Cardio Ball Ballet is similar to Jessica Smith‘s other free workout Cardio Ball Blast–but different, too. During the workout she said she got requests for more cardio ball workouts and more cardio ballet workouts so she decided to combine them into this workout. I haven’t done her cardio ballet workout but I did enjoy Cardio Ball Blast so I decided to give this workout a try. And, of course, it was another excellent Jessica Smith workout that I loved. Jessica puts together such effective and fun workouts! This is basically a cardio barre workout using a ball and it is entirely low impact. Jessica uses a pilates ball and doesn’t recommend using anything heavier. However, after previewing this workout I thought it wouldn’t be an issue to use something heavier. I used my 4 pound medicine ball in Cardio Ball Blast and that really did a great job increasing the intensity. This workout seemed as if it would be difficult to use a traditional medicine ball since grip would be important, but my 6 pound medicine ball has handles which makes it more useful in workouts like this where grip is important. So I had both my 6 pound medicine ball and my pilates ball at the ready. I was able to use the 6 pound ball for most everything but I did have to use my pilates ball for a few moves that were just too quick for something that heavy. I will note below when I had to change to the pilates ball. Jessica said this was a steady state cardio workout and overall, I found that to be true, even with the 6 pound medicine ball. But the 6 pound medicine ball increased the intensity enough to make the workout worth my while.
Cardio Ball Ballet is 48 minutes long; 4:30 minute stretch (not sure where the warm up ended). Jessica used a pilates ball (soft, very light ball about the size of a volley ball) and I used a 6 pound medicine ball w/ handles and a pilates ball. You hold the ball throughout this workout, never putting it down except during the stretch, so if I note “pilates ball” below, that means I swapped out the 6 pound medicine ball with the pilates ball for that exercise. I used the medicine ball for everything else.
- Plie variations; changes to lunging side to side w/ figure 8 arms; changes to pulsing lunge while pushing arm/ball forward; changes to tapping ball to top of thigh then reaching it overhead while lifting back leg off floor (arabesque); repeat lunge/arabesque series on other leg; return to figure 8 side to side lunges
- Plie pulse 3x then slide legs together reaching ball overhead then step out to plie on other side and pulse 3x; keep alternating sides, raising ball overhead when sliding foot in to standing; changes to singles (no pulsing)
- Pulsing curtsy lunges w/ pulsing plies; changes to singles
- Turn to side and shift forward and back, lifting front leg when shifting back and raise back leg when shifting front
- Plie pulses in first position (heels together, toes turned out); changes one plie pulse then step one foot in front of the other, alternate legs (lift ball overhead during plie and lower to hip during step); changes to plie pulses while raising and lowering heels
- Alternate lifting legs to side while raising and lowering ball to side on one hand (repeat this with ball in other hand) (pilates ball)
- Alternate raising knees, tapping toe to inside of other leg while raising ball overhead; changes to semi-split squat doing woodchops w/ knee raise; changes to fast knee pulls bringing ball from overhead to knee; repeat everything except on other leg
- Grapevine; add 3 passe lifts (a knee lift bringing toe to inside of opposite thigh) to side each time you grapevine to the side
- Step tap side to to side, lifting ball out to side of body and passing from hand to hand; changes to chasse (pilates ball)
- Tendus (in first position, tap toe out to side while raising ball overhead; alternate legs); changes to degages (raise the leg rather than tapping the toes)
- Wide plie pulses; reach ball down toward one foot then the other foot (other arm reaches to ceiling), alternate sides
- Pulsing lunge while reaching ball out and in; add shifting forward and raising back leg while still reaching ball out with each lift (pilates ball)
- Repeat #11
- Repeat #5
- Shift weight to one leg, other leg extended straight to side, toe on ground and arm raised overhead while holding ball, raise knee and tap elbow to knee (oblique work); pivot to side so you are in semi-split squat with both hands holding ball in front of you and do a rounded crunch while bringing in one knee and lowering ball to shin (balance move); repeat on other leg
- Wide plie squats while reaching ball overhead and to side (an active stretch) (pilates ball)
For more info on JessicaSmithTV and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
