Okay, two questions:

1/ I have access to sets of 3lb, 5lb, and 10lb dumbbells; a 'balance ball'; and my own bodyweight. What's the best way to make a decent at-home strength workout? Everything I've tried doesn't really feel like I'm doing anything, and I don't want to waste my time. I'm mostly concerned with upper body and core.

2/ This is kinda gross, but whenever I do pushups, when I go towards the floor my back fat/skin is pushed together (I guess...?) by my shoulder blades and it hurts! Any way to change this, or should I just wait until I'm smaller to be doing pushups?

Take a look at the "stickied" threads at the top of LWL area. Lots of advice on exercises and free weights. Plus Krista's site http://www.stumptuous.com/ has lots of good info and includes an area for doing things at home.

I can't do pushups at all, except on the wall, so can't help you there, but I see lots of gals heavier than you do pushups.....

Good luck with working out.

WaterRat beat me to the punch with the URL.

Krista has a links for workout programs that involve using your body weight and dumb bells.

Yup, that's what I was going to say too.

My PT had me start pushups off the wall and then gradually lower what I was leaning against. For example, a kitchen counter, table, chair, etc. You can also roll out on your ball and do push ups from their (hip's or knees'on the ball and hand's on floor as you get stronger the farther out you roll until you have your toes on the ball) My knees hurt if I try to do push ups on them on the floor but having the ball under my knees are very doable.

Also, take a trip to a book store and look at some of their books on using your ball, there are a LOT of things you can do with it. A really good one for your abs is to sit on the ball, put you hands on your hips and lean back about 45 degrees and hold for 15 counts. The PT I had knew I had a swiss ball at home and was very good about introducing me to some very fun, challenging moves using it. You can lay on the floor with your ball in your hands bring the ball up and pass it to your feet and lower your feet almost to the floor, come back up to a pike position and return the fall to your hands.

For back extensions put the ball under your hips, brace your feet against a wall and hands across your chest and lower your chest towards the floor and then raise back up.

The most important thing he taught me was to go to some of these nice book stores and pull out some exercise books and review them to get new ideas of what you would like to try out next.

Most important, have fun doing it.

Kashi,
Unless dumbell overhead presses and benchpresses (maybe on the stability ball) with your 10# weights are really too easy for you, I would focus on those first as better means of building your pressing strength initially then the assisted push-ups. Push-ups are very hard if you are heavy, but get alot easier the stronger and lighter you become. I am still heavy enough that 20 push-ups is a near death experience, but I am sure that will be banging out sets of 50 when I get down to 240#. For me a pushup is about equal to a benchpress with 2/3 bodyweight, so a regulation push up is a very lofty goal at your current weight, although it should be realtively easy at your goal weight.

Sounds like a form issue caused by the pushup being too hard for you. Don't sag on the way down, but keep everything tight and you shouldn't have any pinching, if I understand the problem. Don't try to shorten the ROM by pushing your chest forward.



Robert

Here are some links I used to get some ideas.....
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art30923.asp
http://www.karlaadams.com/StabilityBall_01.htm
http://www.shape.com/workouts/91?page=1
http://exercise.about.com/cs/abs/l/bl_ball.htm
If you do a yahoo or google search for "stability ball workout", there are bunches more for when u want something new to try.