Pilates: Seated Ab Strengthening Using Medium Sized Gym Ball - part of the women's fitness video series by GeoBeats. Hi, I am Charlotte and this is Alice and we are here at Streamline Pilates studios in Brooklyn Heights, New York. We are going to show you an abdominal strengthening series using just a basic sort of medium size gym ball. Sitting up tall, your feet are flat and about hip distance apart and the ball is just between your thighs so you can squeeze in to it. That will help you access your inner thigh, and your pelvic floor and your abdominal strength as we go through the exercises. Let's hold your inner thighs just behind here leg, sitting up tall lifting your ribs up off of your hips, take a big inhale through your nose, and exhale scooping your stomach rolling yourself back, using those abdominals to guide the movement, thinking of trying to touch the back seam of your pants into the mat. And from there if you feel comfortable, let's take your hands off, reaching your hands out and squeeze and release the ball twenty times, keeping that stomach scooped. You want to really think stretching your back and deepening your abdominals. If this feels like you are hurting your back in anyway, sit up a little higher and do not go so far back until you really feel like you can control the movement from your abs. And then sitting up nice and tall again. Yep, straighten that spine, get that lift so your ribs are lifting up off of your hips, your chest is wide open, your shoulders are down. Inhale through your nose, and let's repeat that, exhaling through your mouth roll yourself back. Back seam of your pants reaching towards the mat to stretch out that lower spine enable back towards your spine and squeeze and release the ball twenty times. You can repeat this ten times if you want to, or just two or three. It is great abdominal strengthening exercise. Your feet are flat, shoulders are relaxed, your jaws relaxed, and again come and sit up tall. Great. Take a big inhale, exhale rolling yourself back into that same position. Let's take your hands out in front now and just touch one foot, one hand down and then the other. Shoulders are down along your back, your stomach is scooped and your hips and your knees and your feet are staying squared off and steady. Any movement is happening through the waist on through the top of your head. Good. Let's do five to each side, making a fist with both hands. Twist to the right, drop this lower side of your ribs just a little so you do not twist too far and just tapping together and apart for ten, good shoulders are down. You are still squeezing the ball and bringing your hands back to center. Twist to the other side and again ten here. Good. So you are going a great job keeping your torso right in the center and not shifting over into one side too much. Beautiful. And back to center. Still in those fists, twist to the right again and now let's keep that right hand stretching out as you make a big arch with your left hand like you are driving a bus. And we will do ten here. Good, again your hips, your knees, your feet are squared off and anchored. And your lower body is working hard to stabalize while your torso is out there doing so much work. Great. And to the other side. Great. Big bus. Good. Four, three, hips steady make it small if you start to get tired. And last one. Good and come back to center. Great, sit up tall, take a little break inhaling through your nose, exhaling through your mouth roll yourself back again. Good. And holding yourself here hands out, you are just going to go down an inch up and inch for ten. Good. Make the punch come from here, you are wide open through your hips. Three, two, and one, and then here just a big figure eight with your hands, you can bring your fists together and again we are almost done. You are going to do ten, keeping your hips and your knees and your feet steady. Good. And come back up to sitting up tall. Excellent. And you are ready for your next exercise.
