There’s a lot of new types of equipment in many gyms, often taking attention away from tried and true methods for fitness, such as jumping rope. One of those undervalued pieces of equipment is the medicine ball. It’s been around for centuries. In fact, some believe that Hippocrates, the father of medicine, created it when he recommended a form of ball games to help patients get healthier. It was used by Athenians as part of their athletic training, too. Just like kettlebells, it has a long history.
The medicine ball can provide a full body workout.
While the medicine ball was once just popular with physiotherapists, to help patients recover, it’s become more popular because it’s versatile. Unlike the balls used by Hippocrates that were stuffed with animal skins for the ill to toss to improve their health, today the medicine ball comes in a variety of sizes and weights. Some have straps, some are inflatable and some are filled with sand. They all help you on the road to fitness when used properly.
Build strength throughout your body using the medicine ball.
Whether you want to build your upper body strength, work on lower body, build your core muscles or create that six-pack, a medicine ball can be part of your workout. Make sure you have the right weight of medicine ball for the exercise and your fitness level. Combine the medicine ball with traditional bodyweight exercises, such as lunges, to maximize the benefit of each one you do.
Build explosive strength using a medicine ball.
If you’re an athlete in a sport that requires power and explosiveness, a medicine ball can help. Throw the medicine ball or do squats while you throw it. It can help develop explosive power. It can also help improve awareness of the positioning of the body and increase range of motion. It also is used to improve speed and accuracy in sports.
- Using a medicine ball can be fun. It’s one reason it’s so popular. There are many exercises using partners that are done with a medicine ball and having a workout buddy adds to the fun.
- You can use a medicine ball to create more preparedness for boxing. One partner lies on the floor as the other drops the ball. The idea is to learn to anticipate blows to the stomach and return the ball to improve the speed of returned blows.
- Use of a medicine ball can help improve your balance. Doing certain exercises while holding the medicine ball can work muscles deeper and improve core strength, adding to stability.
- If you want to improve your performance for moves like swinging, throwing a punch or throwing a ball, the use of a medicine ball can help. Studies show it’s more effective for that than traditional strength training.
For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training