Anybody use these with any regularity? Seems they would be good for core muscle building, I'm just not sure how to use them. We have one at work (9 pound, I believe) and I will hold it with both hands straight is front of me and slowly pivot at the waist side to side. Any other good exercises? I don't have a partner to toss it back and forth to...

What you're doing are Russian Twists...try 'em while on a Swiss ball.

Another ex ...for want of a better name.. 'Ball Passovers'.

Lie on mat on back. Put ball between knees and extend your arms out back of you're head .

Bend knees. Lift up ball with knees while bringing arms up at same time.

At the high point pass the ball to your hands. Go back down to mat.

Then come up again and pass the ball to your knees.

Let feet touch floor. Let arms touch floor. Repeat for allotted reps.


You can also do weighted kneeups with the ball betwwen your knees.

Also....Sidebobs...put your hands behind your head with the ball in your hands and you standing with feet slightly apart.
Now go from side to side for as many as you like, while looking straight ahead and no twist or forward lean.

Although 9 pounds doesn't seem like much, it's more than you think.
For sidebobs I'd strat doing them with no weight at all until you're used to it.

You can also do Trunk Rotations...same idea and setup as Sidebobs except you carve circles . First one way and then the other. But the ball stays exactly in place behind your head.

or...you can fully extend your arms and carve circles with arms overhead. But the whole torso carves the circle...not just the arms.

There are a few (of the many) medicine ball exercises described here:

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/PowerExercises.html

I'm not sure why they're listed under plyometrics, however, as they don't really fall under that classification.

Without a partner, you become fairly limited in the number of exercises you can do unless your gym allows you to throw them at a wall (which also needs to be strong enough to take the impact, e.g. concrete, brick, etc.).

Anybody use these with any regularity? Seems they would be good for core muscle building, I'm just not sure how to use them. We have one at work (9 pound, I believe) and I will hold it with both hands straight is front of me and slowly pivot at the waist side to side. Any other good exercises? I don't have a partner to toss it back and forth to...

There are quite a few ways to use a medicine ball even just by yoursef.

1. Good for cardio and conditioning:

Hold the medicine ball over your head with both hands. Now leap into the air and slam the ball on the floor. The ball should bounce, height depending on which sort of medicine ball it is. Catch the ball, raise the ball over your head, and leap into the air in one motion, and slam the ball on the floor again.

2. Good for core strength:

Hold the medicine ball in front of you in both hands, and lunge. Now twist 90 degrees so that you are holding the ball over the front leg. Then back again.

3. Good for arm strength:

Pushups can be done on the medicine ball - one hand, two hands, one foot, two feet. You can pushup on and off the medicine ball. You can do a pushup on the medicine ball, roll the medicine ball over to a wall, do another pushup as it rolls back, and then pushup onto the medicine ball.

4. Good for waking up the whole gym:

Stand next to a wall. Slam the medicine ball against the wall and catch the ball coming off the wall.

There's tons of things you can do with medicine balls.

I'm not sure why they're listed under plyometrics, however, as they don't really fall under that classification.

Pushups on and off the ball are definitely plyometric. Leaps with floor slams are legitimately plyometric.

But you're right that not all medicine ball exercises are plyometric; Russian twists with a medicine ball are pretty much anti-plyometric unless you have a nervous disorder.

Pushups on and off the ball are definitely plyometric. Leaps with floor slams are legitimately plyometric.

But you're right that not all medicine ball exercises are plyometric; Russian twists with a medicine ball are pretty much anti-plyometric unless you have a nervous disorder.
I was referring specifically to the four or so listed on that link.

I was referring specifically to the four or so listed on that link.

It wasn't clear to me what that link means by "Upper body: Medicine Ball" since they don't elaborate. It's right under the clap pushups, though, so I figured that could include pushups on and off the ball.

Sure, they're okay for a few exercises. They're great for dynamic and explosive reps. Here are two I've done recently.

Try getting on a decline board, hold the ball and lay down and come back up (so, it's like crunches with you holding the medicine ball in front of your chest). When you come up throw the ball as hard as you can (like passing a basketball, hard) to a partner who is standing several yards away, and have him/her throw it back to you immediately after catching it. Then crunch back down and up and repeat.

Another one is this same chest pass from the floor. You can do this one alone. Just lie down on the floor on your back and throw the ball up into the air, catch it and repeat. You might need a heavier ball than what you've got for this one, eventually anyway.

I don't think either of these exercises are in my top 5, or 50 even (:)), but they're okay if only for trying something different once in a while. :tu:

Thanks all. Good ideas. I'm not sure if the drywall will appreciate me slamming the ball in to it;)

I'll some of these a try next time I am waiting for a machine to open up. I've never seen anyone even look at the medicine ball, so it's always there.

I'll some of these a try next time I am waiting for a machine to open up. I've never seen anyone even look at the medicine ball, so it's always there.

How long is the wait for free weights?

How long is the wait for free weights?


slim to none. the ball caught my eye one day when I was on the ellitical and noticed that it NEVER moves, so I figured I see what the deal was with.