back Pose

Hamstring and glute tie-in

Swiss Ball Barbell Chest Press

A different variation from the standard barbell chest press. This exercise incorporates more core stabilization. Make sure to tighten up your core before you lift the bar off the hooks. The Swiss ball makes it harder to execute, so slowly bring the Bar towards your chest and when you push it back up. 

Side Ups

A great way to train your obliques and strengthen your core. Keeping the reps to 15 will ensure that you will have a small waist instead of wide. Keep core training to only 3 times a week. Training your core everyday and adding too much weight to your obliques will only keep your waist wide because you won't allow it to rest and will make you oblique muscles grow. Each muscle ground needs at least 24 hours of rest.