Some days go by quickly, and before you know it, your workout is put off. The good news is that you can do one simple move at almost any time. You only need a wall, a ball, and your own body weight to do it, so it’s easy to fit into a busy schedule.
This exercise helps you get stronger in your lower body and makes it easier to move around. It naturally encourages thoracic mobility through the upper body and improves overall muscle stability because you have to control the ball as you move. For the best results, keep your core engaged and your torso straight the whole time you do the movement.
Use a Pilates ball or Swiss ball if you can get your hands on one. If not, a tennis ball or something like it will work just as well.
How to Do the Wall-Ball Prisoner Squat
The wall-ball prisoner squat works your whole body and makes your legs, glutes, and core stronger. When you put your hands behind your head, your body has to stay tall while you squat. This makes your upper body work harder because your shoulder blades pull back and your chest opens up. This variation may be harder for people who have trouble moving around than a regular bodyweight squat.
Putting the ball behind your back makes it even harder. You need to keep the ball steady against the wall so that it can roll smoothly up and down your spine as you squat and stand. You need to stay aware of where the ball is during the movement, which improves the mind-muscle connection.
Why This Exercise Works
This exercise is good because it builds functional strength, keeps the core engaged, and helps with mobility and stability all at the same time. The rolling ball also gives the spine and surrounding muscles a gentle massage, which can feel great after sitting for a long time.
This exercise only takes a few minutes, but it gets your muscles moving and helps blood rich in oxygen flow through your body. This helps keep your joints healthy and your posture straight. Because it’s a compound exercise, it works several muscles and joints at once, which makes it a good way to improve balance and coordination.
How to Do the Movement
At first, you might want to keep your arms at your sides. Once you feel stable and sure of the movement, move your hands behind your head.
- Put your back against a wall and your feet about hip- or shoulder-width apart.
- Put the ball on your lower back, right above your glutes.
- Put your hands behind your head and pull your shoulder blades together to open your chest.
- Bend your knees and lower your body into a squat while keeping your chest straight and your core engaged. As the ball rolls, press your back lightly against it.
- Keep the ball from slipping. Stop for a second at the bottom, where the ball will sit higher on your back.
- Press down with your feet to get back up, and guide the ball as you do.
You can do this exercise for a few minutes in a row, take a break, and then do it again for two to three rounds. You could also do three to four sets of six to twelve reps each. When you’re ready, try lifting your heels and standing on the balls of your feet to work your calves and quadriceps even more, like in a high-heeled squat.
This one simple movement every day can help you get stronger, more stable, and more mobile with very little equipment.
