Focus On: Stability Balls
We’ve already talked about medicine balls and resistance bands, so today I thought it would be fun to focus on another gym staple: stability balls.
They look so nice and innocent, huh?
Not only are they inexpensive and easy to find, but you can get in a killer total-body workout, particularly challenging your core, using one of these things.
So what is a stability ball aka balance ball, fitness ball, Swiss ball, birth ball (!), physioball and sports ball?
It’s a large elastic ball, filled with air, and the size can vary (more on that in a second). The major benefit of using a ball is that it challenges core muscles to keep your body stabilized, and is a great way to add extra resistance to exercises without being too heavy. Many people use stability balls in lieu of desk chairs to challenge their back and abdominals, and the ball can also be used in the labor process. The ball can be used to modify traditional strength training moves and also as a stretching tool (arching your back over a stability ball to stretch your abs is one of the most glorious feelings ever).
Does size matter?
For the most part, yes. The most common sizes are 55, 65 and 75cm, and here is a general sizing chart*:
4’11” to 5’3”: 55cm
5’4” to 5’10”: 65cm
5’11” and up: 75cm
What are some exercises I can do with an exercise ball?
Here are some of my favorites for a total-body workout. As always, check with a doc before making any fitness changes, honor your body and your injuries.
If you’d like to complete these moves as a circuit, try for 2-3 total sets of 12-15 reps for each exercise.
Chest, triceps, shoulders: Push-ups
Tip: the closer the ball is to your thighs, the easier the exercise will be. Want to challenge yourself? Add in a pike. Push-up, pike, push-up, pike. Whew!
Back: Back extension
More challenging: add a gentle twist at the top of the motion. Hands are on your head (like you’re doing a crunch), come up and twist to one side. Lower and repeat.
Biceps: Preacher curl
Hamstrings: Hamstring curl. My all-time favorite stability ball exercise
Abs: Ball pass
Don’t speed through this exercise- take long deep breaths and count and you raise the ball and lower it.
Oblique twist:
Quads: Split squat
Tip: Watch your front knee and make sure it doesn’t extend past your toes. Need help with balance? Hold onto a wall, weight training bench or ballet bar.
Calves: Wall calf raise
Fire it up: Add weights (like pic above), or try one leg at a time
How often do you use stability balls in your training? It’s an excellent tool to have in your home gym to add in a couple of workout moves (or bounce around for fun), whenever you’d like.
Want one of your own?
Leave a comment with your favorite stability ball exercise, and a lucky reader will win a Go Fit stability ball in their preferred size. (You’ll need a hand pump or something to pump it up- a local gym will do this for you, too)
I’ll announce the winner around midnight EST tonight.
[This giveaway was sponsored by Bella. She’s so generous]
xoxo
Gina
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I love crunches and oblique twists!
I love doing push ups on them. I don’t have one at home and I would LOVE it!
Its just so nice of Bella to sponsor this! She really must be in the Christmas spirit! 😉
I’m really glad you posted this, I really didn’t know how versatile you could make the stability ball. My favorite excercise thus far has always been the ab workouts.
I’m a fan of the simple yet killer crunch on the ball. I also love the push up but have yet to master it!!
I just discovered your blog a few weeks ago and I’m hooked! Thanks for all your great tips & advice. I just had my first baby (girl too!) in July and I’ve been referencing your blog for some good post-baby work outs! Thanks for the stability ball exercises…and they work great too for sitting on and bouncing a baby!! They give the affect that you are walking around to the baby while you’re actually sitting. I have yet to get one for our house.
I love using stability balls for core work. I can do half the amount I would have done on the floor and feel twice the burn. Love it!
My favorite exercise with a stability ball is also my most dreaded one….the ball pass!! It’s pretty hard for me to do but I feel like i’m getting such a good ab workout while doing it!
It seems to be what many love, but my favs are ab roll outs and jack knives on the ball! Love the way they work plus love the lower back stretch you get on the “roll in” part of roll outs. 🙂 Thanks for the give away Bella! Sammie (my pup) would prefer you didn’t pick me because she was afraid of the big ball I used to have and was happy when it got a hole…wait a minute…*how* did it get that hole? Sammie! (Just kidding) She’ll get used to a new one if I win 🙂
I love doing pikes and tuck and twists for my core!
I love push ups and hamstring curls. 🙂 I’m interested in using one to labor!
I just like doing regular old crunches on the ball!
I definitely love doing hamstring curls on the ball! Also, sometimes I just use my ball as a chair in my office, since I heard it’s supposed to help strengthen your core?
I love doing pushup to reverse crunches with the SB, hit the arms and core all at the same time!!
I love, love, love pushups on a stability ball. I also love using it as a chair to work on my posture (something I constantly need to work on!). Thanks to Bella for thinking of us and for being so generous!
I loved doing ab exercises with my old ball. Transferring from hands to feet and back again was a great challenge for me. Unfortunately, my cats also loved my stability ball (they managed to get into the office where I used it) and had a field day with it. That was two years ago. I haven’t had my own ball since.
The one I like (I don’t know the name for it) has you lying prone, w/ the stability ball being held between your ankles. Then you do a straight-leg reverse crunch w/ the ball–works legs, abs, inner thighs, etc.
Thanks to Bella for your lovely generosity! 😉
I think I don’t mean prone, but supine…oops!
My favorite exercise has got to be the burn I achieve from attempting to stay on the ball without falling off. 🙂
I do regular crunches on a stability ball at the gym, but I would love to have one to sit on when I’m working from home!
I actually love the split squat!
WoW! I had no idea you could do so many different things on the ball! I love to do my ab work on the ball, as well as the ab stretch that you described~!
I’ve only ever done crunches on the ball! 🙂
I looooovvveee plank knee tucks on the ball… it hurts so good!
I like using them for crunches, SO much better than doing them on the floor! Although, when I was in middle school my Mom had a stability ball, and I loved to do a running jump on it and fly off in some crazy direction. I’m sure I drove her crazy!
I love (and hate!) the hamstring curl!! But I really want to try the preacher curl. Never thought of that exercise!!
I love the ball pass, took me a while to be able to do it smoothly!
I really like crunches on the ball.
Oblique crunches!
Aw, Bella is so nice to us! I love doing the ab ball pass – it makes it more of a game for me.
I love any an exercises on the stability ball! They hurt so good 🙂 haha. I also might love sitting on the ball and bouncing up and down, but who knows?
That is supposed to say ab not an. Silly autocorrect!
My favorite exercises with a stability ball are the hamstring curl and the ball pass. I used to do them all the time, but got out of the habit. This post has inspired me to get back to doing these regularly! 🙂
Wall sits! You place the stability ball behind you on your back (between you and the wall) and roll down to squatting position. It’s fun to challenge yourself and see how long you can squat/sit at the wall for.
I love to crunches or other ab workouts on the stability ball, like the one you posted a video of 🙂
I like sitting on the ball while I watch tv! Does that count as a stability exercise? hehe
hammie curls! they are killers!!!
Honestly, I love EVERYTHING on the ball 🙂 It’s my favorite way to work out… I’ve been meaning to get one. But if I had to narrow it down it would be crunches and oblique twists. The stability ball is such a great way to target your core!! Best feeling everrr, almost.
I love the hamstring curl/bridges combo, as well as jack knives the most. They are both killer for me, especially one leg hamstring curl/bridge combos! Good stuff.
I love stability ball exercises 🙂 My favourite exercise is probably crunches and pushups
I JUST USED A STABILITY BALL THIS MORNING AT THE GYM AND DID PUSH UP AND TRICEP DIPS AND WALL SQUATS TOO. WHAT A GREAT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT AND INEXPENSIVE TOO.
I use them almost every time I lift or do ab work.
I love doing pikes and hamstring curls with the stability ball. This is such a great piece of equipment!
I love the ball pass move!!!
I’m working on perfecting the pike, it’s tough but I love it!
I knew you could get a full body workout using a stability ball, but never looked into how! I have just tried a bunch of different things with them! My favorite exercise using something close id the BOSU ball (half ball) standing and doing squats on the flat side, trying to stay up!
I haven’t used one in the gym before but am excited to try one out. For now, I guess my favorite exercise with one would be the “sit on it while at a desk”. 🙂 bounce! bounce!
I’d love a stability ball! I’ve been wanting one for awhile but have never gotten around to buying one. I think that it would be hard to store it. Any suggestions on storing a stability ball without being such an eye sore?
I love the ball pass. It hurts so good!
I recently took a core class at my gym and it featured a lot of stability ball exercises. I was in pain for literally a week. I guess that means it was effective?
I’ve actually never used a stability ball before, and never knew there were so many uses for it! I would probably do the ab video you showed though 😀
Love love love doing back extensions with the stability ball! I hated doing them on the regular thing at the gym and it is usually not at the right height for me (I know you can move it, but I can’t). I was saved once I learned from The Fitnessista that you could do them on the stability ball!
i actually just did a whole workout with a stability ball yesterday…they’re awesome! i like balls passes (they always make me sore), single leg hamstring curls are brutal, and i also like doing chest presses or overhead presses on the SB..makes them harder! pushups are rough too haha basically anything
I’ve got scoliosis, and so the first time I ever used a stability ball was at the physical therapist when I was in my early teens. Stability ball planks- they hurt so good!