What size of exercise ball should I use? Stability balls vs Medicine Balls vs Wall Balls vs Slam Balls

What is a stability ball? Why we should use them?

Swiss ball, physio ball, exercise ball, stability ball, yoga ball, fitness ball, workout ball, balance ball etc all those names refer to the same kind of inflatable rubber balls, made of anti-burst PVC plastic material we use for the gym, at home and office for balance and resistance training in a sitting position, lying across, or gripping the ball between our hands, legs or feet.

What size of exercise ball should I use? What size gym ball to get?

If you’re under 5’, you need a 45cm/18 inch diameter ball (small)
If you’re 5’ 1” - 5’8” tall, you need a 55cm/22 inch diameter ball (medium)
If you’re 5’ 4” - 6’ tall, you need a 65cm/26 inch diameter ball (large)
If you’re 6’or taller, you need a 75cm exercise ball (extra large)
If you’re 6’ 8” or taller, you need an 85cm exercise ball (extra, extra large)

There are larger balls with diameters of 95cm, 105cm or 120cm balls which are mostly used for specific sports training (basketball, football players, etc). The balls are designed to support weights up to 300kg.

What size stability ball for sitting at a desk?

You can use a stability ball as an office chair if you need to sit at a desk. That will be a good practice if you want to exercise in the office as well as improving your posture. The desirable sizes ranging from 55cm – 75 cm (medium to extra large, these are industry standards) ball depending on your height and the height of the desk Choose a ball that makes you sit comfortably, with your knees at a right angle and your thighs parallel to the ground.

How do you measure a stability ball?

You can measure a fitness ball or check if’s the right one for you by:

• Sitting on the ball: This is to check if you can align your upper body, knees, hips, shoulders and pelvis at the right angle and directions, and most important, you sit comfortable on it with your hips are at your knees or just slight higher (10cm/4inch).
• Check if the ball is properly inflated: it should compress about 6 inches when you sit on it.
• Using a flexible measuring tape .

What is a workout ball used for?

These balls are great for stretching, balance, resistance and core focused training

Can I use my stability ball for weight training?

Yes. There are people who use exercise ball instead of a weight bench to focus on a certain muscle groups in the abs, glutes, triceps and hamstrings.

What is a slam ball used for? Medicine Balls vs Wall Balls vs Slam Balls

Medicine ball, bouncing or nonbouncing , is around the size of a soccer ball or the diameter of the shoulders (approx. 13.7 inches) while bouncing slam ball is around the size of a basketball, made of tougher rubber material and used for throwing exercises.

Wall balls are for wall-related exercises, mostly Crossfit fore core exercises such as sit ups, throws, squats, lunges etc. Wall balls usually weight between 3- 50 pounds, they are larger and easier to catch than slam balls.

What is the difference between stability ball and medicine ball?

Medicine balls, or weighted balls contain all sorts of filler material (air, sand, plastic pellets or rice) while most physio balls are made of soft elastic material and filled with air inside. Medicine balls are around the size of a soccer ball or the diameter of the shoulders (approx. 13.7 inches), weight between 3 – 18 pounds and used for abs training.

Best Exercise balls

1. Gaiam Total Balance
2. DynaPro
3. Weider Balance Ball
4. CAP Medicine Ball
5. SPRI Elite 

Best Wall balls for Crossfit

1. Rogue MK-D Ball
2. Cap Barbell Medicine Ball
3. J-Fit Ball
4. Reebok Soft Shell
5. REP V2 Slam Ball

Best Exercise Ball for Yoga and Pilates

1. Gaiam Yoga Ball
2. Everlast Pilates Inflatable Ball
3. Theraband Pilates Ball
4. Black Mountain Stability Ball
5. Superior Fitness Yoga Ball

How to Inflate/Deflate an Exercise Ball

Use air pumps or air compressors. First, try to find where the pin (valve stem cover) is on the ball and slowly lift it out. Inflate the ball through that hole until it reaches 80% of diameter. Then remove the pump and quickly insert the pin back. To deflate the ball (for compact storage), lift the valve stem cover out and squeeze/lie on the ball to let the air out of the ball or simply let the ball deflates by itself with its pin removed.

What size exercise ball for pregnancy? What is the best size birthing ball? Birthing ball vs gym ball

Birthing ball and gym ball are made from anti-burst materials, latex free and PVC plastic material. Birthing balls help relieve back pain and labour pain as well as strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. How to choose the right birthing ball:

If you’re 5’ 1” - 5’8” tall, you need a 55cm/22 inch diameter ball (medium)

If you’re 5’ 9” - 6’ 2” tall, you need a 65cm/26 inch diameter ball (large)

If you’re 6’2 or taller, you need a 75cm exercise ball (extra large)

How to Measure an Inflated Stability Ball instruction video: