Stability Ball-65cm, 55cm or both

CAgostini

CAgostini

Cathlete
Hi Cathe and/or educated crowd,

I am 5'5 1/2" tall. I usu. use a 65 cm stability ball. I always assumed this was the right ball for me since my knees and hips are at a right angle when I sit on it. I can do most of Cathe's workouts with it--but there's room for improvement. I notice that on some exercises (I also do Core Foundations by TLP) the ball feels awkward. It could be that I'm not strong enough for those exercises, but I decided to try a smaller ball, 55cm. I blew it up and noticed how small it is. When I sit on it, my knees are higher than my hips, however, it seems that some of the exercises will be less awkward with this smaller ball (I haven't used it yet).

Is it okay to do some exercises with 65cm ball and other with the 55cm ball? Would this lessen my results?

Thanks for your help.

Cathy
 
Hi Cathy! The more a stability ball is inflated, the less stability it provides, since less of the ball's surface is actually making contact with the floor. That's actually why I tell people who are starting out with ball exercises to under-inflate their ball slightly to give them a little more stability and confidence as they work on their technique.

Depending on the exercise, sometimes certain exercises feel more comfortable on different size balls. This is most likely why you are noticing that some feel better on the 55cm vs the 65 cm ball.

Since you have access to both sizes, I suggest using the ball size that allows you to keep good form and alignment per exercise.

Take Care :)
 
Cathy,
I'm the same height as you, and I usually use a 55cm ball. My legs are at the right angle they are supposed to be at (I think this would depend on the length of your lower leg, and mine are a bit shorter than yours, perhaps). I also have a 65 mm ball, but it feels too big.
 
Well this is timely for me as I use the smaller ball (5'4" tall here) but I must be longer in the torso because on some moves I feel I am too far over the ball...especially compared to the form of the instructor (videos). I was considering getting a 65cm ball and using both...now I'm definitely going to!

So this may be a case where one size doesn't fit all.
 
Thank you Cathe and educated crowd!! I really appreciate your responses and it's nice to know I'm not the only one with this issue.


Cathy:)
 
I am 5'2" and bought the 55cm ball. It feels okay but when I watched a video with Cathe, she seems to have the 65cm one. Am I correct on that?
 
I"m pretty sure Cathe has the 55cm ball. It looks bigger because she's so tiny!

I'm only 5'4" but I feel more stable and comfortable on a 65cm ball, which I keep fully inflated. I tried the 55cm ball and it just felt too small.
 
Hi Jackie! I only use a 55cm ball. When I sat on a fully inflated 65cm ball I felt like Lilly Tomlin in that huge rocking chair (am I showing my age :7)
 
Cathe that's a hoot!

I can see you in that big rocker so easily! Heeeheeee :)

~kandy~
sport-smiley-003.gif
 
>Hi Jackie! I only use a 55cm ball. When I sat on a fully
>inflated 65cm ball I felt like Lilly Tomlin in that huge
>rocking chair (am I showing my age :7)


Yeth, Cathe, you are thowing your ath! (My name is Edith Ann!)
 
HI Jackie, I'm 5,5' and started out with a 65cm ball, because that's all the sporting good store had in stock at that time and I just had to have my ball. I noticed for some exercises I was OK on the 65cm ball, but found it very difficult to do pikes on this size ball because my legs/feet were so much higher than my shoulders. I found I was really struggling with the pikes because normally my abs are very strong and easy for me to work. So I purchased a 55cm ball and it made all the difference in the world, it wasn't nearly as unstable and the pressure that was on my back and knees was gone. I was now able to do all those crazy pikes!!! Hope this helps. Lyanne
 
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