From Mens Fitness Feb 2002 issue

This could almost pass for a preschooler’s playroom. A big, shiny, inflated rubber ball rests in the middle of the floor. Beside it lie two loosely coiled rubber cables, blue and red, with handles on either end. Welcome to the home gym of the 21st century, a bouncier, stretchier kind of home gym. One that looks, feels, and yes, even smells a bit like kindergarten.


Seriously, though: “Working out with stability balls and resistance bands gets back to the playful aspect of training,” says Juan Carlos Santana, C.S.C.S. No, not the rock ’n’ roll guitar god, but the producer of the video series Essence of Stability Ball Training and Essence of Band and Pulley Training. “We perceive them as toys, which is a little weird at first for some guys. But at the end of the day, you need to be engaged by your workouts, and, for whatever reason, people enjoy using balls and bands.”


Because they’re fun, as well as cheap and super-convenient, stability balls and resistance bands are swiftly gaining popularity as an alternative, or supplement, to the standard dumbbells-and-bench setup for at-home training. The type of workout they provide is somewhat different, though. “Bands and balls are custom-made for what is called ‘functional strength training,’” says Santana. This approach is based on multijoint movements that improve the body’s ability to operate as a unit.


According to Santana, if you’re looking to build mass, bands and balls probably shouldn’t be your primary mode of training. On the other hand, if you want the lean look of a beach volleyball player or gymnast, and wouldn’t mind also being able to move like one, then, by all means, this is the home workout you want. Or, for the best of both worlds, you can always augment your traditional iron-based workouts with an at-home bands-and-balls session on days you can’t make it to the gym.

The following 30-minute total-body circuit workout was designed by Santana. It requires a standard 30-inch stability ball, fully inflated, and two resistance bands, one medium and one heavy. Warm up with some light aerobic activity, such as step-ups on your stairs, followed by two or three one-set cycles through the circuit, resting 30 seconds between sets. Cool down the same way you warmed up.


The beauty of this regimen is twofold: It allows you to build a relative amount of functional muscle, and, because it’s continuous, its aerobic features allow you to shed fat in the process. All around, a win-win workout.

Workout
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Band lunge/compound row 2 10*/20
Ball push-up 2 15-25
Ball leg curl 2 30 seconds
Alternating band pull 2 30 seconds*
Ball inverted shoulder press 2 10-15
Ball back extension 2 30 seconds
Band shrug 2 30 seconds
Band crunch 2 60 seconds

Ball and Band Training
{This link shows pictures of all the exercises}