Ryan Douglas
"September 6, 2021 Ryan Douglas Training
(Last Updated On: March 30, 2022)
If you are looking to add power and force to your workouts, effectively building up your athletic ability, there are two major ways to do this; performing Olympic lifts and using a medicine ball.
Olympic lifts are an incredible option for improving one’s power during their exercises. Not only do these lifts require tremendous amounts of strength and endurance, but the lifter must also have an amazing amount of concentration and coordination in order to lift the weight over their head as quickly as they do. Without question, if you are interested in improving your power, mastering the Olympic lift is a surefire way of doing so.
However, while lifting these weights may look easy, the reality is that it takes years of specialized training in order to perform these complex maneuvers without suffering an injury or straining a muscle. Even as a practicing athlete, you run more risk attempting an Olympic lift than any potential reward for the average person.
Medicine ball throws, on the other hand, while not able to produce the same incredible results when compared to Olympic lifts, can produce tremendous amounts of force and power. Not only that, but they can help you develop an impressive amount of power even without years of Olympic training.
There are many different power exercises you can perform with a medicine ball, and while many of them are great, some not as much. Below, we have curated seven of the best and most explosive medicine ball exercises you can do to increase your power and force production.
#1. MEDICINE BALL SLAM
If there’s any exercise people know about when dealing with the medicine ball, it’s the Medicine Ball Slam. This exercise offers a full-body workout, strengthening the arms and upper body, the core, and the lower body all at the same time. Because of this, the Medicine Ball Slam exercise requires a mixture of coordination, balance, speed, and overhead mobility in order to maintain proper form.
HOW TO PERFORM THE MED BALL SLAM
* To perform the exercise, stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart while holding the medicine ball in both hands.
* While raising up on your toes, bring the med ball over your head while extending your arms outward with your heels in the air.
* Then, hinge forward at the hips before slamming both your heels and the ball to the floor. Bring the ball down as hard as you can.
* As the ball is still bouncing up, extend out to catch it. This puts you in position to begin the next rep.
For a smooth transition from rep to rep, focus on catching the ball as it is bouncing upwards and immediately begin slamming it down again. Be careful of not bouncing it too close or far, as this will cause the ball to either hit you in the face or bounce at an angle away from you.
BENEFITS OF PERFORMING THE MED BALL SLAM
The Med Ball Slam is, first and foremost, a full-body exercise that works on the person’s core, hips, shoulders, arms, and lats. By focusing on posture and balance, the person strengthens their core, allowing them to launch out and explode stronger and faster.
This exercise is also a great exercise for strengthening the arms and upper body and refining the body’s hinge movements. These movements target the glutes as well as the lower back and hamstring. They are essential in performing most kettlebell swings, deadlifts, and barbell hyperextensions.
Related: Med Ball Slams: The Benefits and The Best Alternatives
#2. MEDICINE BALL SHOT PUT THROW
While not as famous as the Med Ball Slam, the Med Ball Shot Put Throw is a very useful exercise that offers numerous physical benefits. It strengthens the upper body, training the shoulders, chest, and triceps through explosive movements.
Not only is it a great exercise to do on its own, if you’ve stalled on your presses, these movements can open up your triceps, allowing you to push harder than before.
HOW TO PERFORM THE MEDICINE BALL SHOT PUT THROW
* First, stand perpendicular to a wall at about four feet away. Your feet should be just wider than hip-width apart.
* In this form, hold one hand under the ball and the other at its back.
* Keep your back elbow at shoulder height and place your weight on your back hip.
* Then, quickly and explosively shift all of your weight to your front hip, launching the ball towards the wall.
* As the ball bounces, catch it before launching out again.
You want the process to be as smooth as possible. To do this, be in position to immediately push the ball out again as it bounces towards you.
BENEFITS OF PERFORMING THE MEDICINE BALL SHOT PUT THROW
The Med Ball Shot Put Throw helps strengthen either side, allowing you to remedy any power imbalance between the two. It also helps improve pressing and rotational power by putting your muscles in the pressing position while they are shooting the ball out.
Related: Plyometrics for Faster and More Explosive Athletes
#3. STANDING POWER THROW/BOMB TOSS
While the Standing Power Med Ball Throw appears to use force from the upper body, this isn’t actually the case. In reality, as you are required to launch from a squatted position, all the power is coming from your lower body, moving upwards into your arms and chest. Because this is the case, the exercise is great for those looking to improve their leg muscles and lower body.
HOW TO PERFORM THE STANDING POWER THROW
* Get into a squat stance while holding the medicine ball at arm’s length. You should be using both hands.
* Keep squatting until your hands nearly touching the floor.
* Just as you are at your lowest position, explosively launch up, throwing the ball up into the air.
* Make sure to keep your eye on the ball, grabbing it after it lands and repeating the process.
BENEFITS OF PERFORMING THE STANDING POWER THROW
The Standing Medicine Ball Power Throw is an ideal warmup exercise for performing squats. The movement dramatically improves your lower body, strengthening your legs, thighs, and glutes along with your core.
Related: 10 Exercises to Build Power for Athletes
#4. ROTATIONAL MEDICINE BALL THROW
When working out, many of our exercises affect the core as well as hip rotators. This is particularly the case for most athletic sports professions like golfers, gymnasts, quarterbacks, and baseball players. Between playing any of these sports or needing to focus on your obliques, performing Rotational Medicine Ball Throws is something very important and definitely worth your time.
HOW TO PERFORM THE ROTATIONAL MEDICINE BALL THROW
* Stand between two and four feet from a wall, standing at your side. You should be holding the ball in both hands at your back hip.
* In one movement, launch the ball towards the wall towards the opposite side. You should be transferring your weight from your back hip to the front hip.
* As the ball bounces back, catch it from that same side before launching it from the other side. The process should be as smooth and fast as possible, and the force should largely come from the hips and not the arms.
BENEFITS OF PERFORMING THE ROTATIONAL MEDICINE BALL THROW
The Rotational Medicine Ball Throw strengthens the hip rotators as well as the core obliques. As your hip rotator grows stronger, you’ll be able to throw the ball faster and stronger. This exercise will result in explosive hip movements, mainly when performing deadlifts and hinge movements.[...]"
(For the rest of Ryan Douglas' article on The 7 Best Med Ball Exercises To Build Explosive Power click on The Athletic Build link above)
Ryan is a former college wrestler and lifelong fitness fanatic. He has run half marathons, done mud runs, placed in body transformation contests, coached wrestling, and now coaches girls’ soccer. Not to mention he has also tried literally hundreds of supplements over the years and has a vast and thorough supplement knowledge. He has written for Muscle & Strength, Testosterone Junkie, The Sport Review and other publications. He is also the editor-in-chief of this website and has over 25 years of experience in the fitness industry. Feel free to connect with him on his LinkedIn page below.
