I recently went through six weeks of physical therapy to help improve the core muscles. This was in an attempt to reduce back pain from a couple of bulged discs. Much of the therapy centered on sitting on a ball. The therapist recommended continuing the exercises after I finished the sessions. I could have bought a ball from them, but decided to go out on my own. I am a large, heavy person and wanted a ball that would last. I found the GoFit web site and ultimately ordered one of their exercise balls through Amazon.

Gofit 1200lb Professional Burst Resistant Core Stability Ball 65cm
 
The ball came packaged with a hand pump and a training DVD. A friend and I used a small diaphragm pump we had for blowing up air mattresses to get it nearly filled then used the hand pump to complete the task. One thing we were told by our therapist was that we should continue adding air until our upper legs were horizontal when sitting on the ball. This takes a lot more pumping than when the ball seems full. This is a 65 cm ball. That is the right size for someone about 5' 9" like me. The ball color is a bright purple, not easy to lose. We took the ball into our last couple of therapy sessions to assure everything was right. The folks there were impressed with it. GoFit claims the ball will handle 1200 pounds of force with no problem. About the most strenuous pressure we put on it is bouncing up and down on it for a couple of minutes. They also claim that the ball is designed to leak slowly if it is punctured so that there are no sudden falls. We have chosen not to try that feature.

The surface of the ball is not slick, actually it feels a little sticky. This gives us a sense of safety when executing some of the more strenuous exercises. We have been using this ball since late October and have yet to need to add air. To do this we would have to pull out a slender tapered plug to insert a similar tapered valve, then push it back in when we get the ball large enough again. They included an extra plug and more are available through their web site. We also ordered a more powerful pump and have it on standby for when we need it.

We have another exercise kit from GoFit. We think their price and quality make their products a best buy.

Recommended: Yes