These Medicine Ball Moves Will Help You Tone In All The Right Places
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Want to give your strength training routine a boost but feel seriously intimidated by the weight room in the gym? It’s officially time to give medicine balls a try in your own home workouts.
Medicine balls are affordable, compact and provide the perfect amount of weight resistance to help you get stronger and leaner at the same time. Plus, because they’re free weights, medicine ball workouts require additional muscle control from you to perform exercises correctly (as opposed to a weight machine taking care of all the structural elements for you). Just pick your ideal weight (we recommend beginning with 6 pounds) and start exploring all the ways you can use it to work up a sweat from head to toe.
Here are seven super effective medicine ball exercises that will give you a total-body workout and make you feel super confident with this new piece of equipment at the same time. Perform them in the order listed like a circuit, and for maximum results, repeat the circuit three times.
Rolling Push-Ups
If you’re still working on your standard pushup form, this exercise can help you get there much faster. Start in a high plank position with your left hand on top of the medicine ball. Mindfully bend your elbows and lower your torso down toward the ground, keeping your core engaged and your neck relaxed. Because of the staggered height of your hands, your right side will have to work harder as you push back up to your high plank. Then, roll the ball over to your right, place your right hand on top of the medicine ball, and lower into another pushup, challenging your left side this time. Continue alternating until you’ve completed at least 10 pushups.
Squat With Overhead Press
This all-in-one move works several major muscle groups — your shoulders, core, quads and glutes. Start by standing with your feet hip-distance apart, holding the medicine ball in front of your chest with both hands. Send your hips back as you sink into a deep squat, making sure that your knees always stay behind your toes. Then, as you use the power from your legs to return to the original standing position, thrust the medicine ball directly over your head using your shoulder strength. Bring the ball back down to your chest to complete one rep. Repeat 10 to 15 times.
Lunge With A Twist
Talk about a balance challenge! Start by bringing your left leg about three feet in front of your right leg, placing the majority of your weight on your left foot and balancing on your right toes. Hold the medicine ball in front of your chest with both hands. Bend your left knee to lower into the lunge, making sure that your left knee always stays behind your left toes. As you lunge, reach the medicine ball directly out in front of you. Holding the lunge, rotate your torso to the left so that your arms and the ball cross over your bent left leg, challenging your oblique muscles. Return to center and bring the ball into your chest as you return to the starting position. That’s one rep. Repeat 10 times on the left side before switching sides and cranking out an additional 10 reps.
Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
Your booty and hamstrings are going to love this one. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the medicine ball in front of your chest with both hands. Shift your weight onto your left leg and bend your knee slightly. Using the ball for both balance assistance and added resistance, hinge at your hips so that your torso drops forward and is perpendicular to your standing leg, and allow your right leg to reach back behind you in the air. Only go forward until you feel a stretch in the back of your left leg. Then, using your glute and hamstring strength, bring yourself back up to the standing position, maintaining your balance on your left foot. Repeat 10 times before switching sides and repeating on your right foot.
Med Ball Plank With Toe Taps
If your wrists often feel weak when you’re holding planks or yoga poses like downward-facing dog, this move will help you strengthen them in no time. Start in a high plank position, but instead of placing your hands on the floor, balance them both on top of the medicine ball next to one another. Widen the space between your feet to feel more stable as your core strengthens. Then, keeping your abs, lower back and glutes engaged, lift your right foot and tap your right toes out to your right side. Bring your foot back to the center, and repeat the same tapping motion with your left foot. That’s one rep. Complete 10 to 15 reps.
Figure Eight Crunches
Time to test that coordination! Start in a reverse table-top position, with your back pressing into the floor, your shoulders slightly off the mat, your legs lifted and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Hold the medicine ball in front of your chest with both hands. As you straighten and slightly lower your left leg, shift the medicine ball to your left hand and reach it under your right leg. Then re-bend your left knee and straighten your right leg as you grab the ball from under your right leg with your right hand, bring it over the top of your right leg and reach it under your left leg. Continue alternating straightening your legs and looping the medicine ball over and under them, creating a figure eight with the ball until you’ve completed 10 figure eights. Keep your core muscles engaged throughout the exercise.
V-Ups
Last but not least, we have this core-crushing move. Start by lying down on your back with your legs straight and feet hip-distance apart and your arms above your head, holding to the medicine ball with both hands. As you exhale, simultaneously lift both of your legs, your arms and your shoulders to meet in the middle, reaching the medicine ball toward the open space in between your feet. Slowly lower down to the starting position on your inhale, making sure to use your muscular strength rather than momentum. Repeat this extended, total-body crunch 10 to 15 times before taking a brief break and starting the circuit all over again.
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