Women With Balls
Charlene PrickettYear Released: 2001
Categories: Balance/Medicine/Mini/Stability Ball
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Advantages: easily split up into two half hour workouts, and has some really challenging core work, and I liked the background exercisers.
Disadvantages: the white set, only two sets of each exercise, 10 reps each, I think. All just use body weight. For a whole hour, it just doesn't feel like enough work... I've done it and the only thing it made sore were my triceps.
I think my time is better spent elsewhere....
Charlene
Instructor Comments:
Charlene is chatty (like me!, lol) and I don't mind it.
Danielle has done a pretty good job breaking down the video, so I will skip that. I really enjoyed the unique use of the ball in this video especially the "active sitting" where you are literally balanced on the ball sitting. It is quite challenging on it's own and then she adds upper body dumbell exercises to it in the second half. Most of the exercises on the tape include ab stabilization even if the primary exercise you are doing is for another muscle group. I did the tape yesterday and my obliques are quite sore today. Just for comparison, I rarely get sore from a traditional ab workout.
The only minuses are, there is a lot of explaining that might get a little old after doing the tape several times and the blank white background doesn't really grab me.
Instructor Comments:
Charlene is her usual chatty, informative self on this video. She gives excellent form pointers and information about how each exercise works the muscles
This video has 2 half hour
workouts on it, I do them both
together. The set is all white
(floor, walls, ceiling). Charlene
and 2 women wear lime green
and royal blue, and use large
pink balls.
The first workout starts with
active sitting which is sitting on
the ball with your feet on the
sides of it slightly behind you
(not on the floor). While you are
sitting this way (it's actually pretty
hard), Charlene goes over basic
info on ball size and care. The
first few exercises are for your
glutes. You start with your back
against the ball and do single
leg lifts (not really sure how to
explain this exercise), then tiptoe
bridges. Next are crunches on
the ball, then oblique work with
your hip on the ball and your feet
against a wall. You then do back
extensions over the ball with
your feet against the wall. Plank
work is next. The plank work
was very challenging. After that,
you sit with your arms hugging
the ball and squeeze it while you
retract your shoulder blades.
You then do scapular retractions
while you are in a pushup
position with your hands on the
ball. Next is some hamstring
work. You do hamstring bridges
where your lower legs are on the
ball and you roll it in towards you
while in a bridge position. The
last exercise in this workout is
triceps pushups with the ball
under your legs.
The second workout starts with
squats with the ball between
your back and a wall. Next are
hamstring curls (single or
double leg) where the ball is
under your lower leg(s) and you
roll it in towards you while in a
bridge position. You then do a
plank with the ball under your
shins and tuck up into a ball
then back to plank. The next
exercise is similar, you drop
hips to one side and then roll in
to work your obliques. I kept
falling off my ball during this
one. Next is a plank with the ball
under your shins and you lift
your leg to the side of the ball.
For lower abs, you lie on your
back with the ball between your
legs, legs bent, and extend your
legs while keeping your back in
neutral. Regular pushups with
the ball under your legs follow.
The last 6 exercises use
weights. You do OH presses
with the ball as an incline bench,
chest flyes lying back on your
ball, biceps curls and french
press while active sitting on ball
(feet don't touch the ground),
rear delt flyes lying over the ball,
and finally lat raises while in
active sitting.
For most of the exercises,
Charlene shows options to
make it harder. There are some
breaks but not between every
exercise. I found I needed these
breaks to rest. Charlene also
does excellent stretches using
the ball after many exercises.
I liked this workout. I couldn't do
every exercise, but with practice I
know I'll get there. I would rate it
intermediate/advanced.
Charlene gives great form
pointers as always.