The Best Exercise Ball for Your Back and Your Body

 Exercise balls are a dynamic, active, and fun addition to liven up your everyday workout routine. Available in various sizes and colors, and typically made from vinyl or PVC plastic, this lightweight, inflatable apparatus is mighty enough to bring a shake to all of your muscles. And yes, it's killer for your core!

So whether you're in an exercise funk, or you are looking for inspiration to spruce up your abs routine, the affordable and multifunctional exercise ball may be the answer.

Read on to get all the tips from our experts.

What Is an Exercise Ball?

Commonly known as a stability ball, this nifty piece of equipment has many uses. For example, exercise balls are becoming increasingly popular in the workspace as an ergonomic office chair, the benefit being that it forces trunk activation and optimal posture—great for counterbalancing time at your desk! And on the gym floor, it's a go-to accessory to complement almost any training style.

"It's an excellent addition for any workout program, as you can use an exercise ball to work on stability (hence the name), flexibility, strength, and balance," explains personal trainer Laura Flynn Endres. "Think of a kid’s ball you find at any playground but only bigger, made of durable material, and light enough to roll and challenge your muscle control."

What Sizes Are Available?

"Exercise balls are typically available in five different sizes, and you should select the right fit based mainly on your height," details Studio SWEAT onDemand trainer Tatiana Koval.

To measure this, Koval explains that when you are seated and upright on the exercise ball, your feet should be flat on the floor with your weight distributed evenly between them. If they fail to touch the floor, then size down. "You want your knees to be level or slightly lower than your pelvis, so if your knees are too high, then go for a size up.

Exercise Ball Workouts

Whether your goal is to obtain a rock solid core, or build up definition in the glutes, exercise balls serve as a multifunctional tool to work every part of the body.

"There are many effective exercises with an exercise ball that can slot into any workout," says Koval. For example:

• V-Sit Ups: Place your feet up on the ball and, with a neutral spine, perform a V sit-up.
• Knee Tuck: In a full plank position, place your feet on the ball and roll it back and forth to crunch at the core and complete a knee tuck.
• Classic Squat: Increase the level of difficulty by holding the exercise ball over your head as you squat up and down.
• Elevated Push-Up: Challenge your push-ups by elevating your feet on the ball in plank, which, as an added bonus, will encourage the core to work hard to keep you stabilized.
• Hip Raises: Place the heels and calves on the ball and raise the hips up to form a straight line running from your shoulders to your hips and knees. Lower the body back down with control to work the glutes and lower back. This requires balance and stability, e.g., core activation, to keep your legs from rolling off to one side.
• Dead Bug: Lying on your back, press the ball between your palms and knees before reaching away with one arm and one leg.
• Hamstring Curls: Lie face-up on the floor with your heels and calves on the ball, then bend your knees to pull the ball toward you with your heels. This will fire up your hamstrings more than you imagine. 
• Wall Sits or Wall Squats: Stand with a ball held between your lower back and a wall, step your feet forward a few inches, then squat down and up. Or, lower into a squat and hold there. This changes the focus of squats to include more posterior muscle engagement.

• Safety Considerations

  Remember, the exercise ball is designed to roll, so one of the main safety concerns is falling off. To avoid this, start off with more basic movements before attempting anything more ambitious.

  "Practice a few exercises that don't require your full weight to balance on the ball, and continue to build up your core control (and confidence) before attempting more advanced ball exercises," suggests Flynn Endres.