7 Best Medicine Ball Exercises To Strengthen Your Abs

Using a heavy medicine ball can add so much to your workouts and help accentuate your physique. Not many people use this underrated piece of equipment, however it has a plethora of great uses.

In this list, we'll examine how you can use a medicine ball to build the perfect six-pack.

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Best Medicine Ball Exercises For Ab Strength

1) Crunches

Medicine balls can be used to take your crunches to the next level.

• Lie down as you would for regular crunches, with the ball close to your chest.
• Extend the ball outward and tighten your core.
• Then, push your core as you propell your body upwards, keeping it tight while you do so.
• Repeat this for several reps.

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2) Russian twists:

If you're tired of plain Russian twists with no weights, try testing the limits of your abs with a medicine ball. This will help your core get stronger and tighter, and make for a killer ab exercise.

• Lie down flat and bend your knees towards you.
• Grab the medicine ball and hold it slightly away from your chest.
• Lift yourself up from your upper back region, forming a boat-shape of sorts.
• Next, begin performing Russian twists with the medicine ball, remembering to keep your core tight during the exercise.

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3) Planks:

While it seems impossible to incorporate a medicine ball into a usually straightforward exercise, your planks can benefit from the addition of a medicinal ball.

• Get into standard plank position, only this time use the ball as a platform to rest your arms on.
• Lift your arms up and place them on the ball, ensuring that you maintain good posture and balance.
• Then, straighten out your body and begin your plank.
• Hold for as long as you can.

Planks with an added incline can increase core strength more effectively than generic planks, and your workouts could greatly benefit from this addition.

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4) Standing throw:

This one's a simple and fun exercise. You'll need a partner, but if not, a wall works just fine.

• Stand upright while keeping your core flexed.
• Using your core to generate energy, throw the ball towards your partner or the wall with as much force as you can.
• Remember, the greater the force, the more contraction, which means better abs.
• Put all your force behind each throw, and you'll be rewarded with a six-pack in no time.

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5) Leg raises:

This exercise will test precisely how strong your core is.

• Lie down on a bench or on a flat surface, and place the medicine ball in between the sides of your feet.
• Secure your feet if the need arises, but if you have faith in your feet's grip strenght, you might not need to do this.
• Following that, begin performing leg raises, making sure to keep the medicine ball safely between your feet.
• Bring your legs up to a right angle, and then bring them down slowly.
• Repeat for reps.

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6) Ball slams:

Arguably the most popular use of these, the ball slam is a great way to test your strength and simultaneously fire up your core.

• To perform this exercise, grab the ball and stand upright.
• Keep your core tight and flexed and use it to generate force.
• Place your feet slightly beyond shoulder distance and lift the ball up.
• With all your force, slam the ball down against the floor as hard as you can, just a few inches away from your feet.
• Pick up the ball and repeat.

This exercise is great as it builds strength throughout your body, but uses your core to generate throwing force, making it an optimal all-rounder choice.

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7) Side planks:

If you're looking for those picture-perfect obliques, you need to start doing side planks. While they're great on their own, side planks with the medicine ball elevate the exercise to a different degree of difficulty. Thus, it is advisable to gain a sufficient amount of experience and strength before moving to this exercise.

• For this exercise, lie on either side of your body and use the arm on that side to support the rest of your body.
• Place your feet on the ball, and ensure that you stay steady and keep your body straight.
• Hold for as long as you can, for razor-sharp obliques.

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Takeaway

Medicine balls can add a layer of tenacity to your workouts. If used correctly, they can elevate your core strength, far beyond what basic ab exercises are capable of. However, they require a great deal of balance and established core strength to do so.

If you're a beginner, focus on the basics and aim to build enough core strength to be able to perform these exercises. If you're an intermediate/advanced gym-goer looking to change things up in the gym, this is the perfect workout for you.