Add a Stability Ball to your home fitness equipment!
A stability ball is an extremely useful piece of fitness equipment to own-- especially if you workout from home.
Personally, I don't use the ball at every workout. I tend to cycle swiss ball exercises in and out of my training program throughout the year.
I usually reserve the use of the ball for the stabilization training phase of my program and typically exclude them during the strength phase when I need to work with heavy weights or when I train for power-- in which case I use
medicine balls.
The other thing I should probably mention is that I use a bunch of different-sized stability balls.
Normally, when you buy an exercise ball you typically select the size of the ball based on your height. The idea is that when you sit on the ball with feet flat on the floor, your thighs should be parallel to the ground. However, I like to train using different-sized balls for different exercises.
Side Note:
To learn more about choosing the right-sized ball, about ball quality, about inflating the ball, tips for the care and storage of your ball, and other considerations-- see this stability ball section:
I'm six feet tall but I can use a 45 cm ball just like I can use a 75 cm ball depending on whether I'm prone or supine on the ball or whether my hands, chest, back, or feet act as the base of support for the exercise.
As far as my recommendation for stability balls, I don't really have a strong preference for the make of the ball so much as I do for owning one.
Naturally, if you're an older adult or if you have balancing issues you may want to carefully consider whether a ball is right for you. But for the rest of us, it's an excellent tool to add to your fitness equipment arsenal. It is compact, portable, versatile... and economical.
Ball prices vary a great deal. The price can range from about 9 bucks to 90 dollars. If you're a heavier individual, you may want to pay closer attention to 'burst rate' and choose an anti-burst ball with a higher load rate to support your body weight.
I own a bunch of different exercise balls of different makes that I've purchased over the years. One of the best physio balls, in my humble opinion, is the DuraBall Pro.
It's quite expensive but because I use it to train my private clients, I need a professional quality ball built for extensive usage that I can depend on. I also have to know it won't pop like a balloon in case it busts-- which incidentally, has never happened!
Whether you want to invest that sum of money or purchase that type of quality is of course, your decision. There are a lot of less expensive exercise balls on the market that will meet your needs.
I recommend the DuraBall Pro-- but I've selected for you a range of exercise balls that run the gamut from either side of the spectrum.
I did choose the makes I tend to prefer, and I also included a few product 'packages'-- i.e., some come with inflation pumps, instruction charts and booklets, DVDs, and even dumbbells. Some don't.
As I've said, I don't really have a strong preference for the make of the stability ball the way I might for
dumbbells
or some of the other recommendations I make. I do advise an 'anti-burst' ball in all cases however.
I think overall, it's a great piece of equipment to own and use for your home workouts!
