Exercise balls are used in gyms and professional sports training centers and during physical therapy sessions to help people strengthen their muscles and improve their agility. The exercise ball is best known as a tool for working your core, however, in reality the balls can be used to strengthen almost every muscle in the body. The balls are inflatable and collapsible for easy transporting; most balls come equipped with a pump, which is used to fill the exercise ball with air.
Step 1
Take the exercise ball and pump out of its packaging or box. Locate the plug, which is used to close off the air hole; this may be in the hole already or it may be packaged separately. If your particular exercise ball does not come with a pump, you may use a bicycle tire pump instead.
Step 2
Unfold the exercise ball and lay it flat on the floor.
Step 3
Locate the air hole and insert the pump into the hole. Fill the ball with air.
Step 4
Stop filling the ball when it has reached your desired point. The ball will be firm, rather than squishy, and yet still has a little bit of give to it.
Step 5
Try the 90-degree angle rule to determine that the ball is the right size for you once filled; sit upright on the ball with your feet flat on the floor and see if your hips and knees are forming a 90-degree angle. Release some of the air if the ball is over inflated or add more air to increase its size. Most exercise balls allow some room for a variation.
Step 6
Bounce the ball on a hard floor; if the ball is filled with air properly it should bounce fairly easy, however, if there is not enough air it will fall flat to the floor.
Step 7
Release some of the air if the ball is too big, or alternatively, continue to fill the ball with air if it is too small.
Step 8
Check the ball 24 hours after you have filled it; the air will settle and the size of the ball may change somewhat. Adjust with more or less air as needed.
Things You'll Need
- Exercise ball
- Pump
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