Exercises with exercise ball
12 exercises you can do with exercise ball. Tap for technique and tips.
The stability ball looks innocent, but the unstable surface changes everything. Your body can no longer rely on a solid bench or floor—your stabilizer muscles must work continuously, and you'll feel it.
Our exercise library features twelve stability ball movements. The focus is on core and lower back, but the ball also engages your chest, glutes, and hamstrings. You can build a complete workout using just one tool.
Core and back—the ball's specialty
Four exercises target your abs directly. Crunches on a stability ball and torso rotations are classics that demand balance from the start—you can't cheat with momentum or jerky movements. Leg raises on a stability ball and ball squeezes are more controlled variations, perfect when you want to build stability rather than load.
The lower back is covered by three movements: back extensions on a stability ball, side bends with a stability ball, and chest stretches on a ball. They develop mobility and strength along the spine in ways that machines simply can't replicate.
Full-body on a ball
Glute bridges on a stability ball and hamstring curls engage your glutes and hamstrings under unstable conditions—this creates different muscle recruitment than deadlifts or machine leg curls. Push-ups with feet on a stability ball is the most demanding movement in the library: your upper body works like a standard push-up, but your legs must keep the ball still throughout.
Pyramid holds and downward-facing balance on a stability ball are exercises where balance is the point. They look simple, but they'll quickly reveal whether your core is genuinely solid or just looks the part.
Getting started
Begin with exercises where you maintain contact with the floor—glute bridges, crunches, and side bends are excellent starting points. Build control before progressing to movements where your entire body balances against the ball.
- Choose the right ball size: when seated, your hips should be at a 90-degree angle
- Keep movements slow and controlled—speed doesn't help when the surface is unstable
- Push-ups with feet on a stability ball and downward-facing balance require solid foundational stability—save them for later in your progression