Over the past decade or so, one of the newest and most popular pieces of equipment has been the stability ball. Who would have thought that a giant, air filled ball would be used by so many people around the world? Although a lot of people have only seen these balls in gyms or on television, you can use them for so many things that you would never have thought of on your own. Let's take a look at some of the best ways to shape your body with a stability ball and a few other pieces of home gym equipment.

One of the most popular ways to use a stability ball is to work your abdominal muscles. Most people have done crunches or sit-ups while lying flat on the floor, but if you haven't tried them on a ball, you are in for a surprise. Since your back bends around the ball, you have to lift from a much lower position than if you were on the floor. Because of this, doing a set of crunches on the stability ball makes you abs work a lot harder than if you were to do the same number of repitions while lying on the ground. Because of this, you can sculpt great looking abs faster and more efficiently this way. You can buy these balls in a lot of places, and some are better than others. It is best to get one that matches your body, since they come in a few different sizes. A great choice are the stability balls sold by Golds Gym equipment, either in stores or online.

Aside from the abdominal muscles, you can use a stability ball to work most of the muscles in your upper body as well. Instead of spending lots of money on weight lifting bars and a squat rack to hold it, get yourself some free weights and lift them while lying on your back on the ball. Doing this makes your body need to constantly adjust to keep the ball stable, which in turns makes your muscles work harder. Although you will find that you won't be able to lift as heavy weights on the ball as you would on a flat bench, your muscles actually get a better workout this way.