If you’ve been in a fitness community for a long time, you know how easy it is for people to pick up on fad diets and trendy equipment. Some of those equipment tends to last and evolve into an essential part of your routine.
Exercise balls are not just a random trend like other gym equipment tends to be. It’s here to stay, and for good reason!
It’s actually been here for a long time, and although they used to have another function before entering the fitness realm, it now has become essential in gyms everywhere.
I like keeping up to date with my own home gym equipment, so Exercise balls do interest me. With the wide range of options available, which ones are the best?
Here are some of my top picks for the best exercise balls out there as rated by purpose, durability and more! Good luck.
Best Exercise Balls For Fitness & Home-Use Compared and Reviewed
| Image | Name | Brand | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | Live Infinitely Exercise Ball | Live Infinitely | Check Price on Amazon |
| Active Balance Exercise Ball with Resistance Bands & Hand Pump | Active Balance | Check Price on Amazon | |
| Trideer Exercise Ball | Trideer | Check Price on Amazon | |
| Gaiam Classic Balance Ball Chair | Gaiam Classic | Check Price on Amazon | |
| TheraBand Exercise Ball | TheraBand | Check Price on Amazon |
#1 - Live Infinitely Exercise Ball
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Sometimes, simpler is better! Some gym equipment with a lot of gimmicks tends to be less effective than equipment that just does its job and is made of good, safe materials.
The Live Infinitely exercise ball is a great example of that! It is made of great, non-toxic materials that are generally important if you’ll be interacting with a certain object a lot.
For example, this exercise ball is made of professional-grade PVC material. PVC is known to be a durable material that is seen in drinking pipes, wires, etc. It is also BPA-free, latex-free, heavy metal, and phthalate-free, losing all those toxic materials.
You’ll find that its durability is also proved by its ability to withstand up to 2 cm cut; they call this their “anti-burst” feature.
Their exercise balls can support up to 2200 pounds, which I think is a great capacity and shows that they care for inclusivity in fitness.
These are also designed to help you with your back relief and posture. In fact, the manufacturer would recommend this for desk chair replacements.
Other added features would be their free workout ebook that includes total body workouts with your exercise balls. They also provide a guide for what size or height exercise ball you need depending on your height or on your desk’s height!
PROS
- Great construction
- Anti-burst feature
- Made of nontoxic materials
- Non-slip ridges
CONS
- Oblong or egg shape is not preferred by some users
#2 - Active Balance Exercise Ball with Resistance Bands & Hand Pump
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Active Balance believes in the quality of their product so much that they promise a lifetime of protection. Let’s see if their promise is backed up by good quality materials and effective features.
This exercise ball has a thick, anti-slip surface that helps you be stable even as you continue to get more and more intense with your exercise routine (or maybe just your desk job). Its embossed texture helps it stay in place.
It is made of thick PVC, which is known to be durable and used in different applications such as pipes and wires.
Active Balance promotes this for stability, improved movement, as a desk chair, and back pains. I would say this exercise ball differs from the rest only with its added features.
It comes with a complete kit, which I actually found quite useful. It includes pins, a handheld air pump, and an eBook full of workouts and tips for a stronger body and core.
With the set, it includes 3 resistance bands, which I think are a great addition!
Users are not a fan of how hard it is to get to full inflation. This means that although it is easy to inflate it, it isn’t as firm as some users wish it were.
PROS
- Anti-slip surface
- Complete kit with air pump and pins
- Ebook and resistance bands included
- Made of thick PVC
CONS
- Quite hard to inflate totally
#3 - Trideer Exercise Ball
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The Trideer exercise ball is another ball you can trust. Its sturdiness and high quality materials help you improve your posture, stability, and fitness.
It claims to have one of the highest densities in the market, with 2mm thickness and 2200 pounds of capacity. This makes it quite heavy and thick, and therefore more stable!
It also is made of non-toxic material, specifically PVC which is known for its durability and its use in pipes and wires. There are also no heavy metals or BPA, which are especially important if you’re going to be having heavy contact with any product.
This exercise ball can be used in a variety of ways, including pilates, yoga, back training, or an office chair.
It’s easy to inflate with the included foot pump. I like that it’s a foot pump instead of the usual hand pump, and users are raving about it as well.
They also have an exercise ball guide that helps you decide which workouts to do to work certain muscles.
Users are kind of complaining about how hard it is to totally inflate the ball and get it really firm. There is also a weird chemical smell that comes from the ball.
PROS
- Made of non-toxic materials, specifically PVC
- High-density material
- Can be used in a variety of ways
- Foot pump included
CONS
- Users claim it is difficult to totally inflate
- Chemical smell
#4 - Gaiam Classic Balance Ball Chair
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Gaiam is giving another variation of the classic exercise ball with a fusion of exercise ball and chair. It seems like an awesome idea, but is its gimmicky design worth the price?
Taller people might not be interested in this exercise ball as it is designed for users 5 feet to 5 feet and 11 inches tall, with 300 pounds of weight capacity.
If you’re even shorter, or maybe your desk is a bit taller, their leg extenders add 2 inches of height to your chair.
The exercise ball itself is 52 centimeters, which you can remove from the chair if you prefer to use it for your exercise routine.
The chair actually has wheels, just like a normal office chair, except that the backrest is not as supportive as I would like it to be. It’s quite low.
On the other hand, though, the point of an exercise ball is that you will be in constant motion, keeping yourself stable and focused. The backrest is probably not the most important part of it.
Users are not quite impressed with the chair itself, though. Aside from the complaints about the unusable backrest, some parts are missing or easily damaged, especially the metal bar that keeps the exercise ball locked into the chair.
PROS
- Ball keeps you in constant motion
- Chair wheels
- Exercise ball and chair combination great for desk chair replacement
CONS
- Chair quality is not the best
- Metal bar keeping the exercise ball in is easily damaged
#5 - TheraBand Exercise Ball
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Let’s get back to another classic exercise ball that you can buy! This one is simple, and maybe even… basic.
The TheraBand exercise ball is designed to strengthen your muscles and especially your core as you train your stability. It is a great replacement for your typical desk chair, as sitting all day in front of your computer does have certain dangers to it.
A purchase includes an exercise guide poster, which has 24 exercises you can do with your ball.
What I don’t like about this product is that it does not include a pump, which is essential to inflate your exercise ball.
They have 5 different sizes available, which corresponds to a certain height. For example, the smallest ball sized 45 centimeters is said to be appropriate for heights 55 inches to 60 inches.
If you’re using this for a desk chair, I would recommend sizing up (depending on how high your desk is). The ball sizes are measured at maximum inflation, which is quite hard to achieve. If you want a less firm exercise ball for one reason or another, sizing up is even more important.
Most of the complaints that users have are about how there is no pump, and how hard it is to get it to maximum inflation.
