Exercise balls — also known as stability balls, balance balls and Swiss balls — are fantastic tools for general strength training and working your core. Instead of worrying about your exercise ball inflation pressure, focus on its size: Each ball is meant to be inflated to a certain diameter.
You can also use an exercise ball as a substitute for a desk chair.
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Many exercise balls are labeled with their intended inflation diameter in centimeters; if that information isn't on the ball itself, it'll be on the packaging that came with the ball. In general, you choose the ball size according to your height. Here are a few common exercise ball diameters, and the height range they correspond with, as recommended by the American Council on Exercise (ACE):
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The recommendations for exercise ball inflation size do vary somewhat between expert organizations. For example, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends exercise balls that are 45 centimeters in diameter for those who are between 4 feet, 8 inches and 5 feet, 5 inches tall.
When in doubt, follow this excellent advice from the Mayo Clinic: For most exercises, especially ones for working your core, they say, you'll want a ball that positions you with your knees at a right angle when you sit on it. They also note that if you deflate the ball a bit, it'll make most exercises a little easier. So although you should never inflate an exercise ball beyond its intended diameter, you can safely let a bit of air out and use the ball at a slightly smaller diameter.
