Be Warned: This Trainer's Favourite Exercise Ball Move Will Take Your Abs Prisoner

When it comes to working your abs — and, more specifically, your rectus abdominis, which makes up the the "superficial core" muscles [1] that give you that six-pack — there are plenty of exercises you can do. And by plenty, we mean hundreds. Take Down Dog abs [2], TRX knee tucks [3], and plank knee taps [4] to name a few. One of my favourites is pike to plank [5] using an exercise ball (or pike-ups, as we called them in gymnastics practice [6]). One trainer I spoke to, Paul Searles, CSCS, from the New York Sports Science Lab [7], gave me a kick-butt variation of this exercise that's his personal favourite for working your abs to their maximum potential.

For starters, Paul said that some of the best ways to train your abs (and your core as a whole [8]) is to do compound movements [9] like squats and deadlifts with weights. If you're doing them right, these moves force you to engage your core [10]. But, if he had to choose an ab exercise he likes most, he'd pick the ball pike rollback — though deadbugs [11] are a close second, he admitted.

"Basically, you're in a push-up position with your feet elevated on an exercise ball," Paul explained. After you pike upwards, you come back down into that starting position and slide yourself backwards into an extended plank. "I feel like you get a lot of bang for your buck with that one," he said. Ahead, check out more on how to do this move, as well as variations to try if it's too advanced. You can work your way up to this exercise — we know you can!

How to Do a Ball Pike Rollback

Start in a plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your toes on the ball. Do not allow your lower back to arch. Keep your feet, pelvis, and shoulders in one long line.
On an exhale, pull your abs deeply to your spine to fold your body in half, pulling the ball forward toward your hands as your pelvis and butt move upward in the air.
This is a pike position. Allow your head to fall between your arms, keeping your neck long and in line with your spine.
Lower yourself back into a plank position, keeping your core engaged. Then, push yourself back so your feet are going toward the wall behind you into an extended plank (or push-up position). You can allow the ball to roll onto your shins here.
Roll forward to your starting plank position with your toes on the ball. This completes one rep.

The more that your legs are on the ball, the closer your hands end up being to it as well and the easier the rollback will be, Paul said. "Having just your feet on the ball will make it much more difficult."

Note: the variation seen here moves straight through your plank positions without stopping, which is another way to add intensity.

How to Progress Into a Ball Pike Rollback

Paul suggested trying the following exercises to build up to these ball pike rollbacks:

Forearm plank [13]
High plank [14] (push-up position)
High plank with feet elevated on an exercise ball
Try rollbacks and ball pike to plank [15] separately. Then, combine the two exercises for the ball pike rollbacks.

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