Exercise balls are found in weight rooms, exercise classes, yoga and Pilates studios, physical therapy centers and can also be used at home. They are a great addition to an exercise program and can add variety to an existing routine. However, to get the most benefit it is important to inflate the ball to the proper pressure, which will in part be determined by what exercise is being done using the ball.
Identification
Exercise balls can provide a full body workout and are even being used at home and in schools and offices as chairs, to help encourage good working posture. They can be bounced on in order to get a cardiovascular workout, lain on to do crunches and used in a variety of positions on the floor and against the wall to strengthen the legs, back and abdominals. To get the most out of using an exercise ball, it is important to use the right size and inflate it correctly.
Using the Ball as an Office Chair
While much more research is needed, for some patients with back pain, sitting on an exercise ball instead of an office chair may help to ease back pain, states the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The first step is to make sure the ball is the right size. While sitting on the ball, the hips should be at the same height as the knees, or even a little higher than the knees, and the feet should be able to rest flat on the floor.
Since there are so many causes of back pain, there is no one standard rule as to how firm the ball should be. For some, inflating the ball so that there is very little give provides a firm seat, that helps to ease back pain. For others, keeping the ball a little softer makes the back feel better.
More important, the ball should not be too small or so soft that the knees are below the hips when sitting. At this point the back will curve and it will be too difficult to maintain good posture. The best bet is to experiment to find the right fit and only sit on the ball for short periods at a time, until the body adapts.
Exercises Seated on the Ball
While sitting on the ball it is possible to do a variety of exercises. Bouncing while seated helps to elevate the heart rate, trying to have just one foot on the ground while seated improves balance, the ball can be used in place of a chair or bench to do upper body exercises with weights and it can be lain on to target the abdominals and obliques.
The ball should be high enough that the hips are level with or higher than the knees. If the ball is too low it will place too much pressure on the knee joints. In regards to how hard to inflate the ball, the American Council on Exercise, states that the more air pressure the ball has, the harder the exercise is to do. The more air there is in the ball, the rounder and less stable it is, making the exercise more challenging. Beginners may want to start with a softer ball and then add air pressure as the muscles get stronger and balance improves.
Floor Exercises
There are hundreds of exercises that can be done on the floor with an exercise ball to strengthen the major muscle groups. Some of the more difficult ones such as placing the feet on the ball and doing push ups, getting on all fours over the ball and lifting the arms and legs and back extensions, may require the use of a smaller ball until strength improves.
As with the seated exercises, the more air there is in the ball the more challenging the exercise will be claims the Mayo Clinic. However, most floor exercises require a softer ball for both difficulty and comfort. If there is too much pressure in the ball it will be too hard to hold between the legs or arms when exercising. There should be some give so the ball can be gripped.
Solution
There is no one ball pressure that is right for every person or every exercise. The size of the ball is actually more important than the pressure, in terms of preventing injuries. There will be a period of trial and error to find the right pressure. It may be necessary to change the pressure based on the exercise being done, or to have two exercise balls that are sized and inflated differently.
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