Workouts are often incomplete without the right exercising equipment. One of the key equipment that you can incorporate in your exercising routine is an exercise ball.
We’ve all seen those big colorful balls lying around in the gym or different trainers using it in videos. It seems like a fun way to exercise but in reality, it can be quite difficult to find your balance while using them. Nonetheless, they are a great way to tone your body effectively.
You might have a lot of questions such as “what size exercise ball do I need?” when it comes to exercise balls regarding their functionality, benefits, and sizes. Thus, we’ve made sure to cover every aspect of exercise balls and what size exercise ball will suit you perfectly.
Table of Contents
What Is An Exercise Ball?
Exercise balls are essentially used to tone your body, strengthen your muscles, and improve your balance. While you might find different types of exercise balls, their main goal is mainly the same.
There are different ways that you can use your exercise ball to utilize it effectively. An exercise ball often called a stability ball can be used in different environments. Let us look at the common uses of an exercise or stability ball.
- At the gym
- For physiotherapy
- At home
- For Yoga
- For Pilates
Things to Take Into Account While Choosing The Right Size Exercise Ball
Having discussed what an exercise ball is, let’s move on to how you can find the right size for yourself.
When it comes to choosing the perfect exercise ball, you need to take different things into account. You can’t just go ahead and choose any size of the ball without taking into consideration a few things.
1. Height
One of the most important things that you need to consider when choosing a ball is your height. This is primarily because you need to make sure that the ball works with your body.
If you’re too small or too big for the ball, then you are sure to find yourself short of balance. This will also result in you being more susceptible to injuries.
Thus, you need to make sure that you get the right size for your height rather than just going for any size of an exercise ball.
2. Weight
Something that most of us don’t really take into consideration is that your weight also matters while trying to find the right exercise ball.
If you’re overweight or obese, then it is better for you to for a larger ball as you’re going to be able to use it much more effectively rather than using a small exercise ball.
A small exercise will only be much harder for you to use and will result in you being unable to balance yourself properly. The same goes for an underweight person.
3. Usage
The size of your exercise also depends on what type of usage you have. Are you focusing on your upper body, lower body or your core? Are you an experienced or a beginner when it comes to exercise balls? If you are a beginner, then you should opt for slightly larger balls, whereas, if you are an experienced exercise ball user, then you will know what works for you the best.
What Size Exercise Ball Do I Need
There are varied sizes of exercise balls available for you to choose from.
Generally, you’re required to find the right size of an exercise ball based on your height as that is the best way to determine which one is best for you.
You will find different ranges present that you will need to take into account and figure out which range your height lies in to find the right size for yourself.
| Height | Ball Size |
| Below 4’8” | 45 cm |
| 4’8” to 5’3” | 55 cm |
| 5’4” to 5’10” | 65 cm |
| 5’11” to 6’4” | 75 cm |
| Above 6’4” | 85 cm |
As you can see that there is a wide distribution of ball sizes available for you to choose from and you should get the right one according to your height.
While your height is not the only deciding factor, make sure that you take your weight and usage into consideration as well.
Benefits of an Exercise Ball
This leads us to ask what benefits people get from exercising. The answer is that there is a wide range of benefits they can enjoy from working out.
You will find that an exercise ball entails many benefits and those who use it regularly can confirm that their results are extremely effective as compared to other means of exercising.
1. Improves Balance
The exercise ball is a piece of difficult equipment to master. It requires your complete focus and concentration.
Once you are using an exercise ball, you need to make sure that you don’t fall and everything you do revolves around your balance. The more time you spend using an exercise ball, the more balance you acquire.
2. Strengthens Your Core
While you’re using an exercise ball, a lot of the tension is shifted to your core as you’re required to perform exercises that focus on keeping your core tight.
Whether you’re doing crunches or planks, your core is sure to strengthen and develop much better.
3. Better Spinal Stability
Using an exercise ball can be exceptionally great for people who sit most of the time during their days.
This will result in lowered back pains and injuries while you’re exercising and will enable you to be more flexible as well!
Things to Avoid When Using an Exercise Ball
While selecting the right size for your exercise ball isn’t that big of a task, its usage is more important. You need to make sure that you’re making sure that you’re using the exercise ball the right way.
You need to make sure that you avoid all sorts of weight lifting when it comes to using an exercise ball. This is mostly because there is a risk of you losing your balance while trying to focus on lifting weights. Therefore, stay away from doing things that might put you at risk.
Final Words
Overall, incorporating an exercise ball into your routine can be done gradually.
Once you have figured out the answer to “what size exercise ball do I need“, start with small variations of exercises that work well with an exercise ball. You’re sure to see a quick difference in your body!