Legs · Stability Ball
Balloon Drill
How to do the balloon drill, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Stability Ball
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Isometric
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back and hold a stability ball between your knees or ankles with your legs raised. Squeeze the ball steadily as if keeping a balloon from dropping, holding your legs up while you brace your core. Keep your lower back pressed into the floor throughout.
- 1Feel your inner thighs squeeze hard to grip the ball
- 2Keep your lower back flat and your core braced
- 3Hold steady tension rather than letting the legs drift
Common mistakes
- Do not let your lower back arch off the floor
- Avoid holding your breath; keep breathing as you squeeze
- Do not let the ball slip or your knees fall open
Muscles worked
The balloon drill mainly works the adductors and lower abs, with the hip flexors, upper abs, obliques, quads, and hamstrings assisting.
- AdductorsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- GlutesMinor
Kovo programs the balloon drill for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More hips & adductors exercises
- How to do the butterfly stretch
- How to do the external rotation
- How to do the cable hip adduction
- How to do the internal rotation
- How to do the cobra pose
- How to do the core scrunch
Last reviewed June 2026.