Proper Inflation for an Exercise Ball


Most exercise balls come with a small hand pump in the package. You can probably use a bicycle pump or air compressor with an adapter nozzle instead — just check the instructions for your ball, and be sure not to over-inflate.

Most people aren’t able to eyeball the diameter of an exercise ball, but the manufacturers have accounted for that. Exercise balls are often packed with a thin plastic strip that wraps around your exercise ball as a way of checking its diameter. These strips usually have a hole in each end. Here’s how to use them:

  1. Place the nozzle of the air pump through both of the holes, so the strip forms a loop hanging off the air nozzle.
  2. Make sure the strip isn’t twisted; it needs to lay flush against the surface of your exercise ball.
  3. Insert the air nozzle into the hole on the exercise ball and begin inflating the ball. As the ball gets larger, you might need to maneuver the strip a bit. It should sit around the inflated ball like a belt, or like the equator sits around a globe.
  4. Once the slack is out of the strip, your ball has reached the intended diameter. Locate the air plug for the exercise ball, remove the air nozzle and measuring strip, and quickly insert the plug.

Always read the instructions for your particular exercise ball. Some manufacturers recommend inflating the ball partway, then letting it sit for a time so the plastic can stretch before you inflate it fully.

Exercise balls naturally shrink a bit over time as air escapes, but you can always add more air. If you feel your ball getting softer, you can check the diameter with the measuring strip. Or you could place a pair of chairs as far apart as the ball’s intended diameter. If the ball passes through the chairs without touching them, it’s lost some air.



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