How to train with a medball: 6 most effective exercises

To make your training plan interesting and effective, you need to study your equipment and understand what might come in handy and how you will use it. We continue to talk about sports equipment. Today we’re going to talk about the medball.

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Simply put, it is a heavy ball. Medballs come in different weights and configurations, there are models of 2 kg and 16. The shell can be rigid, like a basketball, or, conversely, may have a soft outer layer. Also medball can be with or without handles. The usual round ball is a classic and is applicable to all types of exercises.

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What is a medball for?

Anna Motina: Medball is designed for functional exercises. It allows you to significantly diversify the training process. For home exercises it is not particularly relevant, but for the hall or street – quite.

The peculiarity of working with the ball is that you can pump not only strength and endurance, but also agility. In the walls of the club is not so easy to find exercises for this skill, but with medball this task is greatly simplified.

In addition, the projectile brings to the training process an element of the game, which gives additional motivation. This is especially true for those who have been training for a long time and want variety. It would seem to be an ordinary ball, but with it even classic twists can play with new colors: put a trampoline in front of you on a slope and at the top point throw the medball so that it bounces into your hands.

How to choose the right medball?

Choosing the weight is a very responsible moment. It’s a trite but timeless truth – the effectiveness of your workout depends on it. Take a medball based on the tasks you set for yourself. For example, a ball weighing from 1 to 5 kg is suitable for working out the abdominal muscles. If you want to strengthen the shoulder girdle, you can take a heavier one – 6-8 kg.

You should not only start from the exercises, but also from your physical preparation. If you are a beginner, take a smaller weight, you won’t make a mistake. In the gym the question of choice is not very acute, you can try different balls.

Remember that the medball does not bounce easily from the surface. This is a weighted projectile, which means that it can be injured if you do not correctly calculate the load. The first approach should be started with the minimum weight and then increase it further, if the trial repetitions were given to you without difficulty.

How to exercise with a medball?

About the same way as with a regular ball, emphasizing that the projectile is heavy. If you want to throw the ball up, you need to be ready for the fact that on top of you will fly conditional 10 kg. You need to catch them and do not hurt yourself. There is nothing complicated in the technique itself, we will tell you more about it below. The weight decides everything.

Let’s assume that the exercise you are going to do consists of two basic movements, and if you manage to perform the first one with ease, it does not mean that the second one will be as easy. Approach everything wisely and don’t overload your muscles.

What muscle groups work when training with a medball?

There are a lot of medball exercises for every taste, so you can work any muscle group. We can single out the shoulder girdle. For him exercises with a weighted ball are the most. Back muscles, abs, chest and arms are also very qualitatively included in the work.

Exercises with medball

As we have already said, the medball is the most universal projectile and a great assistant in any training. Are curls and push-ups too easy for you? Try adding a heavy ball to your usual exercises and you’ll realize there’s still room to improve.

Twists

Technique

Starting position – lying down, legs bent at the knees, feet on the floor.
Take a medball in your hands and stretch them above your head.
As you exhale, smoothly perform a twist and place the ball between your feet.
As you inhale, take the ball in your hands, extend them and slowly return to the starting position.

Russian twists

Technique

Starting position – sitting, legs bent at the knees, back straight. The body is slightly tilted back.
Take a medball in your hands.
Turn the body to the left and touch the floor to your left with the medball.
Then turn your body to the right and do the same.
Breathe evenly.

Pelvic lift with ball support

Technique

Starting position is lying down, legs bent at the knees and stand on the medball.
As you exhale, lift your pelvis off the floor and lift it up, keeping your balance on the ball.
As you inhale, return to the starting position.
Perform the movements slowly, the higher you lift your pelvis, the better.

Throwing the ball into the wall

Technique

Starting position is standing with the ball in your hands.
Slightly bend your legs, one of them can be placed slightly forward to better keep your balance.
Throw the ball at the wall so that it bounces.
Then catch it back in your hands.
You can put a trampoline and throw the ball into it if the medball doesn’t bounce well off the wall.

Throwing the ball into the floor

Technique

Starting position is standing, ball in hands.
Throw the ball into the floor with such force that it bounces back into your hands.
As in the previous exercise, you can use a trampoline to make the task a little easier. But be prepared for the ball to become more difficult to catch.

Push-ups with ball support

Technique

Starting position – in a plank on the hands. One hand rests on the floor, and the second hand is on the ball.
As you inhale, bend your arms at the elbows and lower yourself down.
As you exhale, perform a push-up and return to the starting position.
After that, roll the ball to your other hand and repeat.

Anna Motina: to include the whole body, try to combine movements. For example, you can add throwing the ball into the wall while lifting from a squat position to your regular squats.