The truth of the matter is that there is absolutely no difference between a stability ball and a yoga ball; they are one and the same. They also are known by the names exercise ball and Swiss ball. These balls are inflatable and made of a durable plastic that can withstand the average adult to sit on them and use them in various ways for numerous different exercises. Stability balls offer a challenging variation to workout moves by providing a unstable surface that forces your muscles to work harder.
Ball Size
Stability or yoga balls come in a variety of different sizes but the three most common are 55 cm, 65 cm and 75 cm. Swiss Ball explains that you should choose the size of your yoga ball based on your height; someone shorter than 5 feet, 5 inches would use the smallest of the three balls, if you are 5-6 to 6-0 you would want to use the ball that is 65 cm and those who are taller than 6 feet should use the largest of the three balls, which is 75 cm. These guidelines can vary depending on the particular exercise that you are executing.
Ball Uses
Yoga balls are practical workout props that offer you a twist to traditional exercises. They are most known for helping to strengthen and tone your core, however they can be used when working almost every part of your body. In addition, stability balls can be beneficial to use for stretching, spine alignment, targeting specific muscle groups, improving agility, physical therapy, toys for kids and even as a desk chair.
Yoga
While you will most likely not see a yoga ball being used during a traditional yoga class, the balls can be worked into many of the yoga asanas as a prop or to make the poses more challenging. For example, a yoga ball can be beneficial when building up strength to do Downward Facing Dog or the backbend pose Full Wheel. Or it can make poses such as Half Moon, Bridge and Plank more difficult to advance your strength and endurance.
Traditional Exercises
Stability balls force you to continuously work on your core strength and balance, even when doing exercises that are targeting other muscle groups. For example, sitting on a stability ball while executing bicep curls enables you to work your biceps, abdominal, lower back and glute muscles all at once. Stability balls are also beneficial for adding a variation to traditional pushups, triceps dips, lunges, squats and back extensions.
Member Comments