Swiss Ball Exercises For Core: Get The Abs You Want!

Updated: Jul 24

We all want 6-pack abs. Whether it be to look good, sprint faster or lose weight, we pretty much all have a reason for having to do an ab workout.

However, ab workouts can be really boring, tedious and seem like an inconvenient chore. Most people do the same as me and add core exercises to the end of a gym routine when we are most tired, this makes it even easier to skip your vital core routine. So, when we go the extra mile and try to regularly train our core by copying what we see some people do online or what we have seen people do in the gym- and then we don't get the improvement we want it can be very disheartening.

But, the same as it is with any muscle you train- not all exercise movements were created equal and a lot of core routines will miss important parts of the core. Through years of ego-driven motivation for a 6-pack I slowly learnt that there were some exercises which worked a lot better and gave me a better workout in less time.

Although I spread my workouts for core between swiss exercise balls, kettlebells, ab rollers, hanging core workouts and doing core without equipment- I found that training with an swiss exercise ball gave me the best results the fastest and also I could hit all parts of my core effectively.

The swiss exercise ball is the best for your core in my opinion because it is so versatile, you can do planks, sit ups, glute birdges and so many more exercises on a swiss ball. However, I feel like swiss ball exercises for your core have died down a lot in recent years, they peaked around the 90s with all the Jane Fonda videos and right now they do more collecting dust in gyms than the actual get used. But this piece of equipment will give you the best core workout of your life if you follow the exercises set out in this article.

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Swiss ball exercises for core

Personally, I train core with an ab workout 3 times per week, and just like any muscle group I leave 48 hours between each workout. For all exercises allow a 30 seconds rest in-between.

1. Windscreen Wipers: 8-12 reps

This exercise is great for training the muscles which are used to develop your rotational power. Windscreen wipers will not only kill your core, but they train your oblique's, lower back and your hips as well (2).

2. Jack Knives: 10-20 reps

Jack knives definitely require a decent amount of balance, but this is partly why they are so great for developing your core and also your lower back (2).

3. Mountain Climbers: 40-60 reps

If you are a runner then this is an exercise which should be in your routine regularly as it works just about every muscle in the running action. This is another one which requires a bit of balance but you get a very strong core as a result, this is effectively a very advance plank.

4. V-Pass Up: 8-20 reps

Now, this exercise is a proper burner. This exercise gives you a great workout for your lower abs which can often go untrained in most core workouts.

5. Side Crunches: 12-20 reps

Side crunches are another great exercise for your oblique's and when I first started doing this exercise I could barely balance. Having your feet against something stable like a wall is vital for this exercise.