24 Ways to Use an Inflatable Ball in Your Workouts

The graphite Coregeous ball is an inflatable air-filled sponge ball with a unique soft-stretchy “skin” that can be used to massage and activate your core, stretch and mobilize every layer of muscle and fascia, and so much more. This special tool allows you to gently and safely access your innermost abdominals, shift scar tissue, improve spinal and neck alignment, and cultivate connected movement.

Below, Jill Miller of Tune Up Fitness shares 24 ways you can incorporate a Coregeous ball into your fitness and wellness routine, including breath-based moves, mobility and self-massage, and isometric strength moves to challenge your fitness.

You will need a Coregeous ball, a yoga block and a chair or bench.

Breath-Based Moves

Blow It Up to Blow It Out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJQVC9ExcdQ

Insert a straw into a deflated Coregeous ball.
Take the most fulfilling breath you can from your gut to your ribs to the top of your lungs.
Blow as much of that breath out as you can into the Coregeous ball.

Lean on Me for Some Inspiration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdP8ayndSaU

Lie on your side with your knees bent, feet behind you and the Coregeous ball underneath your rib cage.
Rest your head on your arm. Bring your top hand onto your top ribs and squish your ribs down.
Inhale, hold your breath and then activate the muscles you just inflated to upwardly rotate the ribs.
Exhale until you’re completely empty to bring the sides of your rib cage as close together as you can.

“Turn On Your Off Switch” Breath

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaPeL-ht3Bs

Lie on your back in a supine position. Place the Coregeous ball under your sacrum (tailbone).
Place your feet flat on the floor, knees bent.
Connect your index finger and thumb on both hands to make the OK symbol.
Close your eyes. Let your attention go to the fingertips so you can feel your heartbeat.
Breathe along with your heartbeat. Inhale for four heartbeats, hold for two, exhale for six and hold for two.
Repeat and then start to increase each part of the breath cycle by two counts as you continue this exercise.

Breath Pinwheel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxNwXrZsA60

Place the Coregeous ball on the right side of your chest on top of a block.
Sit next to the block, knees bent to 90 degrees, your right leg in front of you and your left leg behind you. Lean forward and rest your chest on the ball, placing your right hand on the ground.
Reach your left hand behind you and rest it on the back of your left rib cage. Use your hand to push your rib cage down as you breathe deeply.
Take deep breaths and feel your intercostal muscles, as well as your diaphragm.
Switch sides: Place the ball on the left side of your chest, extend your left leg out and your right behind, lean onto the ball and place your left hand on the ground. Use your right hand behind you to help pivot and push your right rib cage.

Self-Massage Moves

Abdominal Massage (aka the “Gut Smash”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-Wx81UP6i0

Lie in a prone position with the ball under your belly, propping yourself up on your elbows.
Take a breath into the ball. Hold it, then activate your core muscles to create tension.
Exhale, releasing that tension, then repeat.
Each time you do this, you should feel your abdomen relax more and more each repetition.
Once you feel more comfortable, you can start massaging back and forth across the ball.

Abdominal Massage: Scar-Tissue Mobilization

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce3VL4qpliU

Lie in a prone position with the ball under your belly or wherever your scar might be (if comfortable).
Pivot your body around the stickiness of the ball until you feel a gentle pinch. Once you feel that windup, take big, dynamic breaths, then wind up a little bit more.
Once that tension has mitigated, wind up a little bit more and continue to breathe.

The Surprise on Your Side: Low-Back Rollief

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KfJF5gg9fY

Begin on your side, resting on your hand and hip.
Place the Coregeous ball to rest under your waist, between your hip and rib bones.
Come down and recline on your side on top of the ball. Rest your head on your bent arm.
Take a breath, hold it, then activate the muscles touching the ball.
Exhale and let go.
Repeat, then start to move over the ball, rolling forward and back to massage those tissues.
After a few rounds, take a deep breath in, hold, then as you exhale, bring your pelvis toward the ball and your rib cage toward the ball as if you were trying to pop the air out of it.
Release and repeat, shortening the distance between your ribs and pelvis.
Repeat on opposite side.

Neck Anew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XozchhXoemo

Sit cross-legged or in a comfortable position holding a Coregeous ball.
Bring the ball under your chin in front of your throat.
Twist the ball and pull it across the front of your neck as you rotate your head in the opposite direction.
Repeat the opposite direction, pulling the ball slowly back and forth as you twist it across your throat and to the sides of the neck.

Psoas Serpent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey4IOwnxQkw

Begin on your side, resting on your elbow and hip.
Place the Coregeous ball just above your bottom hip and under your ribs, a few inches away from your belly button.
Roll onto your stomach as the ball rolls underneath you and into your lower belly.
Hold this position, take a few breaths and then lift your chest up off the ball—just a small amount so your rib cage moves away from your pelvis.
Use your arms and rotate away from the ball as you simultaneously bend your opposite leg to bring your foot toward you. Breathe here.
Release and repeat on the opposite side.

Shoulder Shaper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdlhLuk5ARA

Lie on your back with the Coregeous ball between your shoulder blades, feet on the floor and knees bent.
Interlace your fingers and cradle the back of your head in your hands.
Pivot your body until the ball has caught the tissue of your upper back into a pinch.
Take several breaths until that pinch subsides.
When it does, spin the other way and do the same thing.
Roll the ball to your scapula (back of the shoulder) and do the same—spin around and capture that tissue, take some deep breaths, spin a bit more and then spin in the opposite direction.
Switch sides and repeat on the opposite scapula.

Thoracic Elastic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2MHUsJYiVc

Lie on your back with the Coregeous ball underneath your thoracic spine (just below your shoulder blades).
Place the back of your head on the ground or on a pillow or folded blanket. Let your legs and arms splay out.
Activate your lower core muscles to stabilize. Take a dynamic thoracic breath in, and on exhale, let your body fall to the right side with control.
On inhale, come back on top of the ball, then exhale and fall to the left.
Repeat with control and follow your breath.

Dynamic Strength Moves

Roller-Coaster Teaser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqqgx3GgYQs

Lie on your back in a supine position.
Bend your knees and bring them over your hips, knees bent at whatever angle is comfortable. Place the Coregeous ball on top of your shins and hold it there.
Take a deep abdominal breath in. On your exhale, press your breath out as you roll the ball up your shins toward your ankles, rounding through your spine.
Pause at the top and inhale and reverse the roll back down with control as you roll the ball back down toward your knees.
Repeat, rolling the ball up and down with your breath.

The Spontaneous Core Strengthener

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PttYaf7-ILw

Lie on your back in a supine position. Place the Coregeous ball under your sacrum (tailbone), and place your hands on the ground at your sides for stabilization.
Lift your feet off the ground and move your legs about it in every possible direction, with no pattern. Make it unpredictable to challenge your core strength.
Keep your balance on the ball as you move your legs, bracing your core so you don’t fall off the ball.

Hamstring Slide on Ball

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JScD68rjJrQ

Lie on your back in a supine position with the Coregeous ball under both heels.
Activate your core, squeeze your glutes and exhale as you slide your heels toward your glutes, hovering your lower body off the floor.
Inhale as you slide the ball back to start, holding your hover, and repeat as many times as you can.
Externally rotate your hips, pointing your toes away from one another to target your outer hamstrings and repeat this movement.

Put Your Head Back on Your Neck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQDXLx6P2k

Stand facing away from a wall. Place the Coregeous ball at the base of your skull above your neck.
Tuck your chin down toward your throat, and press your head back into the ball and aim the top of your head toward the ceiling.
Release and repeat, using the muscles of your neck to do this, not leaning your body back.

Neck Side Shift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_X8PMy1coY

Stand next to a wall and place the Coregeous ball on the wall.
Place your ear on the ball, without leaning.
Shift your head into the ball as far as you can, pressing with your neck muscles, then release.
Repeat to fatigue.
Lower the ball to rest on top of your shoulder next to your neck, still against the wall.
Bend your neck, bringing your ear toward your shoulder, then release.
Repeat to fatigue. Switch sides and repeat both exercises.

Neck Know-How

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wh5aHvfLJI

Stand facing a wall.
Place the Coregeous ball in between the wall and your forehead.
Shift your skull and neck forward into the ball, not leaning but using the back of your neck muscles to press into the ball.
Release and repeat a few times. Then press into the ball and hold.
Nod your head up and down, bringing your chin toward your chest, then up toward the ceiling, letting the ball slide up and down the front of your face while pressing into the ball. Repeat for a few reps.
Center the ball on your forehead. Keep the pressure on the ball and rotate right to left, turning your neck side to side.

You’ve Got Coregeous Hands

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aMf5nqnSwE

Begin kneeling, sitting on your heels, toes on the ground.
Place the Coregeous ball in front of you, and place both hands on the ball, thumbs centered.
Spread your hands as wide as they can go, then squeeze the ball. Then extend your fingers as far away from the ball as possible.
Repeat, squeezing and then releasing.

Isometric Strength Moves

Text Neck Neglect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XGO0DID5eA

Lie on your back. Bring the Coregeous ball between your neck and chest and lock it there. You can use your fingers to help stabilize the ball as needed.
Take a full and complete breath, hold your breath and think about your head and neck getting longer.
Draw your throat in toward your neck bones, and as you exhale, try to squish the ball between you neck and chest as you curl your chin toward your chest, bringing your head off the ground.
Repeat, following your breath.

Side Plank With Coregeous Ball

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUG4BHMpSNg

Sit next to a bench, stool or folding chair and place your left foot on top of it.
Bring the Coregeous ball inside the ankle of your right foot and under the chair or bench, and press the ball into the underside of the bench.
Come into a side plank, with your right elbow stacked under your right shoulder and your hips parallel to the ground, forming one long line from head to heels.
Continue squeezing the ball into the bench as you hold your side plank.
Release and repeat on the opposite side.

Gluteus Medius, Nice to Meet Ya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_A17O6RFKw

Lie on your back in a supine position. Rest your left foot and ankle on top of the Coregeous ball. Your right foot is flat on the ground, knee bent.
Pre-activate your core by bringing your pelvis toward your ribs.
Raise your right foot to hover above your left, and brace your glutes as you suspend your lower body off the ground.
Keep your upper back pressed into the floor and hold.
Repeat on the opposite side.

Hip-Flexor HELP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9PxeW-r_HM

Begin on all fours in a tabletop position with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, resting the Coregeous ball under the top of your left foot.
Activate your shoulders by bringing them away from your neck and actively push the ground away to pike yourself up into a hovering plank.
Hover your right foot off the ground. Drive your left foot into the ball as you drive your right foot the opposite way toward the ceiling.
Repeat on the opposite side.

Unstable Runner’s Lunge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WraCwjaT9vs

Lie on your back in a supine position.
Place the Coregeous ball under your sacrum (tailbone), feet flat on the floor and knees bent.
Drive your right knee in toward your chest as far as you can. Simultaneously point your left foot and straighten it to drive it away from you.
Take a big breath in, and on the exhale, bring your forehead toward your right knee, rounding your spine.
Release and repeat on the opposite side.

Fortune Fish Backbend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZImDQNyYtLc

Lie on your stomach in a prone position. Bring your legs together, zipping them from your toes to your groin.
Point your feet, draw your pubic bone toward your ribs and activate your abdominal muscles by pulling them away from the ground.
Hold the Coregeous ball in your hands out in front of you, arms straight.
Allow your shoulders to elevate as much as possible while moving your shoulder blades around and down toward the floor, creating a hollow pit in your armpit.
Pull the Coregeous ball apart to activate the back of your rotator cuff.
Hold this tension as you lift the Coregeous ball and your feet off the floor, creating a backbend as you lengthen.
Hold, then release and repeat.

Photo credit: Tom Casey, box24studio.com