How to Plan for Superman Abs | Review: Live Infinitely Stability Ball

Here I am coming off months of slowly progressing strength training--maybe you can relate. Months of trying to fit in workouts + lack of motivation = blah. So I'm trying something I've been resisting for awhile.

A dream plan for Superman abs! 

I can already imagine the amazing lines and painting-esque posture--actually, that's the point. This blog started with the idea of workouts feeling good and for so long ab work has been another chore I do with a sulk, à la laundry day. Clearly it's time to change it up.

I found out that stability balls are good for way more than those crazy tough exercises seen all over the internet (or bouncing on, which is something way more manageable for me!). They are rumored to be an amazing replacement for a chair and help weak people like me get in squats with good form and gentle ab work (more further down). I asked Live Infinitely to help me out to that end and they've sent me their stability ball so I could write this review. I've got it in short person size which is 55cm--I'm 5'3ish. (You'll want to choose a stability ball that corresponds to your height.) 

The Chair Plan

Add swapping out your sofa as number one on your plan. You'll want to be careful to find something burst resistant like the Live Infinitely ball--especially if you can count on having toddlers or four-legged friends stealing it. I'll admit it's a lot easier to practice posture on something I can let my inner child loose on [read: bounce around giggling on]. I found my stability ball grippy enough so I didn't feel I'd lose IQ points on my wooden floors but slippy enough to bop around.

The Squat Plan

(Yes, they are good for those of us with weak abs on top of being amazing for glutes! )

A long time ago I gave up on squats. All that knee strain on top of being an avid jogger sucked--yup, I know it's not supposed to hurt. And yes, it's because I have terrible squat form. My favorite use for my stability ball is SQUATS! It's a whole 'nother thing to feel your squat in the right form. This is especially true while listening to Kanye's Stronger, also highly recommend for squats. 

To get in squat form correctly I put my Live Infinitely ball between the wall and my back and roll it along on the way up and down. It does the job smoothly. If you've heard of any good squat challenges comment below because I'm game! I'll report back on my results next month so watch this space.

The View From Up Here

What I have really loved about the pole move Superman is the idea of the view from above; it's what I love about Spirals in figure skating. There's a feeling of looking down at the world like a vignette even while you're pretty well grounded. Stay imaginative, I say. 

This point of using a stability ball for me is to Superman on a cloud, a bouncy, safely-close-to-the-floor sort of a cloud. I've never been able to force myself to keep up with traditional superman floor exercises because they are so... un-super. I am a very visual person so having the extra space between the floor and me makes a huge difference toward getting into super hero mode. Obviously this is the point of exercise, right?

I'd love to know--are you starting a new workout? Reviving an old one? Writing Santa for this stability ball? Tell me in the comment section below. :)