The point of an exercise ball workout is to help strengthen your core muscles. This includes all the hard-to-get muscles like the Erector Spinae and the Transversus Abdominis muscle. These easy to do exercise ball exercises also improve your balance significantly, as well as your overall coordination. From beginner to advanced, every level of fitness is covered through exercise ball workouts. It’s never too late to start. Here are a few simple exercises for a beginner using an exercise ball.

1. The Back Extension: With your knees straight, position the ball under your hips and lower torso. With your hands behind your back, roll down the ball slowly. Then lift your chest and bring your shoulders up so that your body is in a straight line. Be sure that your body is aligned properly (your head, neck, shoulders, and back should create a straight line). It is important to keep your abs pulled in and to avoid hyper extending your back, that means being precise.
2. The Ball Balance: With your hands on the floor and your legs straight, position the exercise ball under your hips and abs. Keeping your abs pulled in, hold your body in a straight line and keep that position for 20 to 30 seconds. Slowly raise your right arm out to the side and hold that position for a few seconds while keeping your balance. Switch to the other arm and repeat as many repetitions as possible. This one strengthens the arms dramatically and improves balance.
3. The Butt Lift- Position your head, neck, and shoulders over the ball as you lay on it with knees bent, your body in a table-top position. Raise your hips toward the ceiling without rolling the ball. Be sure to squeeze your glutes and align your hips to be in a straight line with each raise, just like a bridge. For more intensity, you can add small weights on your hips. Just make sure you press through the heels and avoid using your toes for support.
4. The Hip Extension: Prop your feet (the heels) on the ball while you lay your head down. While keeping your abs tightly tucked in and squeezing your glutes, slowly lift your hips off the floor until your body is in a straight line. Hold and lower. Repeat as needed. For added intensity, lift your hips while taking one leg off the ball at a time. This is for a little more advanced balance.
5. The Ab Roll: Place your arms parallel to each other on the ball in front of you. Without overreaching and straining the back, pull your belly button towards your spine and tighten your torso while slowly rolling forward. To start over, push your elbows into the ball and squeeze the abs to pull your body back. This is an exercise to avoid if you have experienced back problems.

There are plenty of smaller exercises to do with an exercise ball. To go along with the routines above, there is also the ball rotation and the ball twist. You can also get some video tapes to help direct you better, especially when you become more advanced. You can get any size exercise balls from small, medium, to large. So what are you waiting for? Get started on your balance and health and try some of these exercise ball workouts today.