When Shilpa Shetty shares a fitness tip, fans take notice. The actor and wellness enthusiast recently posted a video of a unique ball workout, challenging her followers to try it. Here’s what the workout involves and its powerful benefits.
What is the Ball Workout?
Shilpa Shetty
has shared various ball-based exercises, but a recent one focused on coordination and cognitive function. The challenge involved holding a small ball in each hand, crossing the arms, and then dropping and catching them in succession. First, she performed the exercise standing with feet slightly apart. She then increased the difficulty by balancing on one leg while continuing the same movement. This type of activity is designed to engage both the brain and the body, testing focus, hand-eye coordination, and stability all at once. Shetty has also demonstrated more core-focused workouts using larger stability balls, including moves like pikes and knee tucks.
The Brain and Body Benefits
According to Shetty, this workout is more than just a physical challenge; it’s a brain-body exercise. The primary benefits she highlighted focus on cognitive and motor skills. Engaging in activities that require tracking objects, like the dropping balls, can improve focus, attention, and reaction time. It forces different parts of the brain responsible for movement planning and motor control to work together. Furthermore, cross-body movements can enhance cognitive flexibility, working memory, and the connection between the brain's right and left hemispheres. Over time, consistent practice helps refine motor control and overall body awareness.
Core Strength with a Stability Ball
While the hand-eye coordination challenge is one aspect, many of Shetty's other ball workouts target the core using a large stability or Swiss ball. These inflatable balls are excellent tools for enhancing core strength because their unstable surface forces your abdominal and lower back muscles to work harder to maintain balance. Simply sitting on one engages your deep stabilising muscles. Exercises like crunches, planks, and pushups become significantly more challenging when performed on a stability ball, leading to greater core activation and strength gains.
Key Stability Ball Exercises to Try
Two advanced moves that build incredible core strength are the Stability Ball Pike and the Knee Tuck. To perform a Knee Tuck, you start in a high plank position with your shins resting on the ball. From there, you engage your abs to pull your knees in towards your chest, rolling the ball forward, and then extend back to the starting position. The Pike is a more advanced variation. From the same plank position, you keep your legs straight and lift your hips high into the air, rolling the ball towards your hands. Both movements are highly effective for targeting the entire core musculature, including deep stabilisers.
How to Get Started Safely
If you're new to ball workouts, it's important to start slow and prioritise form over speed or repetitions. For the coordination exercise, begin with just the standing version before attempting to balance on one leg. For stability ball exercises, ensure the ball is the correct size for your height; when you sit on it, your knees should be at a 90ndegree angle with your feet flat on the floor. Before attempting advanced moves like pikes, master a basic plank on the ball to build foundational stability. Always engage your core to protect your lower back and maintain control throughout the movement.
