How to Use an Exercise Ball — Plus, 7 You Can Shop Now

Besides maybeeee Jane Fonda or Richard Simmons, nothing screams 1980s fitness quite like the (often fluorescent) exercise ball. While less novel than the WHOOP, Mirror, or Peloton Bike, you shouldn't snooze on the exercise ball. Typically under 30 bucks per pop, these (usually) air-filled vinyl exercise balls are an oldie but goodie — and a great addition to any at-home or in-gym exercise routine. (

"No matter your fitness goals, your exercise routine can benefit from an exercise ball," says physical therapist Grayson Wickham, D.P.T., C.S.C.S., founder of Movement Vault. You can purpose one of these balls to boost your range of motion, increase your proprioception (translation: spacial awareness) or balance, or to support your cardiovascular capacity or strength gains, explains Rebecca Kordecki, AFAA, ACE-certified personal trainer. "And, you can do it all while keeping your workouts fresh, fun, and challenging," adds Kordecki.

All that said, "exercise ball" is a pretty broad category. In most cases, exercise ball, yoga ball, stability ball, fitness ball, and physio ball all refer to the same thing: inflatable spheres. However, sometimes medicine balls (balls filled with hearty foam), slam balls (balls filled with sand), and half balance balls or Bosu balls (inflatable rubber hemispheres attached to a base) are categorized as exercise balls as well, according to experts. (

Below, your ultimate guide on how and when to use different types of exercise balls — plus, which exercise balls make the best home gym addition based on your goals.

How to Use an Exercise Ball

There are two main ways to use an exercise ball — as a tool for your workouts and in your everyday life as a chair. Yes, really! In case you haven't heard, the exercise-ball-as-a-chair phenomenon has continued to gain traction as more and more people are working far more hours than a traditional 9 to 5, and, as a result, are seeking ways to move while at work.

The theory goes that sitting on the unstable surface forces folks to engage their core and stabilize muscles in the lower back in order to stay upright while they type/dial/email, says Wickham. In fact, one 2016 study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion found that sitting on an exercise ball produces greater core activation compared to sitting in a chair with a back. Though, worth mentioning, the study also found that the ball produced no additional core activation in comparison to sitting on a backless chair. (

If you're intrigued and debating on swapping your office chair for an exercise ball, you'll want to keep a couple things in mind. First, make sure that the ball isn't too high or too low. "You want something that when your feet are flat on the floor, your knees are at a 90 degree angle," points out Wickham. If the ball is too high, your back will round forward, and if the ball is too low, it will put your neck in an uncomfortable and unsafe position. Second, make sure that baby is fully inflated. "If the ball is too soft, it's possible that you'll find yourself in an even more slumped position than you otherwise would be," adds Wickham.

How to Use an Exercise Ball During a Workout

As for how to use exercise balls for, well, exercise, start with a lighter ball and work your way up, if you need to. "With these balls, you want to aim for higher reps, less weight," says Wickham. When figuring out which ball to equip your home gym with — or use at your fitness studio — he recommends picking a weight you can do at least 10 reps with. (

On the other hand, if the ball is inflatable, make sure it's properly inflated. A poorly inflated ball usually equals poor form. "And as always: Listen to your body. If you're experiencing any numbness, tingling, burning, or pain, odds are you've already injured yourself or about to," he adds. The good news is that all exercise balls are pretty straightforward and hard to use wrong, according to Wickham. Still, he says, "As with any piece of equipment you need to prioritize form over the weight of the ball or 'cool factor' of the exercise." Basically, please for the love of broken bones and ER visits do not try to do a pistol squat (or any other kind of squat for that matter) on one of these balls. K?

Read on for more specific ways to add an exercise ball to your training.

Energize Your Yoga

"Using a ball with your flow can be a great energy boost," says Tara Stiles, the founder of Strala Yoga and author of Clean Mind, Clean Body (Buy It, $21, amazon.com). Here are two poses that an exercise ball toss can perk up. (Try these advanced poses to take your yoga flow to the next level.)

Chair Lift, Toss, and Twist: Stand tall, holding your exercise ball in both hands close to your center. Exhale, then bend your knees to sink into a chair pose (as if you're sitting back into one). Inhale, then come back to standing and toss your ball up. Catch the ball, and as you exhale and twist toward your right, hold the ball close. Inhale back up through the center, tossing the ball up. Catch the ball, exhale, and twist left. Alternate to do 10 reps on each side.

High Lunge, Lift, and Slide: Come into a high lunge (rear leg straight), holding an exercise ball close to your center. Inhale as you lift your hips up, and toss the ball up overhead. Catch the ball as you exhale, and sink down and bring the ball back close to your center. Inhale, shifting your weight onto your front leg and bringing your rear knee toward your chest. Exhale, and bring your lifted leg back to lunge. Do this move 10 times. Switch legs, and repeat.

Improvise a Circuit

Think of an exercise ball as basically a cardio and conditioning tool, says trainer Taylor Walker Sinning, who offers creative routines on the Fitness App. "This is a great cardio-sculpt workout you can do anytime with whatever ball you have handy — a soccer ball, a volleyball, a kickball," says Walker Sinning. She knows about keeping fitness fun because she started out teaching phys ed. "Having a ball in hand just opens your mind to finding fresh moves," she says — like these takes on high knees, push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.

1. Start with 20 toe taps, tapping your feet to the top of the exercise ball. (Drive the opposite hand to the side of your face as you go, Walker Sinning says.)
2. Do uneven push-ups, with 1 palm on the exercise ball and the other on the ground. Do 10, then switch sides and repeat.
3. Lie face-up on the ground, legs in the air for a scissor pass-through: Lower 1 leg to hover above the ground as you pass the ball behind the vertical one; switch legs, and repeat until you've done 10 passes behind each leg.
4. Finish with rainbow squats, in which you lower with the ball held by the right knee, then jump as you bring the ball overhead and land holding it by your left knee; alternate until you hit 12 reps.
5. Take a minute breather, and repeat twice.
6. Wrap up with some sprints to complete your HIIT session. "Grab your ball, and kick or throw it as far as you can," says Walker Sinning. "Then sprint to the ball, and repeat 10 times or until you hit fatigue." Done!

Do a Post-Workout Roll-Out

"Your gluteus medius is your primary hip stabilizer and works hard anytime you're standing, jumping, walking, or running," says Tiffany Cruikshank, the founder of Yoga Medicine. "This move will help release and rejuvenate these hard-working muscles and is a great way to end your workout." Note: You don't need an exercise to complete this move, but rather a tennis ball (BTW, here's what you need to know about your other butt muscles — and how to work them.)

Tennis Ball De-tightener: Lie on your right side with your elbow on the ground, then place the tennis ball just behind the right hip bone, resting the weight of the body on top of the ball. "From there, roll a little up and down or forward and backward until you find a good spot to stay with," Cruikshank says. "The only thing you want to avoid is the bone." Once you have your sweet spot, rest and stay with it for 30 to 60 seconds. Next, lift and lower that right lower leg five to 10 times. "This will help create some sheering movement between the fascial layers, which research suggests is a great way to hydrate these hard-working tissues," Cruikshank says. Switch sides, and repeat on the left. Then stand up and feel the aah. (No tennis ball in sight? Try a lacrosse ball instead!)

The Benefits of Using an Exercise Ball

The stability ball's main claim to fame is as a crunch enhancer — and for good reason. The crunch typically only works the rectus abdominis muscle (that's the six pack, mirror muscle). But by laying on an unstable exercise ball while doing crunches, all the stabilizer muscles in the midline have to get recruited. In fact, research shows that done on the ball, this classic ab exercise is nearly twice (!) as effective as it usually is. (Need more proof that core strength goes beyond six pack abs? Read this).

Many exercises done with inflatable exercise balls also help to increase activation of the midline, while helping to prevent injury to the lower back. By placing either your hands, forearms, or feet on the ball while planking or doing push-ups or mountain climbers offers the same increased midline activation, notes Wickham. Doing glute bridges or bridge holds with one or both legs on the exercise ball also strengthens your midline, while offering greater glute activation due to increased range of motion. "Because we sit so much during the day and aren't relying on our glutes to be strong, our lower back takes over which can result in lower back pain, explains Wickham. "Doing exercises that force folks to activate and strengthen their glutes can help reduce the risk of a lower back injury." (

The half balance ball (sometimes called a Dome or Bosu Ball) offers many of the same core-strengthening perks as the classic balance ball. "The beautiful thing about the Bosu Ball is it gives you instability and also has a flat base so you can put it with the ball face down and do more lower body exercises like lunges, squats, or toe taps," says Wickham. You can also do push-ups, planks, mountain climbers, and practically a million other moves. "Just don't overload yourself while doing weighted exercises on the ball and you should be fine," he adds. (

Kordecki points out that medicine balls and slam balls, in particular, are exercise balls that can be used for strength gains. Medicine ball wall balls, medicine ball cleans, medicine ball crunch, and slam ball slams are all perfect for resistance exercises, she says. The perks of using these include better strength, increased muscle mass, and decreased body fat, and faster metabolism, to name just a few. (

Which Type of Exercise Ball Should You Buy?

With so many different types of exercise balls on the market, it can be overwhelming when it comes time to choose. The answer depends on what kind of exercises you want to be able to use it for. To help you out, here are the best exercise balls based on size, weight, shape, and function. And as you shop, keep in mind two general rules of thumb: The heavier the ball is, the harder the workout will be, and the smaller the ball is, the harder the workout will be. Happy shopping!

Best Balance Ball: Trideer Exercise Ball

Considering Amazon is littered with naysayers, anytime a product has enough five-star reviews to cancel out the one-star haters, you know it's a quality pick. With a 4.5 rating out of nearly 6,000 reviews, the Trideer Exercise Ball is a great pick for those itching to level-up their home gym (or office). "It's one I'd recommend for anyone looking to spice up their core exercise routine," says Wickham. And you can't beat the cheap price tag.

Buy It: Trideer Exercise Ball, from $10, amazon.com

Best Half Balance Ball: Bosu Balance Trainer

Considering that the Bosu Ball brand has become synonymous with "half balance ball", this may not surprise you: the best, most reliable and durable half exercise ball is the original Bosu Ball. It might be pricey, but it comes with two Bosu Ball DVDs, an owner manual, and a hand pump, making it well worth the splurge. However, if you're looking for a more budget-friendly option, check out the EveryMile Wobble Board (Buy It, $35, amazon.com).

Buy It: Bosu Balance Trainer, from $120, amazon.com

Best Exercise Ball: Champion Sports Rhino Promax

"If you're only going to buy one kind of exercise ball, in my opinion, you should go for a lighter-to-moderate weight medicine ball," says Wickham. Why? "You can do so much with it: squats, lunges, throws, wall balls, sit-ups, thrusters, and more," he adds. Not sure how heavy to go? Consider this: In CrossFit, the Rx weight (which only the best of the best use) is 14 pounds for women and 20 pounds for men. So likely, you'll want one that is 8 to 12 pounds. (For more medicine ball exercises, check out this list of muscle building med ball exercises).

Buy It: Champion Sports Rhino Promax Slam Balls, $44, amazon.com

Best Slam Ball: Fitness First Fitness Slam Ball

Slam balls come in various weights and sizes and are typically meant to be picked up and—as the name implies—"slammed" down the ground "The slamming movement works your entire body, from your arms to your back, to the core and legs all while taxing your cardiovascular system," says Kordecki. Slam balls can also be hugged in front of your chest and used to weight a squat, lunge or, good morning. And if they are super heavy (think: 50 pounds) they can be used for "sandbag" over the shoulder, a common move during CrossFit and Strongman competitions.

Buy It: Fitness First Fitness Slam Ball, from $23, amazon.com

Best Yoga or Pilates Ball: ProBody Pilates Mini Exercise Ball

Ever been to a pilates class that uses a mini exercise ball to enhance core activation? Now you can do that right from home. Pop this lil guy between your tootsies or thighs during leg raises or crunches and immediately feel the head-to-toe burn.

Buy It: ProBody Pilates Mini Exercise Ball, $11, amazon.com

Best Balance Ball Chair: ThereBand Exercise Ball

If you're sitting on any ball 8 hours a day, air is going to gradually leak out of it. But this exercise ball holds air longer than most of the others on the market, thanks to its thick AF material. Meaning, you can spend more time pumping out ideas and less time pumping air into your chair. It comes in four different sizes, ranging from 45 cm to 75 cm in height, so you can find one that works best with your desk and personal height. FYI: This bad boy doesn't come with an inflation pump, so be sure to add one (like this $4 option) to your bag.

Buy It: TheraBand Exercise Ball, $27, amazon.com

Best Balance Ball Chair for Beginners: Gaiam Disc Wobble Cushion Stability Trainer

If you're looking for something more space efficient or if you want to see if you'll like sitting on something unstable before going all in, check out the Gaiam Wobble Cushion Stability Trainer. About the size of a seat cushion, this baby plops right on top of your office chair to add instant instability. In fact, according to Wickham, this is a great option for everyone. "Generally, my recommendation is that folks only use the instability ball for 5 to 10 minutes an hour to keep from un-engaging their core and causing more harm than good," he says. Because it's so small, this cutie is easier to take on and off to give yourself a break.

Buy It: Gaiam Disc Wobble Cushion Stability Trainer, $19, amazon.com