Space M Ball

Digital Course

Let’s begin

Warm welcome to this course. Press play below ⬇︎

The material is divided into five segments;

Equipment
Exercise videos & pdf: manual
Methods for activation
Workshop expansion, super sets & finishing
Extra

Equipment

Most balls have a size between 55 to 75 cm in diameter. Changing the size of the ball can have a large effect on biomechanics in the chosen movement. With this knowledge you can adjust the intensity with helpful regressions or progressions.

The more air you have in the ball (harder) the less contact points (picture above) the ball have with the floor and this will require more postural adjustments. If you have less air in the ball (looser) you’ll access more contact with the ground and increased stability. This knowledge can be helpful if you like to create variations within a movement. If it’s too shaky/voobly to stabilise a movement you can also use a wall to increase stability.

Remember that you can always modify a movement from three perspectives;

Size of the ball
Amount of air in the ball
Extra contact points with a wall or any other object

Also beware that the texture of the floor will have an impact on the exercise. A slippery floor (little friction) will be different compare with a rubber floor (big friction). Keep the floor as clean as possible and also swipe the ball with a dry or wet cloth. For safety reasons make sure using a high-quality ball (with anti-burst) and plenty of space around you. All practice is on your own risk.

2. Exercise videos & manual

The program consists of three modules; expansion, super sets and finishing. Each segment has it’s own focus and will challenge different aspects of physical function.

The three icons (below) will help you to navigate within the material. The first one, EXPANSION, will warm-up the body and you’ll explore a dynamic movement section. The second, SUPER SETS, will challenge strength and power. The third part, FINISHING, will close the practice and you get the chance to facilitate range of motion.

EXPANSION

SUPER SETS

FINISHING

Video expansion

Video super sets

Video finishing

Video all together

Manual

All the names of each exercise can be found in your SPACE M BALL MANUAL. Download the manual here. The manual is a pdf:file. Save to you desktop or smartphone.

3. Methods for activation

In any of the content you can choose to add ISOMETRIC holds in the exercises. The isometric muscle contractions will make you build up force in the muscle without any change of range of motion. This technique can be one way of tiring out the desired area.

Depending on your individual capacity and familiarity of exercise the isometric holds can be anything from 15-45 seconds. If you can stay longer than 45 seconds I would recommend you to increase the intensity (eg load/leverage/inclination).

Most of the movements in this content will have a DYNAMIC quality. You transfer from one point to another. Remember that there’s an individual expression of movement. Your way of moving will most likely be different from my way of moving. Begin with a slow even pace and with more experience you can play with variations of speed/rhythm.

Try to think of movement as 360 degrees experience. When you express a movement most of the times you’ll move in one direction or multiple directions. At the same time you also resist movement in other directions. There will be a combination of both isometric and dynamic muscle contractions at the same time.

Eg 1: When you have the feet on the ball and hands on the floor and lift up your hips in a Pike Press you’ll transfer front and back. At the same time you resist the movement sideways (frontal plane) and rotational (transversal plane).

4a. Workshop

Expansion

The purpose of the EXPANSION segment is to warm up the body and prepare for the “Super Sets”. This is also a section to establish a body mind connection. You’ll move through a segment of dynamic warm-up drills.

Here is a good opportunity to lubricate the seven joint-complexes (feet, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, elbows and hands). The movements will aslo explore all movement directions (sagital, frontal and transversal).

MODULE A

Squat, down dog, rolling to plank and reverse down dog
Down dog to squat, feet in external rotation
Squat with lifting the ball, shoulder flexion
Squat with rolling boll sideways spine rotation side to side
Plank with single leg lift (front, side and over midline)
Plank with arm movements
Arm- ang leg lift with arm circle front/back
1/2 bow
Spinal extension, prone on ball
Lift to plank pose lower (eccentric push up) to prone on ball

MODULE B

One-legged standing, knee flexion & extension
Spinal rotation
Spinal lateral flexion
Standing leg heel rise
Standing leg dorsal flexion with knee towards the ball
Lunge sideways with diagonal reach to armlift with circumduction
Lunge back with upper body rotation with knee lift towards the ball

Repeat one-legged standing sequence

MODULE C

3-legged dog, standing leg dorsal flexion
3-legged dog with leg pull
Lunge with spinal extension
Side plank with leg support and reach side to side
Prone over ball, all limbs lift up

Repeat from other side 3-legged dog

MODULE D

Seated flexion and shoulder internal rotation
Seated extension and shoulder external rotation
Seated lateral flexion leg sideways right and left
Seated rotation side to side

4b. Workshop

Super Sets

The purpose of SUPER SETS is to challenge overall strength and power. Each “Super Set” consist of two exercises. The exercises are in contrast to each other. Load, movement direction or starting position will naturally alternate as you switch from one exercise to the other. Therefore you don’t need to rest in between the exercises. You’ll get an active recovery and this becomes time efficient aspect of your exercise program. If there’s an asymmetric movement you need to repeat the movement “on the other side” to complete 1 set.

I recommend to choose 3 to 6 Super Sets within your program. You can choose the identical level of exercise, each set, or you can change to add movement variability or increase load.

⏱ Set a timer for 30-45 sec + 10 sec!

30-45 seconds will be your working time and 10 seconds will be enough to set you up for the next exercise. You aim to go through each super set 3 times.

#1

VERTICAL LUNGE & PLANK w LEG PULL

SET 1

Vertical lunge
Repeat lunge other side
Plank with double leg pull

SET 2

Vertical lunge
Repeat lunge other side
Plank with single leg to double pull

SET 3

Vertical lunge
Repeat lunge other side
Plank with single leg to double pull

#2

KNEELING ROLL OUT & PRONE ON THE BALL

SET 1

Kneeling roll out
Rolling side to side

SET 2

Kneeling roll out + isometric hold
Scissors

SET 3

Kneeling roll out + isometric hold and dynamic movement arms in/out
Kneeling flexion/rotation side to side

#3

SIDE PLANK & SUPINE HIP LIFT

SET 1

Side plank ball between feet
Repeat side plank side
Supine hip lift rolls, hip rolls + curl

SET 2

Side plank kneeling
Repeat side plan other side
Hip lift with extended knees + side tap right and left + curl in (stay up)

SET 3

Side plank up & down + isometric hold tap front/back
Repeat side plank other side
Hip lift with curls (stay up)

#4

POWER LUNGE & FORE ARM PLANK

SET 1

Lunge sideways to one-legged standing + power
Repeat other side
Fore arm plank to inversion

SET 2

Lunge sideways and alternate sides + power
Fore plank to inversion with changing the feet

SET 3

Lunge backwards and alternate sides + power
Fore arm plank to inversion, changing feet + leg lift

#5

HIP LIFT BRIDGE & DIPS/REVERSE PLANK

SET 1

Hip lift + isometric bridge hold (variation with single leg-lift)
Dips

SET 2

Hip lift and upper body rotation
Dips + option single-leg lift

SET 3

Hip lift shift sideways
Reverse plank to hand stand prep

#6

ROLL UP & HOLLOW BODY

SET 1

Squeeze to roll up
Ball to hands (roll up) and curl in

SET 2

Squeeze to roll up
Ball to hands (roll up) and ball to feet

SET 3

Squeeze to roll up + lower body rotation
Hollow body flips turn (ball between feet) or full flip (ball between hands)

4c. Workshop

Finishing

This is the last segment of the practice. Here’s an opportunity to unwind after the Super Sets and you can focus towards movements with larger base of support and less muscular activity. It’s also possible to insert longer holds for a stretching sensation.

MODULE A

External rotation with crossed arms to eagle arms
Eagle arms + scapula circumduction
Squat lean back + 1/2 circumduction
Wheel
Mango twist (modify and place feet to a wall)

MODULE B

Seated SLR in 3 directions; forward, side and crossed hand to leg

Seated forward fold figure-4
Straddle lunge
Lunge with cow face arms (hand to hand with external and internal rotation)
Lunge with cow face arms + spinal extension
Repeat other side

MODULE C

Lunge to sagital split with the back leg parallell, turned in or out
Active knee flexion and hip extension both hands on the floor (or on blocks), one hand to the back of the pelvis or to the front
Hand to foot with spinal rotation rolling the ball in/out
Lunge to standing

MODULE D

Kneeling roll out front
Kneeling roll out sideways
Frontal split with ball infront of the body and push down through the arms
Frontal split with lateral flexion side to side
Frontal split with rotation ball towards the front torso or overhead
Front split with rotation/forward reach side to side roll over the foot through plantar flexion and dorsal flexion
Frontal split with forward reach
Supine rest with legs on the ball; parallell, turned out/in or crossed legs