Medicine balls have been around for over 3,000 years, and they’ve been very busy that whole time.
Wrestlers in the Persian Empire made them out of sand-filled bladders and employed them in their grappling training. Hippocrates, the Greek physician sometimes called the “Father of Medicine,” stuffed animal skins and used them as a tool to help his patients built strength and recover from illness. Roman gladiators incorporated a version of them into their combat preparations.
In their current form, medicine balls can be found everywhere from rehab clinics to dojos to Pilates studios.
With that much history and that much reach, there are way more than five ways to get the most out of your medicine ball. But here are some of our current favorites.
Martial Arts
Medicine balls are a fixture in a wide range of martial arts training facilities, ranging from the most traditional dojo to the highest tech MMA facility. And for good reason. This simple but effective training tool is at the heart of a powerful sports-specific exercises for many martial arts.
For example, medicine ball sprawl drills where an instructor or training partner rolls the ball and a student stops it by sprawling on top of it helps grapplers to develop the proper form, timing, and hip pressure that they need to counter takedown attempts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, amateur wrestling, and MMA. And throwing drills develop the kind of strength, power, and mobility through the core and shoulder girdle that allows boxers to throw better punches.
Mobility Training
A medicine ball can help you improve your flexibility and mobility by gently increasing the range of motion of your stretches. Think of it as partner assisted stretching, but the medicine ball is giving you a little extra push or pull instead of another person.
Here’s an easy but effective one to get you started: Sit on a mat with your legs flat and spread a little wider than hip distances apart. Place the medicine ball close to your torso in between your legs and place the side of your right hand on top of it. Put some gentle pressure on the ball while rolling it forward and slightly to left. Bend forward to reach the ball further away from you until you feel the stretch through your back. Switch sides and repeat.
Stability Training
Anyone who has ever set foot in a gym knows that medicine balls are great for the core. Medicine ball Russian twists and sit-up throws are classics for a reason. But with a little creativity, you can work even more than your abs. Medicine balls are also effective training tools for working all of the smaller stabilizing muscles in the body. Which will give you stronger joints, better balance and increased body awareness in addition to a solid core.
Try doing a set of bodyweight squats with one leg planted firmly on the floor and one leg on top of a medicine ball. (And then switch and do an equal number of reps on the other side to keep things balanced.) This move will challenge your core and all of the muscles that support your hip as they work to prevent you from wobbling too much or falling over. Now try pushups with one hand on the floor and one on the medicine ball. This move works your core and all of the muscles that hold your shoulder girdle together.
If you’re looking for an extra challenge, you can also try doing a plank with both of your hands on medicine balls. Or try standing and balancing on two medicine balls!
Self Massage
A medicine ball can also contribute to better overall mobility by helping you work out the kinks in your fascia. With just a touch of ingenuity, you can use a medicine ball as a substitute for a foam roller, massage ball, or other self-myofascial release tools. Gently rolling with a medicine ball can help you tackle everything from a foot cramp to a tight IT band.
And even if you do have access to the latest foam rolling gear, a medicine ball could still come in handy for reaching certain parts of your body. There are some fitness experts who believe that the medicine ball’s shape and density makes it particularly useful for tackling the lower abdominal region.
Catch
If you like the idea of injecting a little physical activity into your recreational time but are bored by basic games of catch, why not take a medicine ball to your next beach day, park visit, or backyard BBQ? You can toss it back and forth with other people, challenge each other to see how high you can throw it, or even roll it to each other. That little bit of extra weight provides all sorts of different challenges that a football or beach ball can’t. And more importantly, it’s fun!
