All you need is five minutes and a Pilates ball to work the deep core

If you want to strengthen your deep core muscles, you don’t need to spend hours holding a plank. According to fitness trainer Natalie Hesounova, all you need is five minutes and a Pilates ball.

"Even short, consistent core sessions can seriously boost your stability, posture and overall strength," says Hesounova. "This quick five-minute deep core workout is all you need, and we’re keeping it simple with just a Pilates ball."

How to do Natalie Hesounova’s workout

There are five exercises to perform. Hesounova suggests doing two rounds of 10 repetitions for each move, which are listed below.

• Press ball and leg lower
• Reverse plank twist
• Bridge march
• Leg switch ball handover
• Frog tap and reach over

Benefits of Pilates balls

The core consists of deep, middle and outer layer muscles and the deep core ones are especially important for spinal support, stability and control. Incorporating deep core moves into your workouts not only improves your everyday movement but can also enhance sports performance. Strengthening the core naturally improves posture, too.

Depending on how you use them, Pilates balls can add support or provide an additional challenge to your workouts. For example, you could place the ball behind the small of your back while performing crunches. This will support your lower back but still encourage engagement from your abdominal muscles.

You could also place the ball underneath your glutes (butt muscles) during a move like the Pilates toe tap. Elevating your pelvis like this will ramp up the challenge, as your core muscles will have to work harder to keep you stable and balanced.

It's possible to get a similar challenge with a larger exercise ball, but one study has shown the smaller diameter of the Pilates ball allows for a greater range of motion during exercises, which means that your muscles work even harder.

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