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Exercise guide

Hug A Ball

How to do the Hug A Ball with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.

IsolationExercise BallBeginnerStatic
Primary muscles

Lower Back

Secondary

Calves, Glutes

Equipment

Exercise Ball

Step by step

How to do the Hug A Ball

  1. 1

    Seat yourself on the floor.

  2. 2

    Straddle an exercise ball between both legs and lower your hips down toward the floor.

  3. 3

    Hug your arms around the ball to support your body. Adjust your legs so that your feet are flat on the floor and your knees line up over your ankles. Keep a good grip on the ball so it doesn't roll away from you and send you back onto your buttocks.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every Hug A Ball set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap — so your lower back volume is visible at a glance — and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.

Related

More lower back exercises

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