Get your muscles burning with our medicine ball workout

Traditional equipment is making a comeback right now (thank you CrossFit), and we’ve discovered a particular weakness for the medicine ball. It’s efficient, takes up little space, and is ideal for a full body workout. Exercises like ball slams are also a great way to reduce aggression, for a win-win situation! You can use the heavy ball in several different ways (throw it in the air, hold it as an additional weight or, as we’ve already mentioned, slam it against the floor). It’s perfect for functional training and challenges your core muscles in particular – muscles that need to stabilize you during every movement. But don’t be surprised if you also feel your glutes and shoulder muscles. Best of all: training with the ball is a lot of fun! Try our medicine ball workout to find out for yourself.

The Warm-up:

Take 10 minutes to get your body ready for a work out. You can do some jumping jacks, bodyweight squats, lunges, torso twists or good mornings.

The Workout:

There are different types of medicine balls weighing from 500 grams to 10 kilograms. Pick a weight that you can use throughout your workout (rather than starting with a weight that’s too heavy and then having switch to a lighter one). Some balls are small and hard, others are big and soft. We prefer the latter, but you can use what you actually have available, of course.

The workout consists of 4 exercises. Complete all 4 exercises consecutively for 50 seconds each with 10 seconds rest in between. Then you can recover for up to 60 to 90 seconds until the next set starts. Complete a total of 3 to 5 sets.

The Exercises

#1 Ball Slam

Start in a stable stance with your toes pointing outward at an angle and the ball on the floor between your feet. Drop into a squat, grab the medicine ball and use leg strength to push yourself up into a standing position. Reach the ball overhead and slam it into the ground. Keep your arms long with elbows slightly bent. Repeat the whole thing at a fast pace.

Muscles: Core, shoulders, arms, wide dorsal muscles, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves.

Remember: Slam the ball explosively and powerfully, but always make sure you remain in control. Tighten your core.

#2 Reverse Lunge with Rotation

Start in a standing position, holding the medicine ball in front of your chest. Step your right foot backward, your heel not touching the floor, and bend your knees. Then twist your torso to the left. Step your right foot back to the starting position, then change legs.

Muscles: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core.

Remember: Make sure your upper body is straight. Keep your front knee stable and do not allow it to rotate with your upper body.

#3 Wall Ball

Holding the medicine ball tightly with your arms bent, stand facing the wall and about half a meter away. Squat low, explosively push yourself into a standing position and throw the ball up so that it hits the wall. Catch the ball, squat immediately, and repeat the exercise.

Muscles: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, shoulders, core, and arms.

Remember: Catch the ball before you drop into a deep squat.

#4 Lateral Wall Ball

Stand sideways and about 1 meter from the wall. In a stable stance and with your legs slightly bent, throw the medicine ball at the wall. The movement is a rotation with a return swing – your arms should only be slightly bent. Switch sides after 25 seconds.

Muscles: Core, shoulders.

Remember: Put some power into the throw so that the medicine ball bounces off the wall and you can catch it again.

Done? Good job! Time for a cool down. Learn how to cool down properly here.

More workouts from foodspring:

• This outdoor workout can burn fat with no exercise equipment
• The Secret to Getting Fit Without Ever Leaving Your Couch
• Your 30-Day Booty Workout for Strong Glutes