Barlates: Warm & Stretch with Ball

I love Linda‘s Warm & Stretch workouts! They are perfect to combine with my Sunday yoga workouts. Lately I have been doing Classical Stretch on Sundays and I use the Warm & Stretch workouts to finish it off. I keep expecting the Warm & Stretch workouts to be lower intensity than Classical Stretch but I didn’t break a sweat during Classical Stretch (tho I did get warm). However, this workout made me start perspiring a bit. I love the two I have done so far (the other is Warm & Stretch: Standing).

Warm & Stretch with Ball is primarily dynamic stretching. Linda warms you up with more active dynamic moves using the stability ball then she takes you down to the floor where you do less intense but just as effective dynamic stretches that usually end by holding a static stretch. For some of the active moves she has you sitting on the ball and bouncing. I actually enjoyed that much more than I thought I would! This is another winner!

Warm & Stretch with Ball is 26:30 minutes; 40 second intro. Equipment: stability ball and fitness mat.

1. Stand with legs wide, holding stability ball in both hands, swing ball side to side with a toe tap to each side; changes to holding ball in front of you with straight arms and twisting ball/torso side to side while continuing the toe taps; lower body becomes more of a shallow squat tap while raising ball to side and lowering ball as you squat then raising ball to other side; squat tap deeper and do a figure 8 with the ball
2. Wide plie squats, tapping ball to floor when squatting and raising overhead when straightening legs
3. Hold ball overhead and do alternating reverse lunges, lower ball behind head each time you lunge (like a French press)
4. Side to side stationary lunges, rolling the ball from hand to hand; roll ball forward when lunging so you are also hinging forward, stretching opposite arm/shoulders
5. Stand w/ feet shoulder width apart, holding ball in both hands overhead, side bend side to side; changes to hinging forward on a diagonal, alternate sides
6. Stand with legs wider than hip width, ball on floor in front of you and hands on ball, roll ball away from you while hinging forward at waist and keeping legs straight then roll ball back to start; continue this movement but roll ball to side/on a diagonal
7. Sit on ball and bounce bottom on it; add jumping jack arms; continue bouncing on ball, but add alternating heel digs to the front and swing arms forward and back
8. Still sitting on ball but no longer bouncing, raise both arms overhead while straightening one leg with heel on ground in front of you, hinge torso forward, reaching hands to floor on either side of foot, raise arms overhead while bringing foot back to start, alternate legs
9. Still sitting on ball, open legs wide, knees bent and feet on ground, hands on side of ball between thighs, bounce bottom on ball 3x then raise bottom off ball, hinging forward and straightening legs
10. Still sitting on ball but no longer bouncing, straighten one leg with heel on ground in front of you, hinge torso forward, reaching hands to floor on either side of foot and hold stretch; point and flex toe
11. Still seated on ball, extend one leg out straight to side, hinge forward and place one hand on floor and hold stretch
12. Sit on floor, legs extended out straight in a wide V, bend one knee and bring sole of foot close to opposite inner thigh, hold ball in both hands overhead and do a deep side bends side to side, touching ball to floor on side that leg is extended straight; changes to hinging forward, reaching ball toward toe of straight leg then raising ball overhead as spine straightens; roll ball away straight in front of you, both hands on ball and torso hinged forward, head hanging between arms, hold stretch for a few seconds then roll back in
13. Lay on ball (stomach on ball) and hang body over ball, elbows on mat, hold this stretch; put toes and hands on ground and arch torso up (cobra stretch)–alternate between these two stretches
14. Lay sideways on ball, bottom hand on ground and top arm reaching overhead and to the side, and let body hang relaxed in this position; roll down so bottom is on the ground, then roll back into relaxed stretching position–continue rolling in and out of the stretch
15. Sit on bottom and place one straight leg against ball with toe pointed to ceiling, hands are on ground behind you, push chest in toward thigh to stretch hamstring; bend knee so outside of calf is against ball and again, push chest toward leg
16. Position ball against something solid, lay on back and place feet on ball, soles of feet together, knees bent and open in a butterfly stretch, lift hips high up off the floor and hold
17. Still laying on back, legs extended straight with calves resting on ball, lift hips high off floor and hold
18. Still laying on back, bend knees (ball is under heels), rolling ball in and roll hips/ball side to side

For more info on Barlates and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.