Cathe Live Review: Stability Ball Total Body Weights (#14)
Stability Ball Total Body Weights is a tough and different total body strength workout using the stability ball. I really liked this routine, as it worked my body well without using heavy weights for the lower body. All of the lower body exercises use the stability ball only but they still managed to burn out my lower body very well.
The workout starts with metabolic lower body exercises using the stability ball. This really helps to get the heart rate up and provides a good cardio effect to start heating up the body. These are all fairly high rep and provide a nice introduction to the routine.
You then move onto a number of exercises for the upper body, by muscle group, working the back, chest and triceps. Most of these use the ball and dumbbells. They are not too high rep and only a few are repeated. You then move back to one lower body exercise and then the rest of the upper body exercises, including shoulders and biceps. Cathe used slightly lighter weights, on some of these, so I did increase on a few and got a great workout. All of the muscle groups are worked well and the inclined moves are particularly challenging.
The final section starts with lower body and then transitions into core work using the ball. The lower body exercises are high rep and you are doing multiple sets, particularly for hamstring roll-ins. By the time we got to the 1 leg hamstring press, on the ball, my legs were really burning. Many of core exercises then also work the lower body and so you don’t really get a break here either. My legs were absolutely screaming when Cathe finally said we could take a break, during the windshield wipers, as before that you just keep going from one exercise to the next, all engaging the lower body hard. The core work was pretty challenging and I got a great workout here too.
Overall, this is a challenging total body workout that uses only the ball to work the lower body / core and dumbbells for the upper body. An excellent and different routine that I will be returning to.
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The Workout
Stability Ball Total Body Weights is a pure strength, total body workout using the stability ball and ends with a lower body and core section on the floor.
What You Need to Know
(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).
The Moves
Stability Ball Total Body Weights is 54 minutes long and originally aired on 31st July 2014 (#14). The workout starts with a 3:30 minute warm-up, before a quick water break and moving into the first lower body exercise, using the ball. (The ball is not used during the warm-up).
Pulse squats (holding & bouncing ball) – ball – 32 reps
Squat & overhead press – ball – 4x 3 pulses, 4x singles, 8x woodchop (ball up to 1 side then other) & 4x singles
Pulse squats – ball – 16 reps
Side lunges – ball – 16x singles, 4x 4 pulses, 4x 1.5’s, 2x 3.5’s & 16x singles
Lunge pulse x4 (bringing ball to opposite ankle) & squat pulse x4 – ball – 4 sets
Front lunges (bringing ball to opposite ankle) – ball – 12 reps
Reverse lunge w/ ball overhead – ball – 8x 3 pulses & 2x 15 pulses
Squat & overhead press / squat & bicep curl – ball– 8 sets (1 of each)
1 Arm rows - Cathe used two 10# Dbs held in one hand (I used 1x 20) & ball – 24 reps each side
Seated rear delt flys – two 10# dbs & ball - 2 sets of 12 reps
Pullovers – two 10# Dbs (I used 15’s) & ball - 12 reps
Chest flys - two 10# dbs (I used 20’s) & ball – 12x 2/2, 2x 5 partials & 4x 2/2
Decline push-ups (feet on ball) - ball - 12 reps & 8 reps
Seated overhead tricep extensions – two 10# Dbs & ball - 8 reps (2/2) & 4 reps (2 partials)
Seesaw push-ups – ball - 16 reps
Tricep kickbacks – two 8# dbs (I used 10’s)- 19 reps
Outer thigh lifts (toe pointed & flexed) – ball & mat (I used ankle weights & no ball) – 64 reps
Side plank w/ front angle rear delt raise (in side plank raise on the ball; raising & lowering top arm) – one 8# Db & ball – 16 reps
Outer thigh lifts (other side) – ball & mat (I used ankle weights & no ball) – 88 reps
Side plank w/ front angle rear delt raise (other side) – one 8# Db & ball – 16 reps
Incline front raises / incline front arcs - two 8# Dbs & ball - 8 reps / 4 reps
Seated lateral raises – two 8# Dbs & ball - 14 reps
Incline front raises / incline front arcs - two 8# Dbs & ball - 4 reps / 6 reps
Seated lateral raises – two 8# Dbs & ball - 12 reps
Incline hammer curls – two 10# Dbs (I used 15’s) & ball - 16 reps
Seated overhead press- two 10# Dbs (I used 12’s) & ball - 16 reps
Incline hammer curls – two 12# Dbs & ball- 16 reps
Seated overhead press - two 12# Dbs & ball- 16 reps
Reverse plank hold (feet on ball & hips raised; lift & lower arms to side & overhead) / hamstring roll-ins – ball & mat – 3 sets - hold & 16 reps (roll-in)
One leg glute press (lay on back, 1 foot on ball, other leg raised to ceiling, raise & lower hips) – ball & mat – 16 reps each side
Ball toss (lay on back, legs straight in air in V position; toss & catch ball between ankles) – ball & mat – 8x singles, 4x 3 pulses & 8x singles
Ball rotations (same position as above; hold ball between ankles & rotate slowly in one direction then other) – ball & mat- 4 reps
Ball knee squeeze (sitting up & ball between knees) – ball & mat – 40 reps
Core at 43:25 minutes
Ball exchange – ball & mat – 4x bent knees & 8x straight legs
Reverse hip lifts (ball between ankles & raise & lower hips to ceiling with legs straight) – ball & mat - 16 reps
Windshield wipers (lying on back, arms out to sides & legs straight up in the air, move legs side to side, bringing legs 12-18” from floor) – mat - 3 reps & 8 reps
Reverse crunches (ball resting on shins) – ball & mat - 24 reps
Sit-ups (rolling ball over shins) – ball & mat – 4 reps
Banana holds – ball & mat - 5 reps (8 count hold)
Roll outs (on knees, palms together on ball in front of you then roll out & in (nearly plank position)) – ball & mat - 11 reps
Roll-out circles (roll out & hold then circle arms while pressing down on ball) – ball & mat - 8 reps in each direction
The workout ends with a 3 minute cool down and stretch using the stability ball.
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If you liked this workout, check out my review of Cathe Live: Supersets Live (#209) – HERE.
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