Fact checkedExpert's opinion

Expert's opinion

The article is a subjective view on this topic written by writers specializing in medical writing.
It may reflect on a personal journey surrounding struggles with an illness or medical condition, involve product comparisons, diet considerations, or other health-related opinions.

Although the view is entirely that of the writer, it is based on academic experiences and scientific research they have conducted; it is fact-checked by a team of degreed medical experts, and validated by sources attached to the article.

The numbers in parenthesis (1,2,3) will take you to clickable links to related scientific papers.

Gym Ball Exercises For Flat Stomach: Ways To Use Stability Ball In 2024

Updated on - Written by
Medically reviewed by Gopal Ramakrishnan, Ph.D.

Gym Ball Exercises For Flat Stomach
Gym ball is a great tool to exercise your abdominal muscles. Photo: Nghi Tran

Make a move to give your body a challenging workout that reduces belly fat and strengthens your muscles with a fitness ball. Combining regular exercise, gym ball exercises for flat stomach, a healthy diet, and a fat burner helps you manage your weight, lose belly fat, and flatten your stomach.

The abdominal region loves to hold onto visceral fat because of aging, stress, poor diet, and even genetics. However, using a stability ball to tone the abs, midsection, and core muscles helps you achieve your fitness goals.

Five Gym Ball Exercises For Belly Fat

An exercise ball or stability ball is an excellent tool to help you lose belly fat. Exercise ball workouts for belly fat can be performed standing up or while on the floor. Check out the following exercises to flatten a beer gut, develop powerful core muscles, and slay excess fat on your abdomen and waistline.

  1. Planks
  2. Mountain Climbers
  3. Glute Bridge
  4. Exercise Ball Crunches 
  5. Exercise Ball Pike

Gym Ball Exercises For Flat Stomach

Sweat your way to a flatter tummy using exercise ball workouts for belly fat. Using tools like a medicine ball, weights, or a resistance cable makes performing exercises more fun, and challenging and gets faster results. Check out the following workouts to reduce unwanted fat from your abdomen and get rid of a beer belly.

Planks

Test your mettle and try to hold a plank position on an exercise ball for up to one minute. 

Note, that there are variations to planks performed on a gym ball. The Stability Ball Forearm will force you to tighten your glutes and pull in your abdominal muscles to keep your body in a straight line. Execute this move to fatten your tummy, strengthen your back, and improve posture.

Planks with gym ball - gym ball exercises for flat stomach
Planks With Gym Ball Guide. Photo: Aliaksandr Makatserchyk

How to do:

  1. Place your elbows on the gym ball, keeping them directly under your shoulders, and engage your core to form a straight line from head to heels.
  2. Focus on squeezing your abdominal muscles and glutes throughout the exercise.
  3. Hold this position for the desired amount of time.
  4. Breathe deeply and steadily while maintaining the plank position
  5. To finish the exercise, gently lower your knees to the floor, and carefully roll off the gym ball.

Tips:

  • Maintain proper form and do not push yourself too hard.
  • Gradually increase the time you hold the plank as you become more comfortable and strong.

Optimal Sets & Reps: Three- four sets with a 30-60 second.

Mountain Climbers

Feel the burn when you work out your core muscles, increase your heart rate, and burn off fat doing mountain climbing. To get the benefits from this exercise, you place your body in a push-up position and move your legs alternately for an intense stretch. Mountain climbers target beer guts and eventually help reveal hidden abs.

How to do:

  1. Begin in a push-up position with your hands on the gym ball.
  2. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders, and your body should form a straight line from head to heels.
  3. Start by bringing one knee in towards your chest, using your core and hip flexors. Keep your other leg extended behind you.
  4. Quickly switch legs, bringing the extended leg back while bringing the other knee towards your chest.
  5. Maintain a steady and controlled pace.  Aim for a smooth, continuous motion.
  6. Inhale and exhale steadily to maintain proper oxygen flow.

Tips:

  • Focus on keeping your core tight and your back straight.
  • Avoid letting your hips rise too high or sagging down.
  • Emphasize control over speed.

Optimal Sets & Reps: Three sets with 30 seconds.

Glute Bridge

If you need an exercise that doesn’t stress the lower back and doesn’t require squatting, look no further. Perform a glute bridge with a stability ball to target stubborn belly fat, stretch the hamstrings, and firm the gluteus muscles. Practicing this move also supports improved blood circulation, and digestion and strengthens the core.

If you need an exercise that doesn’t stress the lower back and doesn’t require squatting, look no further. Perform a glute bridge with a stability ball to target stubborn belly fat, stretch the hamstrings, and firm the gluteus muscles. Practicing this move also supports improved blood circulation, and digestion and strengthens the core.

How to do:

  1. Place your feet flat on the gym ball and lift your hips off the ground, forming a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
  2. Ensure your knees are directly over your ankles to target your glutes effectively.
  3. Prioritize core engagement during the exercise.
  4. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the bridge and maintain a tight core to protect your lower back and maximize the workout for your buttocks.
  5. Lower your hips back down with control and avoid arching your back. Focus on a smooth and deliberate motion to fully engage your glutes.

Tips:

  • Be cautious not to overach your lower back when lifting your hips. 
  • Always perform a brief warm-up before engaging in any exercise routine to prepare your muscles and joints for the workout.
  • Avoid lifting your shoulders off the floor to protect your neck.

Optimal Sets & Reps: Three sets of 12-15 reps

Exercise Ball Crunches

Get off the floor slightly and execute reverse crunches, side crunches, and typical abdominal crunches using a stability ball. Commit yourself to completing many reps of this exercise to flatten and tone abs, and build a strong core comfortably.

Exercise Ball Crunches
Exercise Ball Crunches Guide. Photo: Aliaksandr Makatserchyk

How to do:

  1. Sit on the gym ball with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. 
  2. Before starting the crunch, engage your core muscles by drawing your navel toward your spine.
  3. Lift your upper body off the ball by curling your torso forward, focusing on using your abdominal muscles.
  4. Exhale as you crunch up and inhale as you return to the starting position.

Tips:

  • Ensure that the gym ball is properly inflated and stable before starting the exercise.
  •  Focus on a controlled and deliberate range of motion.
  • Place your hands gently behind your ears or across your chest, rather than pulling on your neck.
  • Exhale as you crunch up and contract your abs, and inhale as you return to the starting position.

Optimal Sets & Reps: Three sets of 15-20 reps

Stability Ball Pike

Push the limits of your body, improve your balance, burn belly fat, and try completing pikes on a stability ball. You will end up in an inverted V position while balancing your lower body on the stability ball. Doing this incredible move targets all of your ab muscles and demands the engagement of your core muscles while toning the shoulders and legs.

Stability Ball Pike
Stability Ball Pike Guide. Photo: Aliaksandr Makatserchyk

How to do:

  1. Sit on the gym ball with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
  2. Before starting the crunch, engage your core muscles by drawing your navel toward your spine.
  3. Lift your upper body off the ball by curling your torso forward, focusing on using your abdominal muscles.
  4. Exhale as you crunch up and inhale as you return to the starting position. 

Tips:

  • Be cautious with the gym ball’s movement.
  • Coordinate your breathing with the movement.
  • Always perform a brief warm-up before engaging in any exercise routine to prepare your muscles and joints for the workout.’

Optimal Sets & Reps: Three sets of 10-15 reps

How To Choose A Gym Ball?

gym ball - gym ball exercises for flat stomach
Other names for exercise balls include physioballs, fit balls, gym balls, and Swiss balls. Photo: MINTED VasitChaya/Shutterstock

If you want to execute belly exercises, it is helpful to use an exercise ball, weights, or a resistance cable to make it more challenging. An exercise ball is a large vinyl ball used for strengthening muscles, building flexibility, and improving balance. Other names for exercise balls include physioballs, fit balls, gym balls, and Swiss balls. Depending on your height, weight, and personal needs, you will want to select the best exercise ball accordingly.

When performing moves with a stability ball, you want to have your knees at a 90-degree angle when sitting on the ball with your feet flat on the floor. Persons between 5 feet 1 inch and 5 feet 7 inches should choose a stability ball measuring 55 centimeters. Persons under 5 feet and less should get a ball measuring 45 centimeters. Taller people over 6 foot 2 inches should snag a stability ball measuring 75 centimeters.

Why And How Does Belly Fat Form?

Why And How Does Belly Fat Form?
The body contains subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, and essential fat. Photo: Lia_Russy/Shutterstock

Three types of fat cells[1] exist in the human body, and they are not all bad if the levels are balanced. The body contains subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, and essential fat. Visceral fat[2] tends to get stored around the abdomen, and liver and triggers metabolic syndrome issues if in excess. Alongside regularly getting enough exercise and cardio, there are multiple things you can do to help reduce fat and flatten a beer belly.

Major Causes Of Belly Fat

The human body requires a certain percentage of fat to stay healthy and support the optimal function of the immune system, hormonal response, enzyme release, and cushion of the organs. An excess of fat on the abdomen poses increased health risks. The following are contributors to a beer gut that won’t budge easily.

  • Stress
  • Poor Sleep
  • Poor Dietary Choices
  • Sedentary Lifestyle
  • Genetics
  • Age

How To Shrink Belly Fat

The battle to curb a bulging abdomen and lose weight requires some effort. You can make an effort to reduce your consumption of processed foods, plan out your meals, and eat more fiber-soluble foods[3] than carbs or fat-laden choices. Also, blast a beer belly using exercise ball workouts for beer fat, drink water, reduce stress, and support a healthy gut microbiome.

Boost Metabolism And Fat Burning

Optimize the fat-burning results of stability ball workouts for belly fat by boosting your metabolism naturally with supplements and positive lifestyle changes. It is essential to increase metabolic activity if you are struggling with a sluggish metabolism because of a genetic predisposition to obesity[4], poor diet, poor sleep, stress, or other factors.

Doing the following can help boost metabolic activity and help you achieve a flatter tummy in no time.

  1. Eat more protein at meals to raise the thermic effect of food and stay fuller longer.
  2. Engage in high-intensity workouts regularly.
  3. Try to stand more instead of sitting when working and avoid being sedentary.
  4. Consume green tea or oolong tea.
  5. Eat foods containing capsaicin, found in chili peppers.
  6. Cook foods using oils high in medium-chain fats like coconut oil.

Exercising regularly may target select muscles in the abdomen, core muscles, and upper and lower body. However, the body still needs to burn off enough fat to allow tone muscles to show. Avoid overeating, increase water intake, get adequate sleep nightly, and engage in practices that boost metabolism to turn your body into a fat-burning machine.

Health Problems Triggered By A Beer Belly

It is crucial to find ways to get rid of a beer belly for your health and personal appearance. Living with unwanted excess fat around your tummy and waistline can bring about ailments to your metabolism, digestive system, and immune system. People struggling with obesity and belly fat tend to have a higher risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, heart problems, and stress on their frame.

Resist the urge to engage in cigarette smoking, binge drinking, overeating, and a sedentary lifestyle. Choose foods that support a healthy gut microbiome[5] to keep bloating, hormonal response, fat levels, and your immune system in check. As the gut microbiome is a crucial factor in the body’s health and weight management[6], stress, poor dietary choices, and persistent digestive problems often contribute to a beer belly.

Precautions

Consult your physician before you begin a new exercise regimen, make significant changes to your diet, start taking supplements, or make other significant lifestyle changes. If you are pregnant, postnatal, have certain genetic conditions, or existing health conditions, or are taking prescription medications, make sure any new activities and changes in your life will not have an adverse effect.

Take your time and ease into new exercises carefully. Consider enlisting the help of a personal trainer to ensure you are using good form and do not injure yourself. Give yourself enough time to see noticeable results and seek professional support if needed.


+ 6 sources

Health Canal avoids using tertiary references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic researches from medical associations and institutions. To ensure the accuracy of articles in Health Canal, you can read more about the editorial process here

  1. ‌Harms, M.B. and Seale, P. (2013). Brown and beige fat: development, function and therapeutic potential. [online] 19(10), pp.1252–1263. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3361.
  2. ‌Bergman, R.N., Kim, S.P., Catalano, K.J. and Ader, M. (2006). Why Visceral Fat is Bad: Mechanisms of the Metabolic Syndrome. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7138191_Why_Visceral_Fat_is_Bad_Mechanisms_of_the_Metabolic_Syndrome [Accessed 5 Jul. 2023].
  3. Thais Steemburgo, Valesca Dall’Alba, J. Sánchez Almeida, Themis Zelmanovitz, Gross, J.L. and de, J. (2007). Intake of soluble fibers has a protective role for the presence of metabolic syndrome in patients with type 2 diabetes. [online] 63(1), pp.127–133. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602902.
  4. ‌Li, S., Zhao, J., Luan, J., Ekelund, U., Luben, R., Khaw, K.-T., Wareham, N.J. and Ruth (2010). Physical Activity Attenuates the Genetic Predisposition to Obesity in 20,000 Men and Women from EPIC-Norfolk Prospective Population Study. [online] 7(8), pp.e1000332–e1000332. doi:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000332.
  5. ‌Banach, M., Rezaie, P., Andre Pascal Kengne, Majid Ghayour-Mobarhan and Ferns, G.A. (2016). Gut microbiome and metabolic syndrome. [online] 10(2), pp.S150–S157. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2016.01.024.
  6. Howarth, N.C., Saltzman, E. and Roberts, S.B. (2009). Dietary Fiber and Weight Regulation. Nutrition Reviews, [online] 59(5), pp.129–139. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2001.tb07001.x.

Medically reviewed by:

Alex Smith is a NY-based content writer who enjoys covering natural health, supporting wellness, personal finance, history, and outdoor living. When he is not behind a keyboard living the wordsmith life, he enjoys visiting landmark destinations and bookstores.

Medically reviewed by:

Journal of Physical Education and Sport

Trusted Source

Go to source

SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

Trusted Source

Go to source

African Journals Online

Non-profit Platform for African Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of The American Board of Family Medicine

American Board of Family Medicine

Trusted Source
Go to source

Informit

RMIT University Library

Trusted Source
Go to source

European Food Safety Authority

Science, Safe food, Sustainability

Trusted Source
Go to source

OrthoInfo

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Trusted Source
Go to source

American Academy of Family Physicians

Strengthen family physicians and the communities they care for

Trusted Source
Go to source

Agricultural Research Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Trusted Source
Go to source

The American Journal of Medicine

Official Journal of The Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Database From National Institute Of Health

Trusted Source
Go to source

Lippincott Journals

Subsidiaries of Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute on Aging

Database From National Institute Of Health

Trusted Source
Go to source

Translational Research

The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine

Trusted Source
Go to source

Cell

An All-science Publisher

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of Translational Medicine

BioMed Central

Part of Springer Nature
Go to source

Federal Trade Commission

Protecting America's Consumers

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Human Genome Research Institute

Database From National Institute Of Health

Trusted Source
Go to source

Food Production, Processing and Nutrition

BioMed Central

Part of Springer Nature
Go to source

BMC Gastroenterology

BioMed Central

Part of Springer Nature
Go to source

ACS Publications

A Division of The American Chemical Society

Trusted Source
Go to source

Annual Reviews

Independent, Non-profit Academic Publishing Company

Trusted Source
Go to source

PubChem

National Center for Biotechnology Information

National Library of Medicine
Go to source

PLOS Journals

Nonprofit Publisher of Open-access Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

Thieme E-books & E-Journals

Peer-reviewed & Open Access Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences

Peer-reviewed International Journal Publishes

Trusted Source
Go to source

Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing Home

Chemical Science Journals, Books and Database

Trusted Source
Go to source

Frontiers

Publisher of Peer-reviewed Articles in Open Acess Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

De Gruyter

German Scholarly Publishing House

Trusted Source
Go to source

Hindawi

Open Access Research Journals & Papers

Trusted Source
Go to source

Oilseeds and Fats, Crops and Lipids

EDP Sciences

Trusted Source
Go to source

Cambridge Core

Cambridge University Press

Trusted Source
Go to source

FoodData Central

U.S. Department Of Agriculture

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of the American Heart Association

Peer-reviewed Open Access Scientific Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

The Americans with Disabilities Act

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Organization of Food and Nutrition Professionals

tr
Go to source

Sage Journals

Database From Sage Publications

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute of Drug Abuse

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

The ClinMed International Library

A Repository and an Open Access Publisher for Medical Research

Trusted Source
Go to source

The Royal Society Publishing

United Kingdom's National Academy of Sciences

Trusted Source
Go to source

APA PsycNet

Database From American Psychological Association

Trusted Source
Go to source

The Pharma Innovation Journal

Peer-reviewed And Refereed Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Development

Peer-reviewed Bimonthly Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

British Pharmacological Society

Journals - Wiley Online Library

Trusted Source
Go to source

American Psychological Association

Scientific and Professional Organization of Psychologists

Trusted Source
Go to source

AAP Publications

Database From American Academy of Pediatrics

Trusted Source
Go to source

Karger Publishers

Academic Publisher of Scientific and Medical Journals and Books

Trusted Source
Go to source

Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Database From Cambridge University

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute of Mental Health

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

MDPI

Publisher of Open Access Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

Bulletin of the National Research Centre

Part of Springer Nature

Trusted Source
Go to source

The New England Journal of Medicine

Massachusetts Medical Society

Trusted Source
Go to source

Economic Research Service

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Trusted Source
Go to source

MedlinePlus

Database From National Library of Medicine

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

National Institute of Health

An agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Trusted Source
Go to source

Trusted Source

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

The BMJ

Weekly Peer-reviewed Medical Trade Journal

The British Medical Association
Go to source

The British Psychological Society

The British Psychological Society is a charity registered in England

Database From Wiley Online Library
Go to source

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

PubMed

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S National Library of Medicine
Go to source

DailyMed

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S National Library of Medicine
Go to source

Google Scholar

Go to source

Science.gov: USA.gov for Science

Government Science Portal

Go to source

ResearchGate

Social Network Service For Scientists

Find and share research
Go to source

American Heart Association

To be a rentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives

Go to source

BioMed Central

Research in progress

Go to source

JAMA Network

Home of JAMA and the Specialty Journals of the American Medical Association

Go to source

Springer Link

Database From Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Springer - International Publisher Science, Technology, Medicine
Go to source

ODS

Database from Office of Dietary Supplements

National Institutes of Health
Go to source

Federal Trade Commission

Bureaus of Consumer Protection, Competition and Economics
Go to source

Trusted Source

Database From U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Governmental Authority
Go to source

Oxford Academic Journals

Oxford University Press

Trusted Source
Go to source

Taylor & Francis Online

Peer-reviewed Journals

Academic Publishing Division of Informa PLC
Go to source

WHO

Database from World Health Organization

Go to source

Journal of Neurology

Peer-reviewed Medical Journal

American Academy of Neurology Journal
Go to source

ScienceDirect

Bibliographic Database of Scientific and Medical Publications

Dutch publisher Elsevier
Go to source

Wiley Online Library

American Multinational Publishing Company

Trusted Source
Go to source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

U.S. National Public Health Agency

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

Trusted Source

Database from U.S. National Library of Medicine

U.S. Federal Government
Go to source

U.S. Food & Drug Administration

Federal Agency

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

PubMed Central

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S National Library of Medicine
Go to source
Feedback

Help us rate this article

Thank you for your feedback

Keep in touch to see our improvement