Most people when imagining different ways of being active and staying in shape, think of barbells, weight plates, and treadmills.
Yet exercise balls are still a very cost-effective and adaptable piece of equipment that can provide a lot in the way of fitness goals and positional benefits.
Just sitting on an exercise ball challenges your core, back, and legs. Throw in some weights, plyometrics, planks, flyes, hip thrusts, or any presses and you’ll also be hitting your stabilizing muscles through those muscle groups.
Exercise ball is great for working little muscle mass as well as boosting balance as well as core stamina, workout rounds are popular with physiotherapists in addition to expectant women.
For those looking for an even more physically engaging option, some people use the balance balls for seats to make sitting through a 9-to-5 workday just a little less dull.
Even though a lot of the exercise balls will look almost identical, the differences between the top brands are well hidden.
In our opinion, no matter if you need something for extreme weight, fitness routine operation, or even stature, we genuinely feel we have discovered the top exercise balls for you!
5 Best Exercise Balls for Your Home Gym
No matter what your exercise of choice is, you are more likely to commit to something you enjoy than to something you dread.
During our testing, the BalanceFrom Anti-Burst Exercise Ball earned a perfect 5 out of 5 for comfort, thanks to its soft exterior that didn’t pull or chafe our skin.
The exercise ball is created with a tough wall of thickness to resist the pressure of 2000 lbs without popping it.
And even though this ball is one tough cookie, our tester also noted that it didn’t feel overly stiff or too hard, making it easier to get through the set of exercises.
When we unboxed, all seemed good with quality and description. That said, the included pump was thin and poorly executed which is one of the reasons we only rated it a 4 out of 5 on quality.
One of its saving graces, however, is a useful size chart included on the product page to help customers make sure they buy the correct size ball.
✯ Pros
Affordable
Offers various colors and sizes
2-year warranty
✯ Cons
Pump lacks durability
It does not have a grippy texture
As soon as we pulled the Trideer Exercise Ball from its box and unrolled it, we knew it was a quality product, with its extra-thick PVC skin.
The package consists of as attached foot pump, Paper Measuring tape, Plugs for keeping the ball inflated, & plug remover. Quality We give the Trideer ball a 4.5 out of 5.
This ball is somewhat sticky: It has a semi-matte texture that provides an almost perfect amount of grip so that it neither feels slippery nor sticky.
Our tester observed that this slightly grippier texture made the ball generally easier to handle, neither unpleasant on the skin nor able to snag a pair of leggings, for example.
Just those things would have put it at a perfect comfort score of 5 out of 5. But testing the ball with wet legs, to simulate sweaty arms, we noticed a bit of slipping so we gave them a 4.5/5 for comfort.
✯ Pros
High anti-burst capacity.
Non-slip surface.
Sturdy PVC outer shell.
✯ Cons
Pump lacks durability.
Takes 24 hours from 1st inflation to inflate to full volume.
The Gaiam Ultimate Balance Ball Chair acts as a chair base and you can put a little ball on top of it in case you want to do some balance work and stability exercises.
Not only are these a versatile piece of fitness equipment, but they can also act as an alternative to an office or home desk chair.
Use a standing desk, so you are not sedentary for hours on end while working.
This ball is designed similarly to a classic exercise ball, but the added base turns it into a chair, another interesting feature about it.
Gilmour is made of PVC which makes it solid, and it also will not burst, I will give it a quality rating of 4 out of 5.
The ball was also deemed very comfortable, giving confidence in sitting when it was on the chair base.
✯ Pros
Wheels offer smooth movement during exercise.
You can remove the ball easily.
Chair workout guide is also included.
✯ Cons
Heavy and not very portable.
Complicated setup.
Expensive than other balls.
Balance half balls or Bosu ballsHalf exercise balls, which are also known as Bosu balls kind of put a twist on the balance board exercises with their dome type of shape.
In contrast to full spheres, half balls like the Sportneer Half Balance Ball are essentially exercise balls that are cut in half and anchored to a stable, flat base.
The Sportneer Half Balance Ball was one of the higher-quality balance trainers we tested out of the box.
It was the divisive feature from the other sippy cups, with its thick, wall, and durable base, and a perfect score for quality.
Even with the material feeling a bit tacky like PVC, it scored well with rib lines tread for grip in the center, and the biggest no-slide feet so it sits solidly on the terrazzo.
The ball includes a foot pump and a set of resistance bands with handles. The ball has an air hole in the middle of its base, so inflating it can be a little tricky, according to our tester.
The only wart was the size of the ball which made it harder to travel with, scoring it lower in that category than the other exercise balls.
✯ Pros
Very Durable.
Have non-slip base.
Comes with handles with resistance bands.
✯ Cons
Not portable.
The ball surface is very slippery.
For testing, we made sure to standardize on a single size exercise ball so that we could compare them more fairly.
The ProBody Pilates Mini Exercise Ball was a different story. You should recognize that despite being dubbed an “exercise ball”, it is only 23 centimeters with air when it does air very little from the 65-centimeter taller traditional practicing ball.
We could not use the mini ball to back up our whole body weight, but it was so good for simple exercises, as clamshells, Russian twists, and traditional mat Pilates moves.
Portability due to the soft and lightweight nature of this sport.
✯ Pros
Comes with a helpful guide
Very portable
Have Non-slip surface
✯ Cons
Must inflate with a mouth tube
Thin wall prone to bursting
Disclaimer: At Thriven Authority, we strive to provide clear and helpful information for our readers. All products listed are carefully curated by our editorial team, but we recommend using your discretion and seeking an expert’s opinion before using them. Prices and availability may change after publication. If you buy something via the links in this article, we may earn a commission.
