Want to know the secret for strengthening your core, protecting your joints, and getting more muscle-building benefits out of every workout? It's stability. Or, a stability ball, to be exact. Also referred to as an exercise ball or a balance ball, stability ball exercises can take your workouts to the next level.

Stability ball workouts help to teach the body to move as one unit, explains Openfit fitness specialist Cody Braun. When performing stability ball exercises, the muscles that make up the core and surround the hips and shoulders have to work together to keep the body strong through a full range of motion.

Increased stability is useful for many reasons, both in and out of the gym. Stable joints are less prone to injury, because they have the strength to stay in the correct position during taxing movements. Additionally, being able to move your body as one cohesive unit helps when it comes to weightlifting, running, and other athletic endeavors

You can use an exercise ball in a number of ways, and since it doesn't take up a lot of space it's an excellent piece of home workout equipment. One common way to use a stability ball is as a substitute for a bench. If you're accustomed to performing exercises with a stable bench, using an exercise ball will require firing up your core, hip, and shoulder stabilizers in a new way, Braun explains. Just keep in mind that because of this extra requirement for stability, you should start by using less weight than you would use with a bench.

Stability balls also allow movement in exercises like ab or hamstring rollouts. And you can use a stability ball as a sort of weight (a very large, light weight) and move it from one side of your body to the other, or pass it between your hands and feet.

Before you put your gym's stability balls to use or buy your own, make sure you have one that's the right size. Like any piece of exercise equipment, it's important that your stability ball fits your body. To find the perfect size, all you need to know is your height. If you're 5'4? or taller, opt for a ball that's 65 cm in diameter. If you're shorter, 55 cm is best. Use a tape measure to make sure that you have inflated your ball to the specified size it should be firm to the touch, but still have some give.

Ready to start sculpting your muscles and improving your stability? Try this stability ball exercises app that can be done in the gym or at home.