Long gone are the days of training with a tattered and bulky, leather medicine ball a la Rocky Balboa style. Today, medicine balls are far more versatile during a workout than virtually any other piece of gym equipment. Incorporating one into your workout is a great way to liven up your usual routine while taking your fitness to the next level!
Available in a variety of colors and weights—ranging from just one pound for those who need to take it easy, all the way up to 50 pounds for the real heavy hitters—their soft, rubber exterior and flexible handles make for easy gripping and movement, allowing you to use them while training with a partner or by yourself.
With exercises that work your chest, back, arm, ab, glute, hip and leg muscles, a main reason you see results with a medicine ball routine, is plyometrics. Plyometrics is a type of exercise designed to produce fast, powerful movements and create explosive performance. A go-to for strength training and fat burning, a medicine ball routine can be a plyometric workout because….
- It builds strength and explosiveness. Because medicine balls bounce, are flexible and can be tossed around, they allow you to workout using random movements and an increased range of motion that you just don’t get using a barbell, dumbbell or machine workouts. This allows you to incorporate more muscle fibers in your muscle building routines, helping you to build muscle faster. They are also great for resistance training.
- It raises your heart rate. The quick, explosive type exercises most often associated with a medicine ball routine raise the heart rate and allows you to enter target zone best for burning fat. They also are easily incorporated into a circuit training program, another big hit for fat loss.
- It is great for sport-specific athletes. Since they are easy to throw and catch, medicine balls can be used when simulating the motion of swinging a baseball bat, golf club, tennis racket, or when going up for a rebound, or throwing that discus, among many other movements used in sports.
Here are a few tips and guidelines when incorporating a medicine ball into your workout…
- Always warm up before starting a medicine ball routine.
- Ensure you have plenty of space when performing these drills.
- Complete your medicine ball routine before you begin a heavy aerobic or anaerobic workout that day.
- Though developing speed in your movements is important, do not do so as to sacrifice proper technique.
- Most importantly, choose a ball that is the right weight for you.
