Medicine Balls

Many fitness fans might wonder why someone would need a medicine ball. Well, for one, medicine ball exercises can be an important tool for developing strength and power skills that can be applied to specific sports. Many sports movements involve acceleration while shifting and moving your body weight from side to side in order to complete a task. Medicine ball exercises permit activities that mirror the movements of a particular type of sport. For example, performing torso twists while throwing a medicine ball incorporates most of the same muscle groups as an athlete would use to deliver a forehand or backhand stroke while playing tennis.

Most movements in sports require some type of shifting, bending, rotating or balancing tasks. Without good movement skills, most people cannot perform the tasks in an efficient manner. Learning to throw and catch a medicine ball can help establish better movement skills. Working with medicine balls helps develop speed, strength and flexibility.

Medicine balls are also compact, portable, and affordable. Even if you aren’t a serious athlete in training for a specific sport, medicine ball training can help develop strength and coordination skills in increase your overall health, fitness and agility. Medicine balls are also relatively light compared to free weights and allow exercises to be performed explosively, building the reflexive strength skills so useful for athletic competition. Whether you are in training for a particular sport, or training for no sport in particular, you’ll build strength and coordination working out with a medicine ball.

Medicine Ball Workout Tips:

- Be sure to warm up thoroughly before working with a medicine ball.

- Choose a ball that feels heavy but does not slow the movement of exercise down.

- Don’t get sloppy for the sake of speed.

- Make sure you have plenty of space when performing drills.

- Do not hyperextend the spine when throwing from behind the head.

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