What Size Yoga Ball Do You Need? Choose The Correct Yoga Ball Size
If You Are Wondering About What Size Yoga Ball You Need, How Choose The Correct Size Yoga Ball Then This Article Is For You.
Here, We Take You Through The Simple Step By Step Process To Help Understand What Size Yoga Ball Do I Need, How Choose The Correct Size Yoga Ball. Stay Tuned.
What Size Yoga Ball Do You Need?
Are you looking for a perfect yoga ball for your day to day workouts? Then your first question should be “what size yoga ball do I need”.
Let’s have a look at the various needs of a yoga ball, before searching for the perfect ball size for you.
What Is A Yoga Ball?
The yoga ball or an exercise ball is a simple soft elastic ball, filled with air. The diameter of this ball usually ranges from approximately 14 to 34 inches (35 to 85 centimetres).
You can modify the air pressure of this ball by removing the valve stem. You can deflate it or make it tighter by filling up the air in it.
Benefits Of A Yoga Ball
Yoga Balls have a number of benefits. Primarily
- They serve as a great prop in your flexibility training routine. If you are striving for loosening up your hamstrings and lower back, this exercise ball helps you a lot. You will get big help if you use the ball to slowly move your hands in and out over it, for a deeper stretch.
- It helps improve your spinal stability. As per research, if you spend a lot of time sitting and prone to back pain, then this ball can be a great help for you.
- In yoga training, this ball also serves in physical therapy, athletic training, and other exercises. You can also make good use of it in weight training.
Various Uses Of A Yoga Ball
It needs more balance to just sit on a yoga ball. So you can easily assume, how difficult it is to perform workouts on an unstable surface like the yoga ball. It basically helps you by engaging more muscles in a simple move.
This, in turn, fires up your core muscles and strengthens them. Let’s have a look into various uses of yoga balls nowadays.
Yoga And Stretching
Yoga ball is a great prop for a yoga practitioner. This exercise ball provides better support and at the same time deepens your stretches in difficult yoga poses.
There are various tricky yoga postures like advanced arm-balance Scorpion and if you use the ball in these exercises, for just reclining on it, you will feel the actual difference. After a long day hunched over your computer or at the end of a long bike ride, this stretch is a great relaxation
Also, read our post on How To Deflate Yoga Balls?
Strength Training
This is another aspect of putting a yoga ball to use. This ball can replace a weight bench too. You can do exercises like pec flies or triceps-toning skull crushers with this swiss ball. In this training, you simply need to lie on the ball by supporting your upper back and head.
It needs to work on your arms especially. At the same time, you have to stabilize your unsupported core with your abs, glutes, and legs. If you use the ball as a replacement for a weight bench, then these upper body moves will be transformed into a full-body exercise.
So, in a nutshell, you can use an exercise ball for many workouts, like the following
- Stretches for balance and stability.
- Workouts for Pilates or yoga postures.
- Beginner strength workout.
- To blast your core with exercise moves.
The Right Size Of yoga Ball Should Follow Your Height
There is no standard size for a yoga ball. You have to choose one according to your body weight and height. According to some studies, here is a quick chart of the yoga ball size depending on your height, for your convenience.
#1 If your height is less than 4’8” then ball size would be 45 cm/18” (Small)
#2 If your height is between 4’8 to 5’3” then ball size would be 55 cm/22” (Medium)
#3 If your height is between 5’4” to 5’10” then ball size would be 65 cm/26” (Large)
#4 If your height is between 5’11” to 6’4” then ball size would be 75 cm/30” (Extra Large)
#5 If your height is 6’4” and up then ball size would be 85 cm/34” (Extra extra large)
Here Is Yoga Ball Height Vs Size Guide For You…
How To Buy The Perfect Yoga Ball?
Apply The 90-degree Rule and Consider The Adjust-ability Factors
Before buying the perfect yoga ball, you should try different sizes. To keep the proper balance on this Swiss ball you should sit on it first and place your hips and knees to 90-degree angles. In this posture, you should look if your thighs are parallel to the floor or not.
If you are healthy and not very tall, then the proportion of your body weight to height is greater than the average proportion. If so, then, once you sit on the exercise ball, it will compress down. In that case, you won’t be able to maintain the 90-degree balance rule.
So you should look for the next larger ball size to maintain the 90-degree rule. Most of the exercise balls come with certain adjustability factors. If you find the angles between the hips and knees are more than 90 degrees, then you can compensate by releasing some air from it and vice versa.
If you fill air int it, to its maximum level, then, it would be very firm. It will cause difficulties in doing workouts with it.
How Much Should You Blow Up Your Exercise Ball?
To get better support you should not blow the exercise ball to its highest capacity. It can be very risky for your workouts. For example, it can give spinning and also can break your neck when you do an exercise.
So, it is always better to ball the ball till a certain size while it is still tight and round as it can get. When you do any yoga postures or exercise, you should want to have a little give on the surface of the ball.
It is necessary to create a little stretched seat on the ball by your own weight, while you sit on it. This will eventually help you in providing more stability. It is a must, that you first sit evenly on the ball to do any exercise with proper alignment.
You Should Also Remember That “Smaller The Ball, The Challenge Will Be Bigger”
So, you should determine when to scale up or down the size of your exercise ball according to your own practice.
For example, you can use smaller stability balls for hardcore abs exercises. Bigger sized yoga balls are beneficial as a replacement for your workout bench. Also, yoga balls help you to overcome various physical pains due to many ailments.
If you are suffering from back pains or long legs or feeling pain after rigorous. Stretching and yoga exercises, then you should choose a larger ball.
Replace Your Office Chair With A Yoga Ball
You should go for a 26 inch (65 cm) exercise ball if you are planning to replace your office chair. In that case, your desk height should be between 29 and 30 inches (74 to 76 cm).
When you sit on the ball you should remember that it will deflate. So you have to choose the size accordingly. The general rule is to choose a ball which has a diameter of 4 inches (10 cm) larger than the height of the chair you sit now.
Concluding Thoughts
By now, you must be feeling quite confident about the concept of using the yoga ball and also got the answer to your question “What size yoga ball do I need”. And now, as per your needs, it should be easy for you, to confidently decide the perfect size of your yoga ball before you buy one.
Also read our article on Best Yoga Ball Chairs and How To Inflate and Deflate a Yoga Ball. In case you are interested check out our post on Best Half Balance Balls Available on the market.