Downward Facing Balance

Muscles worked

The prime mover is the gluteus maximus, which is the strongest hip extensor you have and drives the pelvis forward at the top of the movement.

Nothing travels, but holding the position is not the target muscle’s job alone: the abdominals brace the trunk so force can pass between the hips and the shoulders; the hamstrings assist hip extension and slow the knee down.

Every exercise for:GlutesAbdominalsHamstrings

How this movement works

You get into position and hold. One joint sets the angle and one muscle group takes the tension, so the load stays exactly where you put it. Hold for time, breathe normally, and come out the moment the position drifts: a shape that has quietly shifted is no longer training what you set it up to train.

It is filed under strength: produce force against resistance for a countable number of repetitions, and progress the resistance over time.

What you need

The exercise ball is an unstable base on purpose. It shortens the leverage you can hold and demands constant small corrections, so the trunk works even when the movement is aimed elsewhere.

Every exercise using:Exercise ball

These train the glutes too, using equipment this one does not:

• Flutter Kicksbench + body only
• Glute Kickbackbody only
• Hip Extension with Bandsband
• Kneeling Jump Squatbarbell
• One Legged Cable Kickbackcable

Difficulty

Listed at intermediate level. It assumes you already own the underlying pattern and can hold position under load — if the position breaks before the target muscle tires, drop back to a beginner variation until it does not.

Of the 24 glutes exercises in this database, 6 are listed at intermediate level.