Omniball: Everything You Need to Know About the Exercise Ball

Today I want to talk to you about a product known as the Omniball.

Marketed as a home fitness tool that can enhance your workouts, improve your mobility, and even help with physical therapy, it looks to be a versatile product with wide ranging benefits.

With so many products on the market making similarly wild claims, it can often be difficult to judge just how effective something like this is. That’s why I want to give you a more in-depth run down of the Omniball.

I will show you exactly what the Omniball is, how it works, what the benefits are, and even a few additional details about the product.

This should give you all the information you need to make an educated decision on whether or not it is the right product for you.

What Is The Omniball?

The Omniball is a set of omnidirectional rolling weights that are available in both 2- and 4-pound options.

They were designed by Aileen Sheron with the initial aim of being a therapy tool to help with problems in the shoulders and knees.

However, she quickly discovered they can be equally beneficial for core strength training, as well as adding variety to other workout routines.

They can be strapped to both the hands and the feet, meaning you can use them to train the entire body.

A multi-functional piece of equipment, it can act as a free weight and increase resistance on your limbs, or be used to roll on the ground, creating various unique exercises. This allows users to adapt any number of exercises, to develop core strength, stability, and functional strength.

They are also an excellent addition to full body workouts, bodyweight workouts, calisthenics, and yoga routines.

Product Information

The Omniball is roughly the size of a softball and features high-quality, durable Velcro straps, to attach it to either the hands or the feet.

With a sturdy and solid build, it is capable of supporting large loads, making it suitable for users of all shapes and sizes.

Its ability to be attached to any limb and featuring a 360° Omnidirectional rolling system means it can be used to train almost every muscle in the body, no matter how big or small they are.

Capable of creating instability, challenging balance, and adding resistance, the Omniball can be used for a variety of workouts, from resistance training to yoga. Being reliable and incredibly easy to use, it is suitable for everyone, from beginners to experienced fitness enthusiasts.

It’s also a great choice for those dealing with an injury.

It has a great therapeutic range of motion to work with the shoulders, elbows, knees, and hips, while also being able to be used like a foam roller to stimulate myofascial release. 

You can use the Omniball on almost any surface, including carpet, rubber gym floors, hardwood, or linoleum. However, it is recommended you don’t use it on hard, rough surfaces, such as concrete, as this could damage the product.

Omniball is available for $79.99 plus postage, regardless of whether you choose the 2-pound or 4-pound version.

Pros

• Well-suited for home exercise
• Easy to transport and store
• Wonderful addition to bodyweight exercises
• Simple to use
• Great for mobility training
• Instability recruits additional muscle fibres, making exercises more effective
• Good addition to yoga routines
• Can be used to both develop muscle and rehabilitate muscles and joints
• Durable
• High quality build and materials
• Can be used on a variety of surfaces

Cons

• Expensive
• Should include more instructional material
• ·ard to obtain outside of the U.S
• Limited range of weights

User Reviews:

Does Omniball Really Work?

The Omniball is a great addition to bodyweight and home workouts.

It is especially effective for core training, stability training, mobility training, and flexibility training, as well as for physical therapy.

If used as a free weight, it can also be a great supplemental tool for those who prefer to use light weights.

Meanwhile, it has the ability to greatly increase the options and positions available during yoga routines, especially for more experienced practitioners.

What Are The Best Omniball Exercises?

Omniballs can be used to adapt just about any bodyweight exercise but also provide many exercises that are unique to their use.

Free-Weight Exercises

The Omniball can be used as an alternative to light dumbbells, with the added benefit that they can be strapped to your hands, as opposed to you needing to grip them.

This makes them a great choice for exercises such as:

• Chest Flys
• Bicep Curls
• Rear Flys
• Front Raises
• Lateral Raises
• Tricep Extensions
• Tricep Kickbacks
• Leg Raises
• Scissor Kicks
• Bicycle Crunches

Rolling Exercises

The rolling aspect of the Omniball is where it really comes into its own, as it can make simple bodyweight exercises far more challenging and effective.

Ab Extensions

Start on your hands and knees, with the Omniballs connected to your hands. Engage your core and roll your hands out, away from the top of your head, and extend your torso and arms.

Make sure to keep your core tense as you slowly return to the starting position.

A variation of this can be done with one arm at a time, keeping the other arm off the ground, tucked into your midsection.

You can also add a circular motion with your hands to help target shoulders. 

Inverted Chest Fly

Begin on your knees with the Omniballs attached to your hands, torso extended, and core engaged.

Roll both arms out directly to your sides, supporting the weight of your body. Squeeze your pecs as you then slowly return to the starting position.

You can do a single arm variation of this if required, keeping your other hand tucked up near your waist.

You can also add a circular motion at the bottom of the rep to stimulate other muscles in the chest and shoulders. 

Mobility Training

The omniball can be used in various mobility exercises to make them more challenging and improve the fluidity. Simply attach the Omniballs to either the hands or feet, allowing you to utilize the full range of motion in the shoulders and legs, maximising the level of mobility you achieve.

Core Training

Almost any core exercise can be adapted with an Omniball.

They can be used as weights to increase the difficulty of a range of crunch variations, as well as being used during plank type exercises, by allowing you to roll your hand placement during the plank position.

Yoga

You can incorporate the omniball into various yoga positions, flows, and workouts.

It can increase the difficulty and help to target the core and stability muscles when doing certain transitions, while also adding resistance when doing a number of poses.

Conclusion

The Omniball is a great product for adding more options to your strength and flexibility training, helping you make them more effective and enjoyable.

This is particularly true when trying to target stabiliser muscles or increase the effect of a core session. 

With similarly impressive results for physical therapy and yoga as well, it is a versatile product that a wide range of people will find incredibly beneficial.

While the cost is admittedly quite high and the product is hard to get hold of outside of the U.S, it is definitely a worthwhile purchase if you are able and willing to commit to using it.