People have been using medicine balls for years as part of their workout routine. From swinging them to throwing them to lifting and moving them, there are many different ways you can use medicine balls to help you get a great sweat going. However, they’re often seen as something that is just nice to have instead of an essential piece of equipment.
But the truth is that there are numerous benefits to using a medicine ball in your home workout routine. They’re affordable, they take up very little space, and they can be used almost anywhere – even in your bedroom if space is at a premium. So why not give your workout an upgrade with one of these fantastic pieces of equipment today? Here are 5 reasons why you should be using medicine balls in your workout.
5 Reasons Why You Should be Using Medicine Balls in Your Workouts
1. They help you improve your core strength and stability
Medicine balls are often used during core fitness exercises. Core fitness exercises are those that focus on strengthening your core muscles – the muscles of your abdomen and back. They’re essential for helping you maintain good posture and reducing the risk of back pain when lifting heavy objects and while exercising. Your core muscles include your lower back, your abs, and your pelvic floor muscles.
The latter two aren’t always thought of as core muscles, but they do play an important role in maintaining your body’s strength and stability. Moreover, your core muscles play a crucial role in supporting your spine and helping you maintain good posture. If you have bad posture, you put yourself at risk of back pain and other muscle strains.
Your core muscles are also what keep you upright when you’re doing things like walking or even just standing still. They’re what allow you to twist and bend and lift heavy objects without causing injury to your back or spine.
2. They’re great for working your upper body
Medicine exercise balls can be used for upper-body exercises, such as throwing and catching them, lifting them overhead, and even lifting them to your chest. You can use them in all sorts of different exercises to work your upper body – they can help you with everything from strengthening your chest and back to building your arms and shoulders.
A lot of people choose to focus on their upper body when they’re working out with a medicine ball. This is because the upper body receives more attention in the gym than the rest of your body. It also helps improve your core strength and stability since your chest and back muscles work together with your core muscles to keep you upright and support your spine.
3. They help build strength and muscle
If you’re lifting a medicine ball, it is going to be much heavier than a dumbbell of the same weight due to its larger size. As such, it will provide you with a much more intense workout, helping you build strength and muscle much faster than a dumbbell would. Working out with a medicine ball often requires you to lift it above your head or even above your whole body – using your arms, legs, and core muscles to move the ball around.
This helps build strength and muscle much faster than if you were to just use a dumbbell. And because the ball is so much heavier than a dumbbell, you have to put more effort into lifting it. This effort is what causes the muscles in your arms and torso to build strength and get bigger. The medicine ball training program is good for power, muscular endurance and body conditioning. You can get a full body workout with the medicine ball training.
4. They’re portable and easy to travel with
Medicine balls are small, portable pieces of equipment that you can easily roll up and tuck away in a suitcase when traveling. They’re also light enough that you can easily carry them around with you when on the go. When you get to your destination, you can easily find a place to use them – whether that be in an empty room at a hotel, outside, or even in your hotel room if you’re staying in a cramped space. They can be used almost anywhere, making them ideal for travelers.
You can even use them sitting down if you don’t have enough space to move around while standing. They are also great for beginners because they can be used in so many different ways. As you progress and become more advanced with your workouts, you will want to move on to more specialized equipment. Medicine balls are the perfect first piece of equipment to help you get started.
5. They are great for cardio workouts
Medicine balls are often used in cardio workouts to help you speed up your heartbeat. They’re used in group fitness classes and at home with resistance bands to help you get a killer cardiovascular workout in a short amount of time. They often come in different sizes and weight varieties, helping you work your upper and lower body muscles simultaneously and quickly.
They’re used with a variety of different exercises, from catching and throwing the ball to passing it between participants. This helps to increase your heart rate and keep you moving quickly and efficiently.
Best Medicine Ball Exercises to Build Core Strength
1. Medicine Ball Chop
This exercise is great for your abdominal muscles. It will help you to burn a lot of calories. It also helps enhance muscle power, balance, and muscle strength. To do this exercise, stand and hold a medicine ball of your choice. Now drop it down between your legs and bring it up overhead; straighten out your arms. Do 3 sets of 15-20 repetitions of this exercise.
2. Medicine Ball Slam
This medicine ball exercise increases core strength and helps to work deeper muscles. It is also an effective exercise for targeting quads, shoulders, triceps, hamstrings and full body movements. To perform a med ball slam, begin by picking up the medicine ball. Bring it overhead, keep your core tight and push your butt backward and throw the ball down toward the ground.
At the same time, again repeat the same process. Pick up the ball and bring it overhead with your core tight, throw it on the floor and butt pushing backward, slamming down; you should be ending with your hands out to the side and a nice strong squat position with your glutes tight.
3. Side Ball Throw
The medicine ball side throw is an excellent exercise for developing rotational strength and full body power. Start with a lightweight ball. To do the exercise against the wall, first, you need to take an appropriate size medicine ball and get yourself in an athletic position. Position yourself perpendicular to the wall. Next, you want to apply force to the ground. Rotate your body up and throw the ball into the wall.
4. Medicine Ball Plank
This exercise focuses on building strength. To do this exercise, your entire body needs explosive power. To do this exercise, maintain a prone position with both hands on the medicine ball directly underneath your shoulders. Your weight will be supported by your hands and your feet. Perform this exercise for 30 to 60 seconds.
A more advanced version of this exercise is lifting one arm up and behind, holding for several seconds, returning to the starting position and repeating with the opposite arm. This makes it a challenging exercise. It increases your body’s strength. If you have explosive strength, then this exercise will be easy for you.
FAQ related to Medicine Balls
Are medicine balls suitable for the workout?
If you are quite new to resistance training, it becomes crucial to use medicine balls, which are an excellent tool that boosts your overall body coordination. In your daily workout routine, using medicine balls can help you improve your overall strength.
Why should I exercise with a medicine ball?
The muscle work in the exercise with a medicine ball includes shoulders, glutes, triceps, back, and hamstrings which helps you to build strength and power. Exercise with a medicine ball also spikes the heart rate and enhances your cardiovascular health.
What are the advantages of using medicine balls?
Medicine balls are easily available at a lower price in the market. Also, they are easy to use and easy to store. Using medicine balls in your everyday workout helps you to increase your strength and tone targeted muscles. At the same time, medicine balls are heavy and cumbersome, so one should use them carefully as they may increase the chance of injury.
How heavy of a medicine ball should I buy?
If you are a beginner to a medicine ball, then you should buy a medicine ball that weighs not more than 8 pounds. But if you are an experienced athlete, you use a medicine ball weighing around 16 pounds or more.
Which muscles do medicine balls target in the body?
Exercising with medicine balls generally target muscles in your lower and upper body. If you use medicine balls properly, then they build strength in your core muscles, upper back, glutes, triceps, quads, and hamstrings.
Conclusion
From providing a great core workout to helping you build muscle and increase your cardiovascular fitness, there are many reasons why you should be using a medicine ball in your workout routine. There are also different types of medicine balls, such as lightweight medicine balls, heavy medicine balls etc.
They’re portable and easy to travel with, and they can be used almost anywhere, making them the perfect piece of exercise equipment. The med ball exercises help to increase body strength and muscle power.
