Medicine ball exercises are nothing new in the fitness world. Benefits of using the ball include increased physical strength and improved sports performance. There are numerous top ball exercises that have been around for a while that aid in building strength and losing weight fast.
When using a medicine ball, you can balance and transfer weights that can be difficult to do with static or dumbbells alone. The weight of a medicine ball ranges from 2-20 kg. For improved control, you can always utilize a lighter exercise ball.
Best Medicine Ball Exercises to Lose Weight
A medicine ball is a great item to utilize in your training if you're new to the field of strength and resistance training. That's because it improves body coordination without putting too much strain on the joints.
Here are five best medicine ball exercises for men to include in their routine:
1) Medicine Ball Burpee Squat Thrust
The squat thrust is easy to do yet difficult on the body, heart, and lungs. It's a fabulous motion to incorporate in your routine cardio workouts to up the ante and improve endurance and boost weight loss.
Here’s how to do it:
- Stand straight up, with your feet hip-width apart and a ball in each hand.
- Drop to the ground, and drive the ball into the surface while extending your legs back.
- Leap your feet into a squat position in front of the ball.
- Lifting your hips forward as you rise up can help you return the ball to its starting position to complete one rep.
- Try to complete as many repetitions in 45 seconds, and rest for 15 seconds.
2) Lunge with Medicine Ball Pass
You can shape and strengthen practically every muscle in the lower body with lunges, including the hips, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. The added motion of the ball pass helps in toning the lower body muscles and losing weight.
Here’s how to do it:
- Place the ball at your chest while standing in a wide split stance.
- With the ball moving to the inside of your front leg and swiftly passing from hand to hand under your leg, lower yourself into a lunge by bending both knees.
- As you straighten your legs, pass the ball back over your leg.
- Try to complete as many repetitions in 45 seconds, adn rest for 15 seconds. Repear on the other side.
3) Medicine Ball Bicycle Twist
Bicycle twists have gained popularity for shredding and toning the abs. The adddition of medicine ball helps in increasing the stress in the core muscles, helping in reducing weight.
Here’s how to do it:
- Lie down your knees bent on your back,. Hold the ball directly over your chest.
- Curl your upper body; at the peak of the exercise, turn your torso so that the left elbow and right knee are in contact. While simultaneously extending your left leg, simulate cycling.
- Start again and repeat on the other side.
- Perform as many repetitions as you can in 45 seconds, and rest for 15 seconds.
4) Romanian Deadlift with Medicine Ball
This exercise helps focus on your balance in addition to the abs and leg muscles, which are frequently neglected. Deadlifts not only strengthen but also tone the muscles.
Here’s how to do it:
- Grasp a ball at arm’s distance in front of your thighs. Stand with your knees slightly bent and feet hip-width apart. The core should tense up.
- Without adjusting the bend on the knees, bend at your hips, and lower your torso till it’s virtually parallel with the floor.
- After pausing, raise your torso back to the starting position by tightening the glutes.
- After 45 seconds of exercise, rest for 15 seconds.
5) Knee Drive with Medicine Ball
Although knee drives appear to be a straightforward workout, performing several sets of this high intensity motion causes the heart to race, lower body and core muscles to contract, and you quickly begin to perspire.
Here’s how to do it:
- Begin with your right leg planted on the floor and left leg behind you, with your toes resting on the ground.
- Bring the ball out ahead of you, so that it almost creates a horizontal line with your rear leg.
- The ball should be brought down to meet your driven-up left leg.
- After 45 seconds of this movement being repeated, pause for 15 seconds. Change sides.
Takeaway
The use of medicine balls is widespread, from CrossFit workouts to strength training exercises, and can help develop your trunk muscles.
Due to the extensive stabilizing required when using medicine balls, which are a favorite of many people, these workouts typically burn more calories than the same exercises with weights.
Moreover, if you are new to exercise, it's advisable to start out lightly and easily with balls till you get a sense of how they relate to weight training or your bodyweight before you go heavy duty. That's because if you pick up a medicine ball for the first time and begin slamming it around without knowing how to use it correctly, you could seriously injure yourself.