11 Pilates Ball Exercises to Target Your Core and Beyond

Pilates is a powerful exercise modality that strengthens your deepest core muscles, helping to protect your spine and improve posture and daily functioning. It’s a low-impact workout format that requires a focus on breathing patterns and engaging stabilizer muscles that are often overlooked or underutilized in other types of training. And while Pilates can be practiced with or without equipment, you’ll find that a good number of Pilates-based workouts tend to incorporate a small, squishy sphere known as a small Pilates ball.

The addition of a small Pilates ball adds interest and challenge to your everyday movements. Pilates is used to help improve balance, core stability, and even help you take some pressure off of your spine. You can also use the ball to obtain deep, relaxing stretches for your muscles after a challenging workout.

Curious about how to incorporate a small Pilates ball into your favorite Pilates exercises? Ahead, Pilates instructor Tara Gordon shares 11 Pilates ball exercises to help build stability and strength through your whole body.

Meet the Expert

Tara Gordon is a professional Pilates instructor, as well as the owner and founder of 212 Pilates in New York City.