Medicine Ball Exercises

The medicine ball exercises are a great tool to use to build lean muscle, burn fat, and get a great intense workout all in one.  A medicine ball exercises will mimic real life situations, but with the added bonus of extra force.  The medicine ball can be used with a number of exercises, which are compound in nature, and therefore work toward total fitness, and help you build lean muscle and lose fat.

Medicine Ball Exercises 1: Russian Twist

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, holding a medicine ball in front of your chest, with your arms slightly bent.

Swing the medicine ball to the left hip, whilst keeping your abs tight and tucked in and your back straight.

Swing the medicine ball back out in front of your body, and repeat toward the right hip, again with the abs tight and tucked in and the back straight.

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Medicine Ball Exercises 2: Kneeling Push Up

Use a partner or wall with this exercise.

From a kneeling position, with your torso in an upright position, hold the medicine ball close to your chest.  Keeping your abs tight and back straight, fall forward, and push the ball away to your partner or the wall.

As soon as you have released the ball, drop your hands to the floor, and perform a push up.

Medicine Ball Exercises 3:  Exploding Squat

Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart, holding the medicine ball close to the chest.

Keep your abs tight and tucked in, and back straight, squat down until your thighs are parallel with the floor.

Explode upwards from the hips, and at the same time press the medicine ball overhead.  The overhead press should be due to the momentum created from the hips rather than the shoulders.

Return the ball back to the chest, as you lower into the squat position once more and repeat.

Medicine Ball Exercises 4: Ball Slam

Stand with your feet a little more than shoulder width apart and hold the medicine ball with both hands, between both legs.

Lift the medicine ball above the head, and slam the ball down on the floor with as much force as you can.

Catch the ball when it bounces, and repeat.

Make sure that once you lift the ball above your head, you do not lean back, and keep your abs tights and back straight as you do so.

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Medicine Ball Exercises 5: Crunch

Lie on the floor with your legs in front of you, and your arms above your head, holding he medicine ball.

Lift the ball off the ground, and at the same time one leg, and try to sit up as far as you can to reach forward to touch the medicine ball to your toes if you can.

The aim is to lift the torso to the toes in a similar way to a sit up.

Lower your torso back down to the start position in a controlled manner, and repeat.

Medicine Ball Exercises 6: Squat Slam Dunk

Stand 18 inches away, facing a wall, holding the medicine ball in front of your chest.

Keep the torso upright, the abs tight, and the back straight, and squat down so that your thighs are parallel with the floor – below if you can manage.

Explode out of the squat position, and slam the ball up in the air, again the wall.

Aim to hit a spot with the medicine ball that is approximately ten feet up the wall.

As the ball returns, catch it, and immediately repeat the exercise, by once again lowering into the squat position.

Medicine Ball Exercises 7: Abdominal Raises

Lie on your back on the floor with your hands by your sides and your palms facing downward.

Bend your knees upwards, and place your feet flat on the floor.  Hold a medicine ball between your knees.

Holding the medicine ball raise your heels toward the sky – your butt should be just raising off the floor and your abs should be strongly contracted.

Slowly lower back into the start position with your feet flat on the floor and repeat.

Do not swing your legs to generate momentum, as this is cheating!

Medicine Ball Exercises 8: V-Ups

Lie flat on the floor, then bend one knee and place your foot flat on the floor.  The other legs should be straight and on the floor.

Hold a medicine ball in your hands, close to your chest.

Raise your torso upwards as it doing a sit up and raise the medicine ball up to the ceiling, and at the same time raise the leg that is flat on the floor to the ceiling (forming a ‘V’ with your leg and torso)

As your leg comes up, you should try to touch toes with the medicine ball.  Do this with the back straight, and the abs tight and tucked in.

Lower back your torso and legs back to the start position in a controlled manner.

To make the exercise more difficult,  place the medicine ball just above the head in the start position whilst lying on the floor.

Ensure that whilst lifting the torso, that the medicine ball is above or forward of the line the torso makes, as this will extend the back and could cause injury.