If you do not have a specific ab wheel, but want to do a similar exercise, you can do the ab roll out on a stability ball. It is not quite as intense, but once you get going, it does get tiring.

Step 1: Start out kneeling down, with your hands resting on a stability ball out in front of you.

Step 2: Roll forward, allowing your arms to go out along the ball. You will be stretched out in a straight line, and your elbows will be centered over the ball.

Return to the starting position and repeat.

Ab Roll Out on Stability Ball video:

[video coming soon]

See more exercise guides in The Bodyweight Exercise Collection.

Incorporating an exercise ball into your workouts is great for working on your balance and stability. You can incorporate it into your typical exercises, or you can just play around on it for fun. Either way, it improves your mountain bike technical skills and even your tolerance for riding in a cramped peloton.

(Plus, some people thought I may have “Photoshopped” the pictures of me demonstrating how to make exercises harder by incorporating an exercise ball, so I had to prove them wrong.)

While I may not be the most fit or talented athlete out there, I was not lying about standing on the exercise ball! Here is the proof:

Here is how I do it:

Step 1: Stand up straight, with the ball directly in front of you.

Step 2: Bend over and place your hands on the ball. (You can bend your knees.)

Step 3: Place one foot onto the ball. (I do my left foot first. I also ride with my left foot forward. But do whatever is comfortable for you.)

Step 4: When you are fairly balanced, step up and place your second foot on the ball, and crouch on top for a moment.

Step 5: When you find your balance, slowly remove your hands from the ball.

Step 6: Now stand up straight! (Slowly, though.)

If you completed all those steps, great! Your balance is better than most people’s. If you got stuck in steps 4-6, just keep working at it.

Now, to get down, crouch back down to get your hands on ball, then jump both feet off at same time. I usually jump out to the sides instead of straight back.

Unless you are an expert, jumping straight off without hand support can be dangerous, as the ball will bounce around. You could end up flat on your back!

And if you try taking one foot off at a time, the ball will probably roll in the other direction and cause you to do a split… and then fall over. If you aren’t flexible enough to do a split, this could be very painful!

Eventually (with practice) you’ll be able to stand on the ball easily, maybe even stand on it with one leg, or do a handstand on it!

5 Tips to Stand Tall Without Getting Hurt

1. If you’re just starting out, be sure you can sit and kneel on the ball easily before attempting to stand on it.

2. Start out with the ball only slightly inflated, and add more air as you improve.

3. Make sure there are no sharp objects (like coffee table corners) in the area. Also, consider putting some pillows or other padding down near you.

4. Have your feet as wide as possible, about shoulder width apart. I point my toes out a little bit because that is more stable for me. (Experiment for yourself to find the right position.)

5. Last but not least, make sure there is enough room for you to stand up straight while on the ball. Low ceilings, chandeliers, and ceiling fans could pose a few problems!

Warning! Danger! Caution!

Here’s the disclaimer! Do not try this at home without the proper training and safety precautions in place! It’s dangerous and you could get hurt!

If you were a normal human, that headline probably would have made you run for cover! But since you are one of those crazy exercise addicts they call cyclists, you’re excited about making your hard exercise routine even harder!

It’s quite simple to make almost any exercise A LOT harder. All you have to do is incorporate an exercise ball! Also known as a “Swiss ball,” “stability ball,” or “inflatable ball,” adding one to your workouts takes each exercise to a new level. Instead of an exercise targeting one muscle group, it will target your entire body! That’s because you need to perform the exercise while staying balanced, which is harder than it looks!

Here are some examples:

The Abdominal Crunch

While doing a few hundred crunches on the ground will strengthen your six-pack, doing 20 crunches on an exercise ball will strengthen your entire core (abs, obliques, etc.) That’s because you have to keep yourself from rolling off of the ball!

Push-ups

Push-ups are one of the most common exercises, and doing them will build your upper-body to a common level. But if you want to be uncommonly strong, use an exercise ball!

There are two ways to add it in.

First, do push-ups with your feet on the ball and your hands on the ground. Having your feet elevated (decline push-ups) incorporates some stabilizer muscles, but having them elevated on a moving object really brings in the muscles of your entire body!

Second, if you’re looking to make things even harder, try push-ups where your hands are on top of the ball and your feet are on the ground. These are extremely hard, especially for us cyclists with weak upper-bodies. See, your arms are supporting your body and stabilizing the ball at the same time. Expect to fall over the first time you try it!

Superman

Here’s a great exercise for your lower back. But why not try it while balancing on top of a stability ball?

This is really hard, because it’s more about balancing your body over the ball. So you need back strength to hold yourself up, plus great balance to keep yourself up there!

Sitting Down

Sitting down is pretty simple. It’s hardly exercise.

But try sitting on top of an exercise ball and you might change your mind! This is a great way to sit around and watch TV, since it’s a non-stop workout.

Standing Up

Got the hang of kneeling on an exercise ball? Then it’s time to step it up, and that next notch is quite a stretch from the first one – standing on the ball! If you think it’s easy to stand on an exercise ball, you’re either too naive or already an Olympic level athlete!

(Be careful. Falling off one of these things hurts!!)

Well, now is the time to go and try it out! (Just be sure to start at the beginning of the list!)