There are many benefits in using unstable surfaces to train on – in particular activation of the deep muscles around the trunk such as TVA, Obliques, Multifidus (and many others). The Swiss Ball, Exercise Ball or Gym Ball has been popularised by many practioners over the last 25 years because it is relatively inexpensive and very effective in stimulating the body to. However over recent years there have been reports of anti burst and burst resistant Swiss balls exploding during use and injuring users. Not all balls are the same quality despite what their labels may indicate and the use of balls may put the user at risk of serious injury.
My personal observations over a number of years is that there is very little care taken in inspecting balls in a gym to ensure that they have not been inadvertantly or maliciously damaged – afterall balls are made of elastic plastic and should have tighter controls than conventional gym equipment.
For many years AOK has prided itself in providing the best quality exercise balls for the fitness, sports coaching and rehabilitation markets. Safety in care and use has always been paramount at AOK and we have developed many tools for commercial and home users to help ensure the safety of ball users.
Those cheap chinese balls claim to be anti-burst but are just crap. I have used AOK balls for 10 years and they are the best. The gym policy PDF is great – we use it at our gym now.