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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Crunches are my favorite, followed up with stretches.
Looove stability balls!!!!! They’re great!
There are many exercises I like on the stability ball. Tricep dips are pretty hard and the wall sits can be killer. The stability ball is a great way for me to change things up and make things more intense.
My favorite stability ball exercise is crunches – would love to add in some others soon too!
I don’t use them often, but I’d love to do back extensions on one.
Ball pass! Much harder than it looks.
I love stability ball push ups! They make me feel strong!
My favorite exercise is crunches on the stability ball! I also like to use it for stretching!
I love doing pushups and various other core moves using the stability ball. I really can’t decide which one’s my favourite!
I love the hamstring exercise too…my hamstrings are much weaker than my quads and consequently I am prone to pulling them. The hamstring exercise is good for balancing things out.
I like doing ab exercises with a stability ball. As I lay on my back, I hold it over my head with my legs extended. I then bring my legs to meet my arms and the ball… grasp the ball with my legs & lower it back down. I continue switching from hands to feet!
My favorite is the hamstring curl on the stability ball. These kill me every time! I love it.
I love hamstring curls and one legged hip raises. Killer.
Using the stability ball as a desk chair is one of my favorite things! Of course I get criticized by coworkers (I’m so different from the rest of the office), but I know that it’s doing great things for my body.
Jacknives with a pushup! It goes pushup, pike, pushup, pike, collapse on floor in pride 🙂
Its not really an exercise but the stretching your abs over the ball, as you mentioned above, has to be my favourite! It is so relaxing and just feels amazing! 🙂
I love doing hamstring curls, crunches and pushups. So many great exercises, its too hard to choose a fav!
I just love doing crunches and stretching. I have recently been enjoying doing push ups with it as well – makes me look more hard core than doing push ups on my knees 🙂
Great focus-on post! And the giveaway is so generous! I’m a fan of pike push ups on stability balls, actually, but also love hamstring curls – so much better than on a machine!
My favorite is ab crunches on the stability ball – love to feel that burn!
I have never used a stability ball before and would love to try it out.
I’ve recently done push-ups on these and boy, you really feel it, all over. This tool is great for people who have limited resources at home! I’ve only tried it at the gym and would love to experiment on my own.
i love doing jack knives on the ball. 🙂
My favorite is chest presses on the stability ball. For some reason I always feel like I worked so much harder than a normal chest press.
I must agree with you and say that hamstring curls are my favorite. Although I love to do crunch variations on them too!
I love the stability ball when used in pilates. Also they make crunches seem worthwhile.
I’ve actually never used one, so it’d be nice to give some of these exercises a shot!
I love doing sit-ups on the stability ball! Perfect exercise for in dorm 🙂
So I’m being for real…honestly I just want to stay on it! I used one in a class a while back at the gym and thoroughly embarrassed myself after rolling off too many times to count I called it quits! I am a runner and would love to give it a try–I need to work on my core! This time in the privacy of my home…so if I do go a rollin’ the only people there to see are my 18 month old and 3 yr old…and they don’t judge 🙂
Crunches all the way!
I like doing chest presses on a stability ball because it engages your whole body 🙂
Crunches are my favorite on a stability ball. I agree with you too Gina, that stretching your abs over a stability ball feels AWESOME! I love doing that after a set of crunches. I also like doing the back extension since I have a history of back problems, I feel good about doing something to strengthen my back even if I can’t really tell if there’s a difference (since you don’t really want to feel sore in your back like when you work your abs)
Crazy obsessed with the hamstring curl. It KILLS the next day, but totally works!!
I’ve never used a stability ball but if I had one I’d probably do crunches. They look killer! 🙂
Thanks to Bell for sponsoring this giveaway!
Chest press and oblique twists FTW!!
I love the swiss ball hamstring curl! I usually one set the normal way, and then one set holding up my left leg (so only the right one is rolling the ball back and forth), a set holding up my right leg, and then a normal set to round everything out. Love love LOVE stability balls!
i love coming back to college because they always have these kinds of things in the gym that i’m too cheap to buy! i love doing any ab work on them- so much better than crunches
I’ve never used one and am thrilled you did this post b/c I’ve been wanting to try them out. First thing I would do if I won the ball….crunches! My abs still are flabby 10 years after having my son. It’s the one thing I’d really like to get back that pregnancy messed up. The rest of me is great…well minus my rear, lol. That could use some lifting! Hey there ya go..I just gave you a post idea! What about a post on butt exercises! ;D
i used to have one, but if i was doing crunches it sometimes made me feel a little dizzy or motion sick. what on earth was i doing wrong?
It’s been awhile since I’ve used a stability ball (my community gym does not have them), but I’ve always been partial to sit ups and oblique twists!
I like to put the ball against the wall & do squats. I also really like to use it to do different ab exercises.
I love pikes! I’d forgotten about the stability ball so thank you for posting this!
hamstring curls! they hurt so good 🙂
I love them for situps, but now that i’m pregnant I really want one just for sitting on!
I love doing alternating arm-leg extensions on stability balls! Thanks for the great opportunity to win 🙂
Hello!!! I have never ventured to the ball workouts! And I know that I need to but they are scary to me!!! Plus I tried to buy one…then I realized that it did not magically turn into a ball — I had to pump it up 🙁 But now I know that I can go to a local gym — PHEW! I have this awkward pudge — and I really want to do crunches on it! And that wall exercise. I live on the top floor of my apartment complex and it is difficult for me to workout without my neighbors using their broomsticks to stop me! SOOO Bella — please choose me! Help me get in shape! I’ll get you a doggy treat! 🙂
<3
I am a big fan of using them for crunches!!!
I love doing pushups on stability balls- feel the burn!
I love doing pushups and crunches on the ball, but I’m so glad you posted more exercises. I’m in the market for a new one, too.
My favorites exercises, and the only exercises, I do on the stability ball are just simple crunches. They’re pretty much the only exercise I can feel any muscles really working when using a stability ball, something about the ball is just hard for me to work with. That’s why i’d love to win my own to get some more practice at home!