I bought a gym ball but afraid to use it. Please share your experience

I use one. It's very durable. I read that it's great for core strengthening, to the point where some classrooms have replaced chairs with stability balls https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutcal.htm. So, every day, I sit on one for a few minutes. Literally long enough to read a chapter of Great Expectations. (I have Bleak House on my ereader for when I finish. Apparently, binge-watching Dickensian has rekindled my love of 19th Century lit...)

Some of my strength-training exercises also call for it.

You can squat, pressing the ball between your lower back and the wall and sort of sliding/rolling it down and up.

I do seated lat rows (sit on ball, hold a light dumbbell in each hand, lean forward on ball about 45 degrees. Draw your shoulder blades in toward your spine and inhale. As you exhale, lift weights to your waist by bending your elbows behinds you to shoulder level. Inhale as you slowly return to the starting position and repeat for as many reps as you're going; my book says to start with 1-2 kg weights, 10 reps, 1-2 sets.)

It's good for abs crunches, too. Among others.

Well, I don't think it burns calories beyond what you burn just by existing. (If it does, it's going to be negligible). But it forces you to engage your core muscles a bit more to keep you on the ball. Any strengthening is good.

ninka_polish wrote: »

Thanks! It looks like even just sitting on it is a workout itself?

Sitting on it and staying upright is a mild core workout. It's not so easy.