Medicine Ball is a weighted ball that is also known as an exercise ball, a med ball, or a fitness ball.
The medicine ball is an all-around fitness accessory. Domyos gives you 5 great reasons for using this weighted ball (which comes in different weights). Give it a go right now, whatever physical activity you do!
Initially used by physiotherapists to re-train people after injury, the medicine ball has now become popular for fitness and sport in general. And rightly so.
These versatile balls range in weight from 1 to 10 kilos and come with a variety of very interesting exercises to do.
There are several different versions of the ball: with straps, with handles, inflatable, filled with sand.
There are numerous good reasons for using a medicine ball to help keep yourself trim!
Medicine Ball for Abs |
Workouts:
Knee-In With Med Ball
- Sit on a bench with a med ball between your knees; touch your feet together to form a diamond shape with your legs.
- Holding the bench for support, lift your legs from the ground and lean back slightly.
- Bring the ball towards your chest by bending your legs; at the same time, hinge forward slightly from your hips.
- Extend to return to the start, and repeat for two to three sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Make It Easier: Ditch the med ball, keep your feet together and splay your knees to the sides.
Bicycle With Weave
- Hold a medicine ball in your left hand and sit on a mat with your feet lifted from the floor as shown.
- Bend your right knee, bringing it towards your chest, and pass the ball under the right leg.
- Grab the ball with your right hand, then switch leg positions and reverse the move to return to the start.
- Continue fluidly for 30 seconds, then rest and repeat once more.
- Be patient: the move might be tricky the first time, but with a bit of practice, you will eventually be able to do it seamlessly.
Make It Easier: Cut out the pass (just cycle your legs).
Med-Ball Hip Lift
- Sit on a bench, gripping the edge on each side of your hips for support, and place both feet on a medicine ball, with knees bent.
- Contract your core, straighten your legs and lift your hips rearward to roll the ball away from the bench;
- your tailbone should be directed towards the wall behind you at the top of the move. Pause, then release and return to the start.
- Repeat for two sets of 10 reps.
Make It Easier: Only focus on lifting your hips straight up from the bench.
Med-Ball Roll-Up
- Lie faceup on an exercise mat, with your left leg straight and your right leg bent (foot flat on the floor).
- Hold a light medicine ball in your left hand and extend your arm towards the ceiling.
- Keeping your arm straight, roll your spine up from the mat, vertebrae by vertebrae, until you are in an upright position.
- Slowly reverse to return to the start. Perform two to three sets of five to eight reps, then repeat on your other side.
Make It Easier: Do the exercise without the med ball and keep both legs straight.
V-Up With Med-Ball Pass
- Lie faceup on a mat and hold a medicine ball with both hands.
- Flex your hips to lift your torso from the floor and bend your knees, bringing them towards your chest;
- concentrate on “scooping” your abdominal wall as you rise.
- With your body in a “V” position, pass the ball behind your thighs from your right hand to your left.
- Extend your legs to return to the start, then reverse the pass on your next rep. Do two sets of 10 reps in each direction.
Make It Easier: Touch your hands under your legs instead of passing a ball.
Seated Med-Ball Twist
- Sit on a mat with your legs bent and feet on the floor.
- Hold a medicine ball close to your chest, lift your feet from the ground and lean back slightly from your hips.
- Alternate rotating your torso from left to right. Do two 30-second sets.
Make It Easier: Plant your feet on the ground (shown), or remove the weighted ball and hold your hands in front of your chest instead.
BENEFITS OF USING MEDICINE BALL FOR WORKOUTS
THE MEDICINE BALL: YOUR BODY-BUILDING ALLY
First up, the medicine ball is a motivational fitness accessory that will breathe new life into your training while giving you a good physical workout. But above all, it is useful because of the numerous exercises that effectively train and strengthen all of your muscle groups. A word of warning: we recommend starting with the right weight to suit your level of physical activity and gradually increase the weight as you progress.
THE MEDICINE BALL: YOUR ABS’ PARTNER IN CRIME
As well as being perfect for strengthening your lower limbs (hamstrings, adductors and gluteal muscles), the medicine ball is just as good for your abdominals. There is a multitude of exercises and movements that you can do to build stomach muscle using a medicine ball. You can do lunges with chest twists (holding the medicine ball in your hands), standing twists alone or as a pair, core work, etc.
THE MEDICINE BALL: PERFECT FOR PHYSICAL PREPAREDNESS
Top-level athletes and sportspeople use medicine balls in training. They are very popular thanks to their versatility and fun side. They can be used for a range of movements and in plenty of sports by reproducing specific actions. In boxing, for example, they can be used for anticipating blows to your stomach (tense your abs while lying on the floor. A partner drops the medicine ball onto your stomach. Quickly give the medicine ball back to him to improve your speed). When used in warm-ups and training sessions for competitive sports, the medicine ball can really boost the speed and accuracy of your movements (when twisting, for example). As a result, it can also improve your proprioception (perception and awareness, or lack thereof, of how your body is positioned).
MEDICINE BALLS FOR GAINING POWER AND EXPLOSIVENESS
The medicine ball is perfect for developing power and explosiveness. Plyometrics (muscle contraction preceded by a stretch) help you to store up the energy that will be released when you tense the muscle. You can, therefore, use your medicine ball as a projectile for increasing the power of your throws, for example. You can do some exercises like squats combined with throwing a medicine ball alone (against a wall) or in pairs.
MEDICINE BALLS DEVELOP COORDINATION AND BALANCE
These fitness balls are also a must-have accessory if you want to improve your coordination and balance. In fact, you could vary the exercises by using the medicine ball to throw you off balance (when twisting your chest to work your obliques, for example) or improve your coordination. Doing exercises when off-balance helps to work deeper muscles, the ones that are vital to maintaining good posture. The result will be that you can exercise safely (better core stability, stronger back), as well as feeling the benefits in your everyday life. By using a medicine ball, you will be able to do movements that work an entire chain of muscles. This will develop your intermuscular coordination, build up your abs and lower back muscles, and burn more calories through using more muscle mass.
