Written by Bridgit Kin-Charlton, C.P.T.
Photo by Liz Lane
6 must-try medicine ball exercises
Available in varying sizes and weights, medicine balls can help improve muscular power and sports performance. These weighted spheres can be thrown and caught (don’t try that with a dumbbell!), making for explosive movements that can improve overall athletic ability. Plus, they’re super old school. Hippocrates used sand-filled animal skin pouches to help patients recover from injuries almost 2,000 years ago. Clearly, he was on to something.
Perform this routine at the end of your regular workout, or as a stand-alone workout, three days a week. Use a 6-, 8- or 10-lb medicine ball, which you can purchase at any sporting goods store. Do 20 repetitions of each exercise in the order shown. Complete this routine as a circuit, doing one set of each movement in succession, and without resting. Too easy? Rest 60 seconds and do the circuit one or two more times.
1. Squat to Press
Stand holding a medicine ball close to your chest with both hands, your feet just beyond shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back, bend your knees and lower your body until the tops of your thighs are at least parallel to the floor [A]. Then simultaneously drive your heels into the floor and push your body back to the starting position as you press the ball over your head [B]. Lower the ball back to the start. That’s one repetition.
2. Woodchopper
Stand with your feet just beyond shoulder-width apart. With your arms nearly straight, hold a medicine ball above your head [A]. Bend forward at your waist and mimic throwing the ball backward between your legs—but hold the ball the entire time [B]. Quickly reverse the movement with the same intensity, and return to the starting position. That’s one repetition.
3. Lunge with Twist
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your shoulders relaxed. Hold a medicine ball a few inches in front of your chest, and step forward into a lunge with your right leg. Keep your front thigh parallel with the floor and your knee behind your toe. With extended arms, reach the medicine ball to the right, rotating your torso at the same time [A]. Maintain the lunge and return to center [B]. Come to standing then repeat, this time lunging with your left leg. That’s one repetition.
4. Push-up
Start in a traditional push-up position with your palms on the medicine ball [A]. Keep your core tight and your head aligned with your spine as you slowly lower your chest toward the ball, keeping your elbows pinned tightly at your sides [B]. Finish the move by pressing upward through the arms until they’re fully extended. Need an adjustment? Put your knees on the floor.
5. Suitcase Crunch
Lie on your back with your legs straight. Use both hands to hold a medicine ball above your head and barely off the floor [A]. Simultaneously raise your torso and bend your right knee toward your chest as you bring the ball over your knee and toward your foot. Reverse the movement and repeat, this time bending your left knee [B]. That’s one repetition.
6. Rocky Solo
Sit on the floor with your legs straight, and hold a medicine ball with both hands just above your lap. Twist your torso to the right and place the ball behind you [A]. Then twist all the way to your left and pick the ball up and bring it back to the starting position [B]. That’s one repetition. Do 10 repetitions. Immediately do another 10 repetitions, but this time start by twisting with the ball to your left.