exercise ball

Mom0fTwo

What is a good size/brand? I am seeing everything from 55 cm to 75cm, needs to come with a pump, want to do crunches, etc. also I am in Canada but willing to buy from ebay.ca as well, I am 5'4'', if that makes a difference.

Osu2k1

Check this link out. http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/exercise/choosing-right-exercise-ball
I have a small one (55 I think) at home, but when I am at Taekwondo, I prefer to use the 75. But I use it to balance on all fours or just my knees. Good luck!

ninerbuff

Do crunches the old fashion way..................on the floor. You don't need a ball.


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DLPanther

For crunches, you'd want your feet to be able to touch the floor, or your toes at least. The one I bought had a height recommendation right on the box, but I ended up buying a slightly bigger one because I wanted to sit on it in front of my computer when I had to do long stretches of sitting.

As for crunches, I find them MUCH more comfortable on an exercise ball, it allows me to engage all of my ab muscles without tweaking my back. My favorite way to do crunches though is the BOCA ball. You have to do more work than the full round exercise ball, but it still cushions the lower back. As a bonus, it's an awesome balance board! I love flipping it over and hopping up on top of the flat bottom and doing squats and arm weight exercises up there, it's fun!

TrainingWithTonya

The size of the ball is dependent on your height. Here's a link to the place where I buy mine and it has a chart to show you the height you should use.

http://www.power-systems.com/p-4090-versaball.aspx

But, when you inflate it, be sure to sit on it before you decide for sure where to keep the height. When seated on the ball, the hips and knees should be bent at a 90 degree angle with your feet flat on the floor. If your hips are above your knees then the ball is too tall for you. If your knees are above your hips then the ball is too short for you. Because of this need for proper biomechanical alignment, I buy a 65 cm ball even though I'm 5'6" which the chart says uses a 55 cm ball so that I can go slightly bigger then 55 cm and not over inflate it. The really good ones are so tight when you first inflate them that under inflation will be okay and not squishy, but over inflation still thins out the rubber so you don't want to over inflate one.