Stability balls challenge your core muscles to keep your body steady against the ball’s inherent instability. Once used primarily in physical therapy clinics, stability balls have become widely popular as aids for sports training and general fitness.
Stability balls are ideal for a variety of bodyweight resistance exercises, including push-ups, crunches and planks. You can also use a stability ball as a weight bench for strength training, further challenging your core to keep you steady as you lift weights on the unstable base.
Step 1
Select a burst-proof stability ball. Check the ball’s burst-proof weight limit, which should be clearly labeled on both the ball and its packaging. It should be able to support not just your weight but any additional weights you use for strength training, too.
Step 2
Sit down on the ball, feet planted on the floor. If the ball is the right size for you, both your hips and knees should be bent at a 90-degree angle. If the ball is properly inflated, it should compress about six inches under your weight. Select a different ball, or re-inflate the ball you’ve chosen, as necessary, until you have one that is the correctly sized and properly inflated.
Step 3
Stand up, select the dumbbells or barbells you intend to use, and take them back to the ball. You can also use stability balls as a base for cable pulley exercises, if there’s enough room to position the ball where you would otherwise stand, sit or lie while using the pulley.
Step 4
Keep the weights close to your body as you sit down on the ball. If the exercise requires you to lie on the ball, sit first, then slowly walk your feet forward, laying back until the ball supports the appropriate part of your body, usually your upper shoulders. The wider apart you place your feet, whether sitting or lying on the ball, the easier it will be to balance.
Step 5
Perform the exercise or exercises. Focus on squeezing your core muscles to stabilize your body on the ball. Exhale as you lift the weight; inhale as you lower it. According to MayoClinic.com, one set of 12 repetitions for each exercise should be enough to build strength for most exercisers.
Step 6
Keep the weights close to your body as you sit up, if you were lying down, then stand up.
Tips and Warnings
- If you feel like the ball will roll out from under you as you sit or lie down on it, ask a friend to hold the ball steady while you get into position. If a burst-proof ball is punctured it will deflate slowly instead of bursting suddenly. This gives you a chance to get up off the ball safely, instead of suddenly falling to the ground along with whatever weights you were using.
Things You'll Need
- Stability ball
- Dumbbells or barbell
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