There are many different uses for a swiss ball when it comes to fitness. Most commonly a swiss ball is used for abdominal work as it helps to increase the core muscle activation. When using a swiss ball for this reason, you'll want to be sure to be far enough off the edge of it that you can work your lower abs as well.

Probably the top mistake that users make when performing this type of exercise is only really crunching up from the top portion of their abdominal core and thus only really seeing half the benefits.

Consider having all of your upper back rest off the edge so that you really must work the muscles hard in order to keep from both leaning back too far and crunching in the upward direction.

To add a different challenge to your ab routine, another thing you could do is put it between your legs, down by your ankles, and then raising and lowering the legs up and down while laying flat on your back on a padded mat.

Make sure when doing this exercise that you don't let your lower back come up off the floor however as this could put you at risk for a great deal of back pain later on.

So if you are looking to add some variety to your ab workouts, consider using this valuable piece of equipment.