Exercise Ball Pull-In

Execution

1. Straighten your arms so your body forms one line from your head to your ankles resting on the ball.
2. Brace your belly and squeeze your glutes so the hips do not sag before you move.
3. Exhale and pull both knees toward your chest, letting the ball roll forward under your shins.
4. Keep the back flat throughout; only the hips fold, not the lower back.
5. Pause a beat with the knees tucked, hips a little higher than the shoulders.
6. Inhale and extend the legs back out slowly, rolling the ball back to the starting line.

Quick cues

• Keep the back flat as a board.
• Fold at the hips, not the spine.
• Roll the ball smooth, no jerking.
• Shoulders stacked over wrists.
• Fold like closing a jackknife.

Common faults

• Fault: The hips sagging toward the floor as the legs extend out

  Fix: Shorten the range and skip the full extension until the abs can hold the line.

• Fault: The hips piking too high in the air on the pull-in

  Fix: Stop the knees at hip height instead of driving them higher.

• Fault: The ball squirting out sideways

  Fix: Keep the ankles together and pull straight back through the midline.

• Fault: Rushing the tempo so the ball bounces

  Fix: Count 2 seconds in and 2 seconds out on every rep.