What Size Fitness Ball Do I Need?

Yes! Fitness and Exercise Balls come in different sizes. What size fitness ball do you need?

Although it seems logical that any fitness ball will be fine, this is not the case. Just like you need to set up your office chair or driver’s seat in your car in the correct position, the same is true for exercising on a Fitness ball and ensuring it is the correct size for your height.

As you will learn, the ball size is usually suited to your height; however, some exercises might require you to use a smaller or larger ball.

Check The Size!

As a guide, when you sit down on the fitness ball, your legs should be at a 90-degree angle, your feet flat on the floor, and your thighs parallel to the floor. Another way to check is that the ball should be about knee height when standing next to it.

Now let’s get technical.

In short, your legs should be at 90 degrees while seated on the Fitness Ball. The list below is a good reference for determining what size ball you should use for your height.

• If your height is under 5’, you will need a 45cm ball
• If your height is between 5’1 and 5’8 you will need a 55cm ball
• If your height is between 5’9 and 6’2 you will need a 65cm ball
• If your height is between 6’3 and 6’7 you will need a 75cm ball
• If your height is over 6’8, you will need an 85cm ball

Next time you’re in the gym and pick up the fitness ball, ensure it’s the correct size.

As a general rule, people who are overweight, new to exercise, or trying out an exercise for the first time would benefit from using a larger and slightly underinflated ball, as underinflated balls are more stable.

Advanced users would benefit from smaller and firmly inflated fitness balls, as this creates greater instability in the ball, making all exercises performed more demanding. The fitness ball is also known by other names, including exercise ball and Swiss ball