How to exercise your abs by using a ball

Exercise balls are the perfect complement to any ab routine.  There are several exercises you can do on one of these, and the real value is that they create a somewhat unstable base for you to work on and so you must utilize stabilizer muscles while performing the workout.  This increases the difficulty and ensures you get everything you can out of your gym time.  So let’s get started.
Ball Crunches
First, sit on a ball of the appropriate size, and then slide yourself forward until the ball is under your lower back.  Place your hands on your hips, and then lean back.  Ensure the ball feels comfortable.  If it doesn’t, you may need to reposition it slightly so that it is properly supporting you.  Then do crunches by starting with your upper body in a horizontal position and crunching forward with your abs, moving no more than about 6 inches.  Repeat this for as many reps as you can.  This mainly works your mid to upper abs.
Ball Leg Raises
Position a ball near something you can hold on to.  Sit on the ball, and then lean back and grab your support.  You want the ball to be below the middle of your back.  When you are stable, raise your legs off the floor.  Then perform leg raises by raising your legs together until they are nearly vertical and lower them until they are just above the floor, and repeat.  This focuses on your lower abs.
Ball Side Crunch
Lie on a mat and place your feet on a ball so that your thighs are perpendicular with the floor, and place your hands behind your head.  Perform the crunch by alternating raising your right side such that you try to move your right elbow toward your left knee, and then lower and raise your left elbow toward your right knee, and then repeat.  This exercise works your oblique muscles.
Ball Plank
Lean forward and rest your forearms on a ball, with your elbows bent 90 degrees.  Straighten out your back so that your feet are on the ground with your arms touching the ball and your entire body completely straight.  This makes you look like a plank, and hence that is the name of the exercise.  This works all your core muscles and especially your abs.  Hold this position as long as you can.
These are a few of the exercises you can perform on a ball to strengthen your ab.  Any of them will make a nice addition to your ab routine, or they can be put together to create a whole new routine.  Don’t forget to eat properly and you’ll see that six pack before you know it.