Just like everything else, different kinds of gym equipment come into and out of fashion. However, most of them never cease to be effective tools for improving your fitness. The medicine ball is a great example of something that has been sitting in gyms for more than a century, going between fame and obscurity.
However, throughout all of this time, it has remained just as useful bit of gym gear. For one, chucking a medicine ball around may lead to stronger joints, particularly the rather injury-prone shoulder joints. In a survey of handball players, which was published in the Journal Of Strength & Conditioning Research, adding six weeks of medicine ball throws to routine training improved isokinetic strength around the rotator cuff in addition to throwing velocity. The players in the study also profited from improved bench-rep scores and upper-body hypertrophy when they incorporated resistance training alongside their throws.
Available in varying sizes as well as weights (some up to 68 kg), these weighted spheres can assist with improving muscular power in addition to sports performance. Medicine balls can be thrown and caught which makes for explosive movements that can improve overall athletic ability.
Most of us know that a stability ball is a phenomenal way to exercise every part of your body, including your:
- Abs,
- Hips, as well as
- Thighs
Utilising a ball – whether you’re doing crunches, push-ups or using it as a weight bench – targets your abs, back and stabiliser muscles for a more dynamic workout. But what about performing these movements with a medicine ball?
How To Use A Medicine Ball
When selecting a weight, pick a ball that’s heavy enough to slow down the motion, slower than if you weren’t utilising any weight at all. Make sure that it’s not so heavy that your control, accuracy, or range of motion (or the person who is exercising next to you!) takes a hit. For each move, aim for between 10 and 15 reps — or as many that you can do with good form.
Like a stability ball, utilising a medicine ball requires a lot of work from your abs and back. This means that you must choose a weight which you can handle, usually between 1 and 4.5kg. The most movements start at the core so without strong muscles, you risk getting injured as well as looking silly in the gym. Making use of a medicine ball can help you train those trunk muscles the way that they work during daily activities and not just at the gym.
The fabulous thing about medicine ball training is that it can be aerobic and anaerobic (tossing the ball backwards and forwards) or you can utilise it as a strength training tool (as in medicine ball crunches).
Often, the most effective way to make sure that things are kept interesting is to change up your workout routine by introducing something different and medicine ball exercises are the ideal way to do this! Just remember that it is so important to balance your training days with rest days in order to ensure that your body recovers properly. This means that if you would like to use medicine balls as a full-body workout, it could mean swapping out one of your scheduled workouts for the week with a medicine ball routine.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
Medicine balls are an amazing addition to any workout. Want to learn more about exercises that you can add to your routine? Have a squiz at our Personal Training Diploma. As the gold standard in fitness education, you’ll know all that you need to know about becoming a world-class personal trainer.
