Adding weighted ball exercises to your fitness plan can boost your strength, coordination, and overall health. These balls, like medicine balls, come in weights from 2 to over 20 pounds. They’re great for all fitness levels, making workouts fun and challenging.
Key Takeaways:
- Weighted ball exercises offer a range of benefits, including enhanced muscle tone, endurance, and coordination.
- Beginners are recommended to start with four or six-pound medicine balls and progress to heavier weights over time.
- The provided routine consists of 10 medicine ball exercises that challenge the whole body and can be completed in just 20 minutes.
- These exercises target different muscle groups, promoting overall strength, endurance, and balance.
- Some examples of weighted ball exercises include squats, Russian twists, push-ups, lunges, and more.
By adding weighted ball exercises to your routine, you can elevate your fitness journey. You’ll see big improvements in strength, coordination, and overall health. So, why wait? Pick up a weighted ball and start making your workouts better!
Weighted Ball Squats
Weighted ball squats are great for working your lower body and core. They help improve balance and coordination. This exercise targets the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves, making it a key part of any fitness plan.
To start, pick a weighted ball that fits your fitness level. Beginners should use a ball of 4 to 10 pounds and increase the weight as they get stronger. Hold the ball at chest level and keep your back straight and knees in line as you move.
Start with 1-3 sets of 10 reps and move to 5 sets of 12 reps as you get stronger. You can mix it up by doing regular squats, squats with hand weights, or lunges. This variety helps work different muscles and burns more calories, boosting your strength and fitness.
Do weighted ball squats 2-3 times a week, resting in between to help your muscles recover. A good workout can last from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on how hard you’re pushing yourself. Always start with stretches to get ready for your workout.
| Benefits of Weighted Ball Squats | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| Engages the core | 1-3 sets of 10 reps initially, progressing to 5 sets of 12 reps |
| Improves balance | Select a weighted ball between 4 to 10 pounds |
| Enhances coordination | Incorporate different variations of squats with a weighted ball |
| Strengthens glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves | Perform weighted ball squats 2-3 times a week |
Weighted Ball Russian Twists
Weighted Ball Russian Twists are great for working the abdominal muscles and building a stronger core. This exercise makes you twist your torso from side to side while holding a weighted ball. This adds resistance, making it a top choice for strengthening the obliques and the whole core.
This exercise does more than just tone your midsection. It boosts rotational strength and improves core stability, which helps with better athletic performance. It also works many core muscles, like the internal and external obliques, and others, enhancing balance, stability, posture, and health.
To do Weighted Ball Russian Twists, start with a medicine ball that feels right for you and hold it close to your chest. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet lifted off the ground. Twist your torso to one side, touching the ball to the floor. Then, twist to the other side and repeat for the number of reps you want.
Keep your core tight and protect your lower back during the exercise. Start with a weight that challenges you but still lets you keep good form. Aim for 8-12 reps in three sets as a starting point.
If you’re new or have limits, you can modify the exercise. Beginners might start without weights or keep their feet on the ground for support. As you get stronger, you can use heavier medicine balls and try harder versions.
Twisting slowly can make the exercise even better for your obliques. By controlling your movements and focusing on form, you’ll get more muscle activation and see better results.
Adding Weighted Ball Russian Twists to your workout can strengthen your core, prevent back injuries, and boost your athletic performance. They’re great for targeting belly fat and love handles or for overall core strength and cross-training. These exercises are versatile and can greatly improve any fitness routine.
| Variations | Description |
|---|---|
| Weighted Twist | Hold a dumbbell, weight plate, or medicine ball at chest level or tap it to the floor during each twist. |
| Leg-Cross Twist | Cross one calf over the other as you twist to each side. |
| Punch Twists | Use a punching motion with your fists instead of weights for a cardio element. |
| Decline Twists | Sit on a decline bench while performing the twists. |
Weighted Ball Push-Ups
Weighted ball push-ups are a great way to boost your upper body workout. They add a challenge by using a weighted ball. This makes your core work harder and engages more muscle groups at once.
For these push-ups, put one hand on a weighted ball and the other on the ground. This makes it harder to keep your balance. It means your muscles work harder, making you stronger.
These push-ups work your chest, shoulders, and triceps. They also improve your core strength and stability. The ball makes your less strong side work as hard as the stronger side, helping you balance better.
Adding weighted ball push-ups to your routine challenges your triceps, shoulders, chest, and core. The ball adds resistance, making the exercise tougher. This helps your muscles grow stronger.
There are different ways to do weighted ball push-ups. You can use two balls, each weighing 5 to 12 lbs, for two-armed push-ups. Or try one-armed push-ups with a 5-10 lbs ball. These options let you make the exercise harder as you get better.
Kristian Flores, a top strength and conditioning coach, suggests placing your hands in external rotation on the medicine ball. This reduces wrist strain during push-ups.
To challenge yourself more, try doing push-ups with one foot off the ground or plyometric push-ups. These versions make your muscles work harder and improve your athletic skills.
Medicine balls are great for building power, strength, and fitness. Adding exercises like weighted ball push-ups to your routine brings new challenges and variety.
| Exercise | Repetitions per Set | Sets |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted Ball Push-Ups | 5-6 reps per side | 3-5 sets |
When doing weighted ball push-ups, keep your form right and listen to your body. Start with a weight that’s challenging but still lets you do the exercise well. As you get stronger, you can use more weight and try harder versions.
Adding weighted ball push-ups to your workout routine can greatly improve your upper body strength and stability. It makes your workouts more diverse and effective.
Weighted Ball Lunges
Weighted Ball Lunges are great for working your lower body, focusing on the quads and glutes. Adding a weighted ball makes the exercise harder, helping you build strength and tone. It also boosts your balance and stability, working your core for a full workout.
When doing Weighted Ball Lunges, you can hold the ball at your chest or stretch your arms up high. This makes the exercise even tougher and works your shoulders and arms too. It’s a good choice for people at any fitness level.
Weighted balls come in sizes from 6 pounds to 150 pounds. Women often pick slam balls between 10 and 25 pounds. Beginners might start with a 10-pound slam ball. Choose a weight that pushes you but keeps your form right.
Include Weighted Ball Lunges in your workout to strengthen your lower body, focus on your glutes and quads, and improve balance. Don’t forget to keep your form correct and get advice from a pro. Cathy Florakis at florakisc@jccmw.org or 914-472-3300, ext. 356, can help with personalized tips and guidance.
