Long before the advent of weights, dumbbells and high-tech fitness gadgets, there was the medicine ball.
This simple piece of exercise equipment has been around for over 2,000 years. Ancient Greek physicians used heavy animal bladders to rehabilitate wounded warriors. Hippocrates – the father of medicine himself – is said to have had his patients throw up stuffed skins for therapeutic benefit. The term “medicine ball” dates back to the late 19th century, where it gained popularity in American fitness circles and old school gyms. Teddy Roosevelt reportedly trained with one. So did turn-of-the-century warriors, soldiers, and circus strongmen.
Today, the medicine ball is often an underrated and underutilized tool. If you’re like many gym-goers, you’ve probably seen the rack of medicine balls, but you’re not quite sure what to do with them – other than throw them against the wall and hit the floor.
But there’s a lot more you can do with medicine balls than that, and their variety of uses parallels their variety of benefits: medicine balls add resistance without the stiffness of weights, and they train not just strength, but speed, coordination, balance, and rotational power. It’s an ideal tool for developing explosive power — a vital but often overlooked dimension of fitness that not only supports overall health, but helps avoid powerpenia, the age-related decline in muscle strength that’s key to aging well.
Below, we’ll break down some of the best old-school medicine ball exercises for building strength, athleticism, and general strength.
Basic Instructions
- Choose the right weight. For power and speed based moves, lighter is better (6–10 lbs). For slams or strength exercises, you can go heavier (12–20+ pounds). The ball should challenge you without slowing you down.
- Choose the right type of ball for the exercise. Use a softer ball for slams or partner work (also known as wall balls or “D-balls”) and a hard rubber ball for bounces and floor drills.
- Keeping fit. The goal is explosive, controlled movement — not throwing or jerking.
1. Breast fold
- Goals: Chest, triceps, shoulders
- How: Stand 3–5 feet from a wall or a partner. Hold the ball at chest height and power it straight out, like a basketball chest pass.
- Why: Builds strength and coordination in the upper body. Excellent warm-up for stressful days.
2. Spinning throw
- Goals: Core, obliques, hips
- How: Stand sideways against a wall, holding the ball at your hip. Twist your torso and throw the ball against the wall as hard as possible. Grab the rebound or recover and repeat.
- Why: Mimics the rotational force used in punching, swinging or throwing. It builds sports.
3. Overhead Slam
- Goals: Lats, core, arms, legs
- How: Lift the ball overhead with outstretched arms, then slam it into the ground with everything you’ve got. Squat to recover and repeat.
- Why: An all-out power move that creates explosiveness. A great workout finisher — and stress reliever.
4. Front Squat
- Goals: Quads, glutes, core
- How: Hold the medicine ball at chest height. Squat down, keeping your chest upright and elbows tucked in. Drive back up through the heels.
- Why: Adds load to a bodyweight squat and forces you to engage the core.
5. Russian Twist
- Goals: Reasons, abdominals
- How: Sit on the floor with knees bent, feet dangling or planted. Hold the ball with both hands and rotate one with the other, hitting the ground each time.
- Why: Builds strength and stability in the rotator core. It can be scaled by adding speed or weight.
6. Wall Ball Shot
- Goals: Quads, glutes, shoulders, cardio
- How: Stand facing a wall holding the ball at chest height. Squat, then explode and throw the ball at a target on the wall 8–10 feet high. Catch and repeat.
- Why: Combines strength, power and cardio. A brutal preparation tool.
7. Medicine Ball Push-Up
- Goals: Chest, triceps, core
- How: Place one hand on the ball and the other on the ground. Perform a push-up. Switch hands on each rep or after a set.
- Why: Increases instability and range of motion by hitting smaller stabilizing muscles.
8. Medicine Ball V-Up
- Goals: Abs, hip flexors
- How: Lie flat, holding the ball overhead. Simultaneously lift your legs and upper body, touching the ball of your feet at the top. Lower under control.
- Why: Requires coordination, flexibility and basic control.
9. Lunge With Twist
- Goals: Legs, core
- How: Holding the ball, step forward into a lunge. At the bottom, rotate your torso (and the ball) away from your front foot. Return to center and backtrack. Alternate legs.
- Why: Adds balance and core engagement to a classic leg movement.
10. Scoop Toss
- Goals: Buttocks, thighs, back
- How: Face a wall or a partner, hold the ball down, then explode up and forward, throwing the ball in a sweeping motion.
- Why: Mimics the articulation and extension pattern of jumping or Olympic lifting. Builds lower body strength.
Incorporating medicine ball exercises into your workout routine
Medicine ball work is a great supplement to calisthenics, sprints or kettlebell training. Or you can do them at the end of a weightlifting workout to improve conditioning. If you are going to use a medicine ball for this purpose, combine movements that complement your strength training. For example, if you hit your upper body that day with the weights, choose medicine ball exercises that emphasize the upper body, such as chest passes and overhead kicks. On lower body days, do front squats and lunges with twists.
You can even do a workout that consists entirely of medicine ball exercises. Here’s a short, intense circuit workout that hits every part of your body in just 20 minutes.
Medicine Ball Circuit Workout
Do 3–5 rounds of the following, resting 1 minute between rounds:
- Overhead Slams – 10 reps
- Front Squats – 10 reps
- Spinning Throws — 10 reps (5 each side)
- Russian Twists – 20 reps (10 per side)
- Wall ball shots – 15 reps
For an added challenge, finish with a 2-minute max-rep slam test.
The medicine ball is an old-school exercise tool that still has currency today. Once used by warriors, boxers and strongmen, it remains a valuable and downright fun training tool for developing explosive power and vital conditioning.
Illustrations by Ted Schlampiak
