Swiss Ball vs. Bench

The Swiss ball may look like an overinflated beach ball, but it is really a sophisticated training tool. You can use it to train your core – the muscles of your abdominals, back and hips – independently, or to activate these muscles more acutely while doing exercises that primarily target other parts of your body. Using a Swiss ball versus a classic weight bench can offer a new dimension to your workout; but it isn't right for everyone.

Lying on a Swiss ball to perform moves such as dumbbell flyes and pullovers forces your transverse abdominus, a deep abdominal muscle, to activate more than doing these moves from a weight bench. You can also sit on a Swiss ball to do dumbbell curls, shoulder presses and triceps extensions to elicit more action from the abdominals than you would while seated on a weight bench with a back. Because the ball’s surface is unstable, more of your body has to activate to keep you from toppling off.

If you exercise at home, a Swiss ball may be more convenient than a weight bench. The balls cost less and are easier to move and store. You can even use the Swiss ball as a desk chair when you are not lying on it to perform chest presses or skull crushers.

If you lift very heavy weights, a weight bench is a better option. A Swiss ball is durable, but can burst under the force of hundreds of pounds. Weight benches are better able to support your body during barbell chest presses or 50-pound dumbbell curls.

The stable surface of a weight bench allows beginners to learn proper form. Beginners may lack the core strength needed to balance on the ball and could sustain an injurious fall. Even if they manage to balance, they may spend so much time focusing on core activation that the position of the rest of the body is compromised – potentially causing injury.