Friday Fitness: The SuperBall Workout!

Now that I have created my half marathon plan and I am logging all my workouts, you will occasionally see on my Strength Day something that says “SuperBall Workout.” It is a class that I teach to a group of men and women who are mostly age 60 and above. We do a variety of very functional exercises in the class, and to be honest, sometimes I do more teaching than working out. On those days I don’t count the class as a workout.

However, the workout below was definitely a challenge and counted toward my weekly strength work. I called it “Switching it Up,” because we never repeated any exercise. For example, to work the chest, we did three different exercises, chest press, push ups, and chest flyes. The workout is done in a circuit style, moving immediately on to each exercise, with a short break in between sets. It’s a great workout whether you’re 60 plus or 25, just adjust the weights accordingly and challenge yourself.

All the exercises are done either on or with a stability ball and/or medicine ball. We do use dumbbells as well.  There is a quick video below to demonstrate a few of the exercises you might not know. I hope you enjoy it.

You may notice that the video is missing. That is because my trusty app, Video Editor Free, which I usually rave about, will not save, upload to Youtube, or in any way allow me to access the video that I made for this post (and spent time editing). So, apparently I will have to re-shoot it, which isn’t going to happen tonight. So a quick explanation of some of the exercises you might not know.

Update! Video added! Sorry about the quality (and if I missed anything), but after my app fiasco I just wanted to get this done quickly.

Squat w/Balance: Hold the medicine ball in front of you as you squat. As you stand up, lift one knee, bring the ball above your head, and hold the balance for a moment. Repeat, alternating legs for your reps.

Bridge Row: Holding a dumbbell in each hand, lie facedown on a stability ball with legs straight behind you, toes on floor, and arms extended toward floor, palms facing toward feet. Lift elbows into a row, squeezing shoulder blades together.

Ball Roll: Lie on the floor on your back with your feet on the ball. Lift your hips so that your weight rests on your upper back and shoulders. Roll the ball in by bending your knees.

Ball Pass: Lie on the floor on your back. Lift the ball with your legs, and pass it to your hands. Lower your arms and legs, then repeat by passing the ball back to your legs.

Bicep Curls: Start in the same position as the bridge row above. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, elbows bent, palms up. Slowly straighten your elbows. Flex to repeat for reps.

Triceps Push Ups: Standing, place the stability ball against the wall at about chest height. Put both hands on the ball, close together, arms straight. Keeping your elbows close together, bend them and lower yourself toward the ball. Extend your arms, then repeat for reps.

Side Lunge w/Balance: Holding a medicine ball, step into a side lunge, extending your arms in front of you. As you step back, bring your knee up, with the medicine ball into your shoulder. Hold the balance for a moment, then repeat. Do all the reps on one side, then repeat on the other.

Reverse Lunge w/Balance: Stand holding a medicine ball. Step back into a lunge, extending the ball in front of you. As you step up, sweep your leg through and lift your knee in front of you. Hold the balance for a moment, then step back into next lunge. Do all the reps on one side, then repeat on the other.

Whew! I hope that explains the exercises you might not know. Hopefully I’ll have a video up by tomorrow. Stupid App!

In any case, enjoy the workout. Do you use stability balls regularly in your workouts?