Medicine Balls

A medicine ball is a weighted ball made in various sizes from about 9 to 14 inches in diameter.

It should not be confused with an inflated exercise ball, or swiss ball, used for crunches.

Medicine balls have surged in popularity in recent years and have a lot of uses for CrossFit, sports training, military training, rehabilitation, general strangth training, isolating the core, and tests of athleticism.

A common team exercise is for an athlete to hold the ball against his chest and then thrust it at another athlete, who catches it against their chest in turn. CrossFit exercises include the medicine ball clean, wall ball, and slam. Variations of ball throws can be done against a wall with a rotational torso movement. Various exercises are possible from your back, such as sit ups and leg raises. Boxers use them to increase core strength by having a ball dropped on their abdomen, simulating a punch.

Medicine balls are usually made of a leather or vinyl covered nylon cloth, and filled with heavy material to give them weight. Non-bouncing medicine balls are often filled with sand. Some medicine balls have an inner half sphere of dense material in varying thicknesses and seamed together with an outer rubber shell. Other medicine balls have a thin rubber bladder covered by a thick rubber outer surface. Medicine balls that are constructed with an inner rubber bladder and rubber outer surface incorporate an air valve to pump up the ball and increase the bounce. The outer rubber surface has a dimpled surface for easy handling.

Specialized medicine balls include ones with handles for non-throwing exercises. The handle allows the user to grasp the ball either with one or two hands and swing the ball in movements with the weight placed further from the body. Handles that are incorporated into the ball allow the user a closed grip compared to an open grip of a large diameter ball. The user may also put the handle around their foot and complete exercises with added weight to the lower body.

Another specialized ball has an attached rope through middle of the ball. These are known as powerballs or tornado balls. The user grasps the rope along any length and swings and rotates the ball overheard or around the body. The ball can also be chopped or slammed against the ground or a wall.

There are also med balls made of the size of a softball, baseball or the size and shape of a football for helping to generate strength and power in the throwing movement.