Guide to Stability Ball Knee Tucks: Techniques and Targeted Muscles

If you’re looking for a killer core workout that challenges your balance and gets every abdominal muscle engaged, look no further than your exercise ball. One of the best ways to use it: stability ball knee tucks — also known as a jackknife. (And once you’ve nailed this one, here are other stability ball exercises to master.)

Stability Ball Knee Tuck: Step-by-Step Instructions

Gif Example of Man Doing Stability Ball Knee Tucks | Stability Ball Knee Tucks

  • Get in a high-plank position with your hands directly underneath your shoulders and your shins on top of a stability ball.
  • Brace your core to keep your body in a straight line from head to toes. This is your starting position.
  • Engage your core and bend your knees to roll the stability ball toward your hands until only your toes are resting on the ball, keeping your hips down as you do so.
  • Pause, then slowly straighten your legs back behind you, returning to the starting position.

How to Make the Stability Ball Knee Tuck Easier

  • Reduce the range of motion of your knee tuck.
  • Use a smaller stability ball.
  • Instead of your shins, rest your knees or thighs on top of the ball to reduce the work needed from your core to stabilize the movement.

Stability Ball Knee Tuck: Muscles Worked

Stability ball knee tucks are a great way to target your abs, as well as some other key muscle groups.

Abs

core muscles | how to engage your core

The main muscles you’re working during stability ball knee tucks are your abs. This exercise targets your entire core, from your six-pack rectus abdominis to the side obliques to your underlying “corset” abs (the transverse abdominis).

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Hip flexors

Anatomical Diagram of Psoas Muscles | Stability Ball Knee Tucks

Your hip flexors, or psoas, support your abs and help to bring your knees to your chest. So if the front of your hips are feeling sore the next day, that’s totally normal.

Shoulders

shoulder deltoid anatomy | Shoulder Workouts

While you’re holding a plank position, your shoulders are stabilizing your position — and, also important, they’re keeping you from face-planting.

Pin Image of Man Doing Stability Ball Knee Tucks with OzHelp Logo | Stability Ball Knee Tucks

Lesa O'Leary
Lesa O'Leary

Lesa is a dynamic member of OzHelp’s Service Delivery Team as the Service Delivery Team Leader and Nurse. She has been with OzHelp for five years and believes in leading by example. Lesa has experience in the not-for-profit sector, as well as many roles throughout different industries and sectors, including as a contractor to the Department of Defence. She has expertise in delivering OzHelp’s health and wellbeing programs and engaging with clients in a relaxed and comfortable manner that aligns with the organisation’s vision and objectives.

Lesa has a Certificate 4 in Nursing from Wodonga Tafe, Certificate 4 in Mental Health from Open Colleges, and is currently undertaking a Certificate 4 in Training and Assessment from Tafe NSW. For the past few months Lesa has been an Education and Memberships committee member of the ACT Branch of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC).