Working out with an exercise ball improves your core muscle stability, endurance and balance. This piece of fitness equipment has many names including fitness ball, Swiss ball and stability ball. Developed in Italy in the 1960s and first used by Dr. Susanne Klein-Vogelbach in Switzerland, the exercise ball was introduced into the U.S. in 1989. Despite the popularity of the exercise ball, little scientific data exists to verify its benefits.
Not Better than Desk Chair
The exercise ball has been taken out of the gym and moved into the workplace as a desk chair alternative. Workers hope the exercise ball will improve their posture and reduce back pain caused by conventional office chairs. However, there is no significant difference in the posture of workers who sit in a conventional chair or on an exercise ball, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Teesside School of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom and reported in a 2009 issue of the journal "Scoliosis."
Not Better Than Free Weight Exercises
Working out your trunk muscles on an exercise ball is not better than performing a routine targeting the same muscles with free weights, according to a study conducted by the Neuromuscular Laboratory at Appalachian State University and reported in the January 2008 issue of the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research." The researchers found an exercise ball workout may not offer sufficient stimulation to increase muscular strength.
Selecting Proper Size
Exercise balls range in size from small to extra-extra-large. Choose the correct size ball for your body by sitting down on top of it. As explained in information from the American College of Sports Medicine, with an erect posture, the proper ball for you places your hips and knees at a 90-degree angle. Select a smaller size exercise ball when employing it as a handheld piece of fitness equipment for balance and range or motion exercises. Intensify your sit-up routine by holding a small exercise ball between your knees or ankles while performing your set.
Considerations
Using an exercise ball for fitness or rehabilitation may not be the right choice for everyone. When you use an exercise ball to relieve back pain, do not do so at the beginning phase of a back pain episode, cautions Thomas E. Hyde, D.C., from Spine-Health. A workout with an exercise ball may lead to fatigue quicker than expected due to constant use of the muscles engaged to maintain your balance. Proper inflation is required for safety. Stop executing an exercise if it causes you pain.
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