7 Exercises to do with the Medicine Ball

Taking advantage of the quarantine time to exercise is an excellent way to spend time and take better care of yourself. 

So, today we share with you 7 exercises to do with the medicine ball at home.

Benefits of the Medicine Ball

This piece of equipment is an excellent ally in sports, whether in the gym or at home. 

You can do some exercises with the medicine ball at home and enjoy the advantages of this equipment that is used in the preparation of athletes of different sports.

The medicine ball allows you to perform a different, effective, and even more cheerful workout than usual. This happens because this equipment can be applied to a wide variety of exercises.

Therefore, the medicine ball helps you tone your muscles, burn fat, and even improve your sports performance. 

But wait, there’s more: 

• • Improves your physical strength;
• • Increases your power, as well as coordination, balance, and elasticity;
• • You can work different parts of the body: arms, legs, core, shoulders, etc;
• • Allows you to perform high-intensity exercises;
• • It’s an excellent piece of equipment for aerobic training;
• • Develops your strength and resistance;
• • Helps you improve bad body posture;
• • Since there are different sizes and weights, it's possible to adjust the use of this equipment to each user;

Despite all these obvious advantages, it’s necessary to have some level of strength to carry out a complete workout with a medicine ball, in order to avoid injuries.

7 Exercises to do with the medicine ball at home

Although they are well known and simple exercises for those who exercise regularly, if you are new in this area, then we advise you to have extra caution.

Start, for example, by using a lighter medicine ball and doing just a few repetitions of each exercise, so you can find your rhythm. As you become more comfortable and confident, you can gradually increase the degree of difficulty.

Repeat each exercise 12-15 times and perform 2-3 rounds. You will have a complete workout.

If possible, try to do it without any rest in between exercises. 

It's important to mention that these exercises can also be performed with wall balls and slam balls!

1. Back lunge with core rotation

Do a lunge backward while holding the medicine ball with your arms straight. Then, rotate your torso to the opposite side of the leg that is stretched and keep holding the ball. 

Return to the starting position and perform the movement with the other leg and rotate your core to the opposite side. Repeat this 12-15 times on each leg.

2. Wall Squat

Hold the ball behind your back, leaning against the wall, and keeping your torso straight. Then, squat down, as if you were going to sit in a chair so that your knees form a 90º angle.

The arms should be straight. Then you should hold the position for, preferably, one minute.

3. Russian Twist

Sit on the floor with your legs straight and hold the ball with both hands. Then, you should raise your legs, lean back a little, and rotate your torso from the left side to the right side, always keeping your core tight.

Repeat this movement without touching the floor with your feet and ball. 

When performing this exercise in the second round, reverse the movement. If you performed the exercise from left to right the first time, now you do it from right to left.

4. Plank

Perform the traditional plank, but instead of placing your forearms flat on the floor, you should support your hands on the ball.

This is an exercise that requires a lot of balance and concentration. Hold this position, holding a tight core for 1 minute. 

5. Squat

Perform a normal squat. However, in this exercise, you will have the medicine ball in your hands, always keeping your arms straight. 

6. Push up

Push-ups are one of the most complete exercises you can do. If you are unable to do it fully, just put your knees on the floor.

The medicine ball must be under the left hand and, on the second round, under the right hand. Or you can alternate your hands while doing the push-ups. This way, you can do both arms in the same set. 

7. Mountain climber

Place yourself in a plank position, with your hands on the medicine ball and with arms fully stretched, so that the body itself forms a straight line that goes up from the ankle to the head.

The mountain climber movement consists of taking the knees alternately towards the chest.

8. Bonus Exercises

Use the medical ball trampoline as an extra challenge and for a greater variety of exercises!

With the trampoline, you can perform push bounces, overhead bounces, oblique bounces, sit-ups, overhead lunge bounces, burpees, etc. Your creativity is the limit.

In addition to being able to be used with medicine balls, it can also be used with wall balls and slam balls!

You can see some of these exercises in action in this video!

Have a great workout!