Abdominal Flexion with the FLX Ball

Exercises with a FLX resistance ball has been proven to be effective in increasing core stability.  Incorporating core strengthening exercises into your daily warm-up or exercise regimen will help avoid injury and help you stay in tip top shape! Try this abdominal exercise today.

SETUP: Lie on your back and place the FLX Ball at your upper back between your scapula. Legs are bent pressed together with feet flat on the floor and arms are straight over head with fingers interlaced and index fingers pulling arms straight behind head.

ACTION:  With slow controlled movements, lift upper torso gazing in at your belly button and return to a slight spinal extension.

REPETITIONS: Repeat 20 times.

SETS: 3-5

CUES:

• Ground feet into the floor pressing into the big toe.

• Concentrate on isolating the movement and watch out for unnecessary movement in the pelvis.

• Keep knees in line with your toes.

• Pull navel in and up.
• Fold rib cage over stomach and feel the bottom rib pull toward your hips.  The will insure that there is no unnecessary tension or movement in your neck.

MODIFICATIONS:

• Place hands behind head with elbows wide.

• Do not go as far back and maintain a smaller range when performing the exercise.

CHALLENGE:

• Both legs straight up towards the sky.
• As your upper torso extends over the ball, move the legs away from you. As you flex your torso up, move the legs closer to you. 

TARGET MUSCLES: Rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, internal and external obliques.

DANCER FOCUS: Abdominal strength allows for increased flexibility, strength, balance and coordination in simple and complicated choreographies.

Your core muscles connect your upper and lower body and consist of roughly 30 muscles that connect your legs to your hips, spine, and rib cage. These muscles include your abdominal muscles, back muscles and the muscles around the pelvis. A strong core can enhance balance and stability by the ability of the torso or trunk muscles to stabilize the spine. This in turn, provides a stable base for the arms and legs to move from.

CONTRAINDICATIONS: Lower back pain.

BENEFITS:

Improvements in these four areas are observed when working with the FLX Ball:

• Flexibility: Using the FLX Ball to warm up and stretch before a workout not only keeps your muscles and joints supple, but it also helps to train your body to activate key muscles.

• Coordination:Working against the resistance and instability of the FLX Ball creates better body awareness and enforces controlled active movements.

• Balance: The unstable surface of the FLX Ball forces muscles to heighten their readiness. The body responds by activating the necessary muscles needed to help stabilize the body.

• Strength: A strong core is imperative to improve functional stamina and strength in any form of dance, sport or fitness.