Xtreme Strength Ball Workout

I love Gin's step tapes, so this was a bit of a disappointment. No cool studio setting, no nice sound effects, and an annoying (I think it's supposed to be funny) banter between her and the other person demonstrating the moves. I was also disappointed in the workout itself which wasn't as intense as I would have expected from her. Perhaps if it were just a bit faster paced it would have been a more satisfying workout. As it is, the tape has only really been useful in showing me new moves for my stability ball, because I find other tapes provide a much better and more strenuous workout in the same amount of time.

This video provides a total body toning workout using the step, dumbells and the Resist-a-Ball (same as a Fitball.) Unfortunately, I found it disappointing. It definitely was NOT what I was looking for in a Resist-a-Ball workout.

The set is basic, but not objectionable in any way. Gin is joined by another instructor. Gin usually does the advanced version of the exercise and Mary demonstrates easier options.

Gin opens the video with a little introductory speech, stressing that you should have prior experience with the ball before doing this video. Well, I don't have any formal training with the ball, so this may be one reason some of the moves just didn't feel effective to me. I was hoping Gin would offer at least a few form pointers on where you should be focusing your energies or balancing your weight, but she really doesn't.

Next there's a warm-up using the ball and the step. You perform very basic moves both on and off the step, while raising the ball overhead or off to one side or another. Then on to the body of the workout, which is broken up into three circuit training segments. Each uses both the step and the ball.

The first segment has the hardest move of the whole video, a set of full-body push-ups on the ball. (As seen on the over picture.) This was really tough to do without letting the ball roll away from your body, in fact, I could only do two and then I had to follow Mary, who does the easier version on her knees. Well, the easier version was TOO easy for me. And that kind of sums up my problem with all of the moves using the resist-a-ball: the easy versions were too easy, but I often couldn't perform the hard version without rolling off the ball. The first segment also contained some abdominal work and some hamstring work. Again, I was disappointed that the work felt easier than I wanted, but I didn't know if I was doing it wrong, or the exercises were just too easy for my fitness level. Throughout the video, Gin incorporated stretches on the ball.

Circuit sections 2 and 3 are identical, except section 2 concentrates on the left side of your body and section 3 concentrates on the right. There was more abdominal work, side leg lifts, upper body work include some pec flyes and ribcage pullovers using dumbells. Just my personal hang-up, but I don't like spending 10 minutes on one side of my body and then going back to the beginning to do 10 minutes on the other side. I find it tedious.

I was disappointed in this video because the structure didn't suit my needs and I expected more instruction and more of a challenge. The toning/strength work just didn't feel that effective. Also, many of the positions incorporated the step with the ball and they just felt contrived and awkward. My goal in buying the Resist-a-Ball was to really challenge my abdominal muscles and to increase my flexibility, and I wasn't impressed with either. Also, the ab work is in 3 different sections of the tape, so I can't just cue it up to the ab work easily, I'd have to FF through all the rest of it.

I hate to sound like this was a disaster, it's a sound workout, but it just didn't fit what I was looking for. It's my first video for the Resist-a-ball, so I don't know how it compares to the other videos out there. Guess I'll keep trying one until I find one I like.

This a fun but "tough" workout. I have had my Flexaball for a quite a while now and had gotten tired of the introductory tape that came with my ball. I was looking for a tape that included a total body workout. This tape fit the bill. This really challenges your muscular strength and stabilization.

The workout starts with a low key warmup using the ball. After the warmup, you start off with a set of squats pushing the ball out in front of your body for stabilization. After the squats, you place the ball on the end of your step and do pushups against it. This is extremely challenging. I had a very hard time balancing the ball and doing the pushup with proper form. I had to drop to the modified pushup position from the knees. The next exercise is targeted for the back. You place your arms on top of the ball and roll the ball forward. Keeping your arms on top and using your back muscles, you roll the ball back to the starting position. It's hard to describe this exercise but this was HARD! The next segments incorporated a variety of exercises like side lateral leg raises, ab crunches, bicep concentration over the ball, unique back exercises, and a rotator cuff exercise. All very challenging.

As I was doing the workout, I was thinking how I could use some of the stretches and exercises as modifications in other tapes. I really felt like I got some great new ideas. I don't see this tape providing great strength gains or definition as there aren't multiple sets and reps for the body parts. However, if you are looking for a fun, challenging tape using a workout ball, I highly recommend this one.

This is only my 2nd stability ball workout video. I've been using The Flexaball Workout for over a year (maybe 2 now, I can't remember) and have been doing other isometric trunk stabilization exercises as well.

What you will need: 1 hour, a Step (not for stepping but for a bench), wrist/hand weights, leg weights (for just below the knees), light to medium dumbbells and a stability ball. Gin uses a Flexaball Pro which is like the regular Flexaball but it has these cow-like udders on it (I'll leave the cracks on this to someone else :^D) I use a regular Flexaball which works just fine.

This is the breakdown: (approximately)

4 mins - Instruction
8 mins - Warmup
15 mins - Strength Circuit Segment 1 (squats, pushups on the ball (killer), rear hip extensions, lat rolls/rows, pullovers, abs and obliques and some great stretches throughout).
15 mins - Strength Circuit Segment 2 (ab/adductors, lateral flexion, side lying overhead pullovers, external rotation, concentration curls, hamstring curls, flyes and more great stretches throughout).
15 mins - Strength Circuit Segment 3 (abs and obliques, ab/adductors, lateral flexion, side lying overhead pullovers, external rotation, concentration curls, rear flyes, tricep dips and even more great stretches throughout).
4 1/2 mins - Cool down/Stretch

I really love this workout. It keeps moving. I really wouldn't recommend trying to start with this one though if you have never done any stability ball work. Start with The Flexaball Workout. This one just wasn't made for beginners. I think that this would be very frustrating for a beginner just trying to keep themselves stabilized and ending up missing the workout - it moves along, or not having learned the correct positioning and hurting themselves. There are so many ways to make it more intense or less depending on what your stabilty ability is (but you do need to aready have some stability ability) :^D

The set is a bunch of different colored Flexaball Pros stacked around. It is led by Gin. There is 1 person showing modifications and she looks like she is having a really hard time at some points. Gin, of course, makes it all look so easy (especially the pushups which have got to be the hardest thing I have ever tried). My problem (not the workout's fault, just my floor) - I have wood floors and get very frustrated during the lateral flexion exercises because I can't get a grip on the floor and end up sliding around a lot. If you like Gin and like stability ball workouts, this has got to be as good as it gets.