The medicine ball is one of the more fun bits of gym equipment. That’s mostly because you use it for explosive exercises where you slam it into the ground or hurl it against a wall. However, there are plenty of medicine ball exercises that are still worthwhile even when you’re not chucking it about.

The medicine ball squat is a great progression from an unweighted squat, adding weight to increase the challenge to your lower body, while also boosting the benefits to your core strength simply because it’s quite awkward to hold a medicine ball and maintain your balance through the movement.

Of course, the other great benefit of using a medicine ball for your squats is that at the end of your set you can slam it into the floor to finish with a flourish. Can’t do that with dumbbells or a barbell. Or you really shouldn’t, at any rate.

How To Do The Medicine Ball Squat

Stand holding a medicine ball in front of your chest with both hands. Bend at the hips and sit back into a squat, lowering until your thighs are at least parallel with the ground. Drive through your heels to come back up to standing.

You can also hold the medicine ball above your head with your arms extended throughout the movement. This will improve your shoulder and arm strength, as well as increasing the challenge to your core because you are in a more unstable position while squatting.

Medicine Ball Squat Variations

Wall ball

We mentioned above that it’s great fun to chuck a medicine ball around and if you feel the urge to do so during your set of medicine ball squats, you can easily convert them into wall balls. To do this, stand close to a wall holding the ball in front of your chest. Lower into a squat and then, as you come back up to standing, throw the ball up high against the wall. Catch it as it comes back down and drop straight into another squat. Wall balls offer a fantastic full-body workout: very few muscles escape their attention, and they’re also great for cardiovascular fitness.

Medicine ball thruster 

If wall balls sound a tad too hard at this stage, or you just don’t have a convenient wall, then you can try the medicine ball thruster instead. This is also a full-body move and mainly differs from the wall ball in that you don’t chuck the ball in the air at the top of the exercise. Hold the ball in front of your chest, drop into a squat and then drive back up to standing, pressing the ball above your head as you do. Bring the ball back to your chest and lower into another squat.

Just like everything else, different types of gym equipment come in and out of fashion, but most of them never stop being effective tools for improving your fitness. We say most because some will never be particularly effective, no matter whether they’re in fashion or not – we’re looking at you, Shake Weight.

The medicine ball is a prime example of something that has been sat in gyms for more than a century, alternating between fame and obscurity. But throughout all of that time it has remained an equally useful bit of gym gear. For one, chucking a med ball around can result in stronger joints, especially the rather injury-prone shoulder joints. In a study of handball players, published in the Journal Of Strength & Conditioning Research, adding six weeks of medicine ball throws alongside regular training enhanced isokinetic strength around the rotator cuff, as well as improved throwing velocity. The players in the study also benefited from improved bench-rep scores and upper-body hypertrophy when they included resistance training alongside their throws.

To help you get the most out of the mighty medicine ball, we enlisted personal trainer and Multipower ambassador Leon Scott to select and explain the best beginner, intermediate and advanced medicine ball exercises, and we’ve thrown in a few ourselves.

Beginner Medicine Ball Exercises

Medicine ball squat

“Stand with your legs hip-width apart and your toes facing forwards,” says Scott. “Hold a medicine ball by the middle of your chest, pressing your hands into either side of the ball. Keep the ball in place as you hinge at your hips to lower into a squat. Aim to get your thighs parallel to the floor. Straighten your legs to stand back up and squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement.”

Lunge with twist

Stand holding a medicine ball in front of you at chest height – the further you extend your arms, the harder this exercise will be. Step forwards with your right foot into a lunge, lowering until both knees are bent at 90° while rotating your torso to the right. Reverse the movement, then repeat on the other side.

“During the lunge be sure to keep weight in the heel of your front foot to protect your knees,” says Scott. “You can also add the twist to walking lunges.”

Medicine ball plank

Kneel on the floor with a medicine ball in front of you. Put your hands on the ball and push up until your arms are straight, with your body forming a straight line from shoulders to feet. Hold the position. Because you’re supporting yourself on the unstable medicine ball your core is forced to work harder to keep your body stable.

“If performing the plank with your feet together is too tough, put your feet wider apart for a bit more stability, or start on your knees and build up from there,” says Scott.

Russian twist

Sit down on the ground, holding the medicine ball in front of your chest. Lean back so your torso is at a 45° angle to the floor and lift your legs, keeping a slight bend in the knees. Brace your core to maintain this position as you twist your torso to bring the ball over to one side, and then twist to the other side. Keep your movements slow and controlled – the aim is for the rest of your body to remain still as your torso twists. This is a great exercise for strengthening your obliques muscles.

Medicine ball high knees

This is a great cardio exercise which also challenges your core, a part of the body beginners should work on strengthening before anything else. Hold a medicine ball above your head with extended arms. Run on the spot, driving your knees up towards your chest. Aim to work for time – three sets of 30 seconds is ideal.

Medicine ball overhead raise

This is a great move for those just starting out because it develops your core and grip, both of which will be tested in the intermediate and advanced exercises. However, the benefits for shoulder health mean everyone should break it out from time to time, no matter their level of experience in the gym.

Stand holding the medicine ball in both hands by your thighs. Keeping your arms straight throughout, slowly raise the medicine ball until it’s above your head. You’ll get more out of the move if you raise and lower in a slow and controlled manner – three seconds up and three seconds down as a minimum.

Aim to complete three sets of five reps using a 3kg medicine ball to start with. As your strength develops, increase the weight, so long as your form doesn’t suffer.

Medicine ball pass

This exercise is great for your core, but you’ll need to enlist a partner. Lie on the floor with your feet meeting your partner’s in the middle, feet flat on the floor and knees bent, with one of you holding a medicine ball. Both perform a sit-up, using your core muscles to raise your torso, and pass the medicine ball to the other partner. Lie back down, then go into another sit-up and pass the medicine ball back. You can either hand the ball over or throw it (gently) to make the move a little more challenging.

Intermediate Medicine Ball Exercises

Medicine ball thruster

Stand holding a medicine ball against your chest. Drop into a squat, then push back up and extend your arms to press the ball overhead. Bring the ball back down to your chest and repeat.

“Make sure to keep your weight on your heels for the squat and your elbows soft when extending overhead,” says Scott.

Medicine ball slam

“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the medicine ball at arm’s length in front of you,” says Scott. “Brace your core and raise the ball overhead until you feel a stretch in your abs, but don’t bend backwards. Slam the ball as hard as you can into the floor, drop down into a squat and catch the medicine ball on the rebound.”

Torso twist

“Stand with your legs hip-width apart, toes facing forwards, with a slight bend in the knees,” says Scott. “Hold a medicine ball in the middle of your chest and press your hands into the sides of the ball. Keeping your hips still and facing forward, twist just your torso left and right at a moderate-to-fast pace.”

Lateral reach pull

“Stand with your legs hip-width apart and toes facing forwards,” says Scott. “Hold a medicine ball in your hands and extend your arms up and to the right so the ball is above and in front of your right shoulder. Then move your left leg diagonally behind your body to create one long line from the medicine ball to left ankle. Lower the medicine ball to your chest while raising your left knee to meet the ball. Then extend the ball and leg back to the diagonal.”

Once you’ve worked through all the reps on one side, repeat on the other.

Lunge woodchop

This combination of two well-known exercises hits muscles all over the body, and the twisting motion involved is a great way to mix up your workout routine – too many of us stick with forward/backward and side-to-side movements in the gym. It’s a particularly good move for your core because you’ll increase the challenge to your balance as you shift the weight during the lunge.

Stand holding the medicine ball over your left shoulder with your arms extended. Step forwards with your right foot and lower until both knees are bent at a 90° angle. As you lower, bring the medicine ball down and across your body to the outside of your right knee, keeping your arms extended as you move it. Then push back up to a standing position and, as you rise, take the medicine ball back above your shoulder. Do all your reps on one side, then switch.

Wall ball

This CrossFit favourite is a natural step up from the medicine ball thruster, so master that compound exercise first. To perform the wall ball, stand a couple of steps back from the wall, holding the medicine ball by your chest. Drop into a half squat, then explode up, pressing the ball into the air and launching it at a high point on the wall – CrossFit boxes will often have painted lines to aim for. At first, let the med ball fall to the floor before you pick it up for the next rep, but to up the intensity catch the ball and go immediately into the next rep.

Medicine ball plank drag

This plank variation livens up the move and adds a surprisingly large amount of difficulty when done right. Start in a high plank position, with your hands directly underneath your shoulders, and the medicine ball on the floor underneath your chest. Maintaining a strict plank position, lift one hand and roll the medicine ball over to that side. Then return that hand to the floor and repeat the movement with the other hand. Keep your hips as level as possible while moving the ball – if you’re bucking as you grab the ball, go back to the standard plank to increase your core strength before trying the drag again.

Rainbow slam

The overhead slam is a fantastic exercise, but it’s worth adding a rotational move like the rainbow slam. This will get your body working in another plane of motion, hitting the muscles involved from different angles to increase your functional strength and all-round resilience. It’s also a move that quickens your pulse and fits well into HIIT workouts.

Stand with a medicine ball on the floor on your right side. Squat down, bending your knees and pushing your hips back, and reach to pick it up in both hands. Keeping your arms straight, raise the ball on your right-hand side and over your head, rotating through your torso to slam it down on your left side. Squat quickly to catch the ball on the bounce, then lift and rotate to slam it down on your right side again.

See related 

• The Best Medicine Balls Of 2021
• When To Use Medicine Ball Exercises
• Hit Your Abs With This Medicine Ball Workout
• The 15-Minute Medicine Ball Workout That Challenges Your Core

Advanced Medicine Ball Exercises

Alternating-arm medicine ball press-up

“Get into a press-up position with your right hand on the ball,” says Scott. “Lower your chest towards the floor and then push up and to the right, bringing your left hand onto the ball and swiftly moving your right hand onto the floor in one fluid motion. Reverse the direction for the next rep and keep alternating back and forth. You can make this even harder by performing the press-ups explosively so your hand rises off the ball and you switch hands in mid-air before going into the next press-up.”

Half-kneeling rotation wall throw

This rotational move is great for your core but can be tricky to do correctly at first, so work on your rotational strength first with moves like the Pallof press using a cable machine, or the Russian twist using your medicine ball. Start on one knee, side-on to a wall, with the other knee bent at 90° and your foot flat on the floor. Hold the medicine ball outside the hip that’s furthest from the wall in both hands with your arms straight. Twist your torso to throw the ball at the wall, then catch it and rotate back to the starting position. Make sure you’re using the twist of your torso to throw the ball, rather than your arms and shoulders.

Burpee thruster

“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with a medicine ball on the floor in front of you,” says Scott. “Squat down and place your hands on the ball. Then jump your feet back to land in the top of a press-up position, balancing on the ball with your hands. Jump your feet forwards again, stand up, and press the ball overhead. You can add a jump at the top for a greater cardio challenge.”

Overhead scoop throw

This explosive move makes for an enjoyable and effective addition to your routine, but you do need a lot of space – we’re talking an empty playing field or sports hall here – especially as you become more proficient at throwing the ball. Stand holding the ball in both hands. Hinge at your hips to lower the ball towards the floor, then explode upwards and throw the ball up and over behind you. You’re aiming to throw it as high and as far as you can, hence the need for a lot of space. You don’t need to use a heavy ball or do a vast amount of reps to get the most from this move, just focus on form and throwing the ball a long way.

Medicine ball leg raise

The leg raise isn’t a move to be sniffed at, so make sure you can complete three sets of the standard move with perfect form before attempting this weighted version. Once you’re ready to progress, pick a medicine ball no heavier than 6kg and lie on your back with your legs extended, holding the ball between your feet. Keeping your legs straight and under control, raise them until they point straight up, pause, then lower as slowly as you can.

Medicine ball slam and spin

This one will have you spinning round, right round like a record baby. As you bring the medicine ball above your head, jump and spin 180° in the air, completing the slam once you’ve landed. Try to squat down and pick the ball up as it bounces. It might feel awkward at first, but before long it’ll become fluid and when it does it’s mighty enjoyable.

Aim to keep your back straight throughout and bend your knees slightly when landing to minimise jarring. If the jump proves too tough, just spin around without leaving the ground and work up to the jump.

Most stress-fighting solutions revolve around calming yourself down, breathing deeply and perhaps even listening to the gentle tones of whale song. However, sometimes this isn’t going to cut it, and the best option is to hit or hurl something as hard as possible until exhausted.

The medicine ball slam is therefore not only an excellent compound exercise that will work out a variety of muscles, but also an immensely satisfying way to shed some stress without actually breaking anything (assuming you direct your slams into the ground accurately).

There’s very little the medicine ball slam doesn’t do. Muscles all over the body are exercised by the movement, with your core and upper back bearing the brunt of the action. Doing repeated reps also raises the heart rate in dramatic fashion, so fans of high-intensity interval training should be greatly enamoured with the exercise.

How To Do The Medicine Ball Slam

Start by selecting your medicine ball. Remembering that you don’t want it to be too heavy, unless you’re very sure it’s not going to smash through the floor onto whatever’s below. If you’re really worried on this front, a sandbell might be a smarter option.

The actual exercise is simple to follow. Start by standing with the medicine ball in both hands out in front of you. Press it overhead until your arms are straight, then summon all the reserves of frustration built up over your day and slam the medicine ball down to the ground.

As you slam follow the ball with your body by squatting down towards the ground. Try not to bend at the hips. As the ball bounces up, grab it and push upwards again. Or if using a sandbell, which will not bounce, scoop it up off the ground and push up out of the squat.

Repeat for three sets of 12-15 reps, or do as many as you can in a set time as part of a HIIT workout.

If you want to raise the difficulty of the medicine ball slam one excellent option is to do it while standing on a Bosu balance ball. The challenge to your balance will work your core muscles all the harder as you try and stay upright while slamming away.

See related 

• The Best Medicine Balls Of 2021
• The Best Medicine Ball Exercises For All Levels Of Gym-Goer
• When To Use Medicine Ball Exercises
• Liven Up Your Training With These Slam Ball Exercises

Expert Tips

“When you perform the triple extension, focus on it so that you extend your arms above your head when you’re on your tiptoes,” says Jack Lovett, owner of Spartan Performance gym. “There are two ways of doing that. The correct way is to reach straight up to the ceiling. I don’t want you to move your arms behind your head as if you were taking a football throw-in.”

“I’m always looking for quality of slam,” says Lovett. “When I’m coaching people I tell them to execute power moves with ‘bad intentions’. It’s how it hits the floor that matters – I can tell how well a client is doing without looking at them because I can hear the impact of the ball and judge the quality of the rep by the sound it makes.”

“The majority of the movement is at the hips,” says Lovett, “so it is similar to a Russian kettlebell swing. When you throw the ball, your hips hinge backwards to bring in your glutes and hamstrings. Your aim should be to come down as violently as possible.”

There are a few things that will have a significant impact on determining whether or not you hit your training goals, and the biggest one is turning up to the gym in the first place. If you’re not there, you’re not exactly going to get the results you’re looking for, are you? There are things you can do to ensure that you don’t skip sessions, and one is to make them enjoyable – and one of the easiest ways to do that is to incorporate throws into your workouts. They’re one of the few opportunities you get to go all-out, which makes them satisfying on a primal level. Even better, this explosive style of training has plenty of physical benefits too.

“Power movements are, for me, the ultimate pre-workout cocktail,” says Jack Lovett, owner of Spartan Performance gym. “They excite your central nervous system, which is like your mind sending a signal to your muscles, and we want that message to get there as quickly and as efficiently as possible.”

They’re also a great way of helping you to maximise the potential of your session. “Research has shown that the right power drills can also improve your strength training performance within a session,” says Lovett. “For example, in some studies, when subjects did box jumps before squats their squat strength increased compared with those who didn’t do the jumps.” The benefits are clear: they get you fired up, they get you moving more athletically and they give your strength training a boost. Here are some key moves, with Lovett’s expert coaching advice, to unleash next time you train.

If you have access to a slam ball, we’d recommend using them rather than medicine balls for throwing moves. Slam balls tend to be more durable and they also tend to bounce less than some medicine balls, which can make it easier to manage when you’re trying to catch or gather them between reps.

Ball Slam

"I’d generally use this before a training session that focused on hip-hinge movements, such as a deadlift workout,” says Lovett. “You want to slam the ball as hard as possible, as if you're trying to throw the ball through the floor. One reason I like to use this move is because it has a novel quality – I’m not there to entertain my clients but the biggest factor in whether or not a programme works is adherence so if we can make the session more fun, that’s great. And considering that it’s an all-out explosive exercise, there’s not very much that can go wrong. Having said that, I did know someone who broke their nose when doing slams because the ball bounced back up and hit them in the face, so I get clients use a slam ball – a soft ball – rather than a med ball when we do this move.”

How to do it

Hold a med ball or slam ball in both hands by your stomach. Powerfully raise your hands overhead with straight arms so that you go into triple extension, which means you simultaneously extend at the hips, knees and ankles. From there, slam the ball into the floor as forcefully as you can by bringing your arms down in front of you and hinging at the hips. Catch the ball on the bounce, reset and repeat.

When to do it

“I’d use this move after you’ve warmed up as a primer for the main lift of the session and as a central nervous system activator, but it doesn’t have to be restricted to that part of the workout. You could also put it at the end of a workout with your core work. I might also superset it with kettlebell swings to create a short and intense metabolic conditioning circuit.”

How to use it

“I don’t like to use too many reps because the movement quality will drop and you lose the effectiveness of the exercise. If it’s early in the workout I’ll get the client to do three to five sets of three to five reps with full rest between sets because it’s not about testing their fitness or ability to recover – it’s about generating force. If you’re training for power, the total amount of volume in a single session would ideally be about 20 reps. If it’s later in the workout I might get them to do three sets of ten. The power will drop somewhat, but it’s still a valid exercise that will get the heart rate up.”

Wall Ball

"This is a brilliant metabolic conditioning move and it is one of my absolute favourites – as long as it is used for the purpose it is designed for, which is developing the thruster movement pattern where you go from a squat to a throw," says Lovett. "It's popular in CrossFit but unlike some other CrossFit moves, which can be high-risk, this is relatively safe to do, even for higher reps. I wouldn’t give this exercise to a complete beginner or to teach someone how to squat, but if they can already squat well – particularly if they can do a good goblet squat – then it’s an excellent way of getting a full-body training effect. You don’t need to be able to squat double bodyweight before you use it. You just need a solid foundation. I also like the fact that you aim for a point on the wall because that adds a skill and co-ordination element."

How to do it

Stand facing a wall, ideally with a target marked on it higher than your head. Hold the ball in both hands and squat down, then explode up to throw the ball at the target. Gather the ball, reset and repeat.

How to use it

“I’d put it in as an assistance exercise or as a metabolic conditioning exercise at the end of a session,” says Lovett.

See related

• The Best Medicine Ball Exercises For All Levels Of Gym-Goer
• When To Use Medicine Ball Exercises
• Six Ways To Train With A Medicine Ball
• The Best Medicine Balls Of 2021

Overhead Scoop Throw

“This is my personal favourite for developing explosive power – even more so than the Olympic lifts,” says Lovett. “The reason is that it involves uninhibited triple extension. You see, when you do an Olympic lift you have to catch the bar, which involves controlling the deceleration to complete the move. With this throw, you don’t have to control the deceleration. It’s also incredibly easy to teach and learn – I could teach 20 people to do this move in one session. The only catch is that you need a lot of space. It’s also a bit more awkward to set up and carry out than the slam and it is slightly more complex so needs to be used a bit more judiciously. I reserve this exercise for people who want to increase their rate of force development and become more explosive. It works because you can quantify how well you’re doing by seeing how far the ball has been thrown. That also makes it a good one to do with a group of competitive people because you can try to beat each other. It’s a move that I find everyone enjoys doing, and it tends to have a positive impact on the application and attitude within a session.”

How to do it

Start with the ball in both hands. Hinge at the hips to lower your torso towards the floor, then explode upwards and throw the ball up and behind you. Aim to finish in triple extension, with your hips, knees and ankles extended.

The movement is similar to the Russian kettlebell swing in that you use a hip hinge movement to get into position. When you release the ball, you want it to go as high and as far back as possible.

How to use it

“As with the slam, I’d suggest three to five sets of three to five reps with complete rest for power development. It is very taxing on the body so I prefer to use lower sets and reps. You don’t need to go heavy on this move – I rarely go above 3kg.”

Half-Kneeling Rotation Wall Throw

“There are a number of different rotational throws you can do but one I particularly like is the half-kneeling rotational wall throw,” says Lovett. “I mainly use this as a component of core training, and I find it works really well for people who want to develop a more athletic kind of fitness. It requires a degree of co-ordination and discipline – a lot of people let their arms and shoulders take over, rather than letting torso strength power the movement. It’s also not something I’d do straight away. I’d start with planks, then move on to an exercise such as a Pallof press [a cable pressing move done side-on to a machine to add an element of anti-rotation] and then I’d go on to this type of throw. There’s a high value in static holds but when you’re training your core, there’s an attraction to using rotational, dynamic movements. I find that makes things more engaging.”

How to do it

Stand side-on to a wall, then lower into position so you’re on one knee with both knees bent at 90°. The foot that’s closest to the wall should be flat on the floor and you should be on the toes of your other foot. Hold the medicine ball with straight arms outside the hip that’s furthest away from the wall. With your torso facing forwards, chop up and across your body and throw the ball so it hits the wall at shoulder height. Catch it and repeat the move until you have completed the set. Do an equal number of reps each side.

When to do it

“I wouldn’t use it at the beginning of a workout because it’s not meant to stimulate the central nervous system,” says Lovett. “It’s a core-specific exercise so it’s better to deploy it towards the end of a session.”

How to use it

“Again, this is similar to the slam so I use three to five sets of three to five reps,” says Lovett. “It’s all about quality, not quantity. You should use maximum effort but have the discipline to maintain the correct body position.”

If you’ve never used a medicine ball for your workout then you’re missing out. They’re about as old-school as training equipment gets, but they’re still found in gyms everywhere for a reason – they’re a brilliantly effective training tool.

Medicine balls are particularly useful for explosive movements, and there’s no better exercise for relieving stress in the gym than the medicine ball slam, where you hurl one into the ground as hard as possible. You can’t do that with a dumbbell, unless your gym is really very laid-back about the state of its floors.

They’re also great for core exercises and moves where you put your body in an unstable position to challenge your balance. The six-move workout below is a mix of explosive exercises and core moves. It will challenge your entire body and get your heart pumping, and all you need is a medicine ball and a bit of space. And we promise after one round of this workout, you’ll never doubt the effectiveness of the medicine ball again.

How to do the workout

Do the six exercises in order, sticking to the rep counts detailed, without resting until you finish all the reps of the sixth and final move of the circuit. Rest for two minutes, then repeat the circuit. Do three circuits in total. As you progress you can add another circuit.

1 Squat press

Reps 10 Rest 0sec

Hold the ball with both hands at chest height. Squat down as low as you can, then stand back up and press the ball directly overhead until your arms are straight. Lower it back to the start position, then go straight into the next rep.

2 Rotating lunge

Reps 5 each side Rest 0sec

Hold the ball with both hands above your head. Take a big step forwards, bending both knees until your back knee is bent at 90°. As you lunge, rotate your torso in the direction of your leading leg. Return to the start and repeat on the other side.

3 Press-up

Reps 6 Rest 0sec

Place both hands on the ball, then raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Do a press-up, ensuring that your elbows do not flare out to the sides as you lower. If you can’t do a single rep, perform the move on your knees. 

See related

• The Best Medicine Balls Of 2021
• The Best Medicine Ball Exercises For All Levels Of Gym-Goer
• Medicine Ball To The Wall Power Workout
• Hit Your Abs With This Medicine Ball Workout

4 Slam

Reps 10 Rest 0sec

Hold the ball with both hands at chest height. Raise it overhead, then explosively slam it down in front of you. Catch it as it bounces and repeat the move. Aim to do each slam as forcefully as you can and keep the tempo high.

5 Russian twist

Reps 10 each side Rest 0sec

Start in the top of the crunch position, holding the ball in both hands. Rotate to one side and then the other, keeping your abs engaged. That’s one rep. If you want to make the move even more challenging you can raise your heels slightly.

6 Roll-out

Reps 6 Rest 2min

Start on your knees with both hands on the ball. Make sure there is tension on your abs, then slowly roll the ball forwards to lower your torso to the floor. Reverse the movement back to the start, then repeat the move. It’s important that as much of your bodyweight as possible is over your arms rather than your knees. This forces you to keep your abs tensed, so you work them harder.

Photography: Glen Burrows. Model: Jack Green@WModels

The phrase “balls to the wall” does not, against all expectations, have anything to do with testicles. Instead it derives from the world of military aviation and the handles on the throttle control levers, which are ball-shaped. To achieve maximum power pilots would push these balls forward as far as they went, to the cockpit wall. Hence “balls to the walls”, signifying all-out effort.

Coincidentally, all-out effort is what’s required to get through a session of wall balls, undoubtedly one of the best medicine ball exercises. This testing compound exercise, beloved of the CrossFit community, is second only to the burpee for inducing muscle-aching exhaustion.

The whole body has to work while performing wall balls. The squat part of the exercise focuses on the lower-body muscles—your quads, glutes, calves and hamstrings—before the throw section powers up your chest, back, shoulders and arms. The entire movement also works the core and gets the heart pumping.

Doing wall balls quickly becomes a race to see what stops you first—screaming muscle pain or lung-busting exhaustion. It’s worth the effort though, because this exercise will make you functionally fit, increase your VO2 max (put simply, how efficiently your body uses oxygen) and improve the way you move—in life and sports.

How To Do Wall Balls

First, select your medicine ball. The weight recommended in CrossFit workouts is 20lb/9kg for men and 14lb/6kg for women, but you can adjust it to suit your fitness. The fitness race HYROX has the same standards as CrossFit for Pro competitors, but dials this down in the mass-participation competition to 14lb/6kg (men) and 9lb/4kg (women).

If you’re working out in a CrossFit box, there will usually be a wall with heights marked (10ft for men and 9ft for women) so you can keep each rep consistent.

Once you’ve sorted your ball and your wall, hold the former up to your chest and face the latter. Drop into a squat until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Then push up through your heels and maintain that momentum to throw the ball against the wall. Catch the ball on the rebound and immediately drop into another squat. Make sure you don’t stand too far away from the wall—you don’t want to waste momentum and power by throwing the ball too far forward and leaning over to catch it.

How To Improve Your Wall Balls For CrossFit

If your CrossFit workout includes wall balls you need to prioritize speed, preserving your strength and avoiding “no reps” (not meeting CrossFit’s exercise standards, so it’s not counted). 

To help you master those three elements, we spoke to Reign Total Body Fuel-sponsored athlete and professional CrossFitter Aniol Ekai, who shared his top tips for more efficient reps. 

“The most important thing for beginners is to stand an arm’s length away from the wall,” says Ekai. “If you stand too close to the wall or too far away, you risk a lot of no reps and you might start being pushed forward or backward by the ball.”

His second tip concerns saving your muscles, which is a good idea if you’re tackling a lot of wall balls, as you do in the Girl WOD Karen (a Girl WOD is a subset of CrossFit benchmark workouts named after women), which is simply 150 wall balls done as quickly as possible. 

“Don’t stay with your arms outstretched at the top of the movement,” Ekai says. “If you do just 15 or 20 then you won’t get tired, but if you have to do 100 or 200, that’s going to be three or four minutes standing with your arms above your head, and that’s going to make you really tired.”

Finally, continue to breathe regularly and stay relaxed. There’s nothing like a few breathless reps to jack your heart rate up to a level that’s not sustainable. 

Wall Ball Workout Ideas

Do 10 to 15 reps for three sets or build them into a circuit—simply try to cram as many reps as possible into the interval prescribed. 

Or you can take a lesson from CrossFit classes and build them into a simple 21-15-9 workout with another exercise, doing 21 reps of each, then 15 and finally nine. For example, you could do wall balls and burpees, completing the whole thing as fast as possible.

If that sounds tough, stop reading now, because wall balls featured in CrossFit Open Workout 23.1 and it’s even tougher: a 16-minute AMRAP of 60-calorie row, 50 toes-to-bars, 40 wall balls, 30 cleans and 20 ring muscle-ups.

1. Throw from the floor

One of the simplest movements you can do with a medicine ball is also the most effective. “Lie on your back and throw the ball upwards, keeping your arms extended until you catch it,” says trainer Adam Wakefield. “Do three sets of five explosive reps.”

Why do it? If you do this after you warm up but before you bench, it’ll ensure all your high-threshold motor units are firing, making your bench pressing more efficient – and also more effective at building muscle.

2. Turn on the spot

Working your core’s rotational muscles isn’t easy, but it’s necessary – you’ll use them in everything from throwing punches to passing a rugby ball. “Stand near a wall and fire the ball into it with either a side throw or a one-handed movement,” says Wakefield.

Why do it? You’ll engage your obliques, serratus and transverse abdominis, which means you’re recruiting often-unused muscle fibres via the explosive movement.

3. Be a toss leader

You’ve seen the World’s Strongest Man keg toss, right? If not, YouTube it, then thank your lucky stars you’re throwing a ball overhead rather than a metal barrel. “Do three sets of six, and keep every rep explosive and sharp,” says Wakefield.

Why do it? Most explosive hip movements force you to decelerate at the top – even the kettlebell swing and Olympic lifts. This lets you explode fully, so you’ll build power with zero slowdown.

4. Get up, get down

If sport-specific conditioning is the aim, mimicking the chaotic conditions of a match is key. You’ll need to push through this one: start a stopwatch and take the ball from ground to overhead 30 times, doing five burpees every minute.

Why do it? “My favourite med ball conditioning workout – I’ve done it with a 50kg ball wearing a 10kg vest in 6min 25sec,” says Wakefield. “Use a ball that you’ll struggle to do ten reps in a minute with.”

See related

• The Best Medicine Ball Exercises For All Levels Of Gym-Goer
• Hit Your Abs With This Medicine Ball Workout
• The 15-Minute Medicine Ball Workout That Challenges Your Core

5. Push and slam

“This one looks simple on paper, but it’ll blow your upper body up,” says Wakefield. “Do 21 reps of press-ups and ball slams, then 15 of each, then nine, 15 and 21 again. Extend every rep fully at the top and aim to finish in under eight minutes.”

Why do it? By (hopefully) never hitting muscular failure, you’ll be able to push through this at speed, bringing in opposing muscle groups and pushing your conditioning to the limit. It’ll also guarantee quite the pump.

6. Unleash the bastard

Not the sadistic PT within – a bastard is a burpee with a strict press-up at the bottom. “The bastard cousin is the opposite movement,” says trainer Michael Blevins. “It’s a rolling deck squat where you go from your back to a standing position, then into a slam.”

Why do it? You’ll challenge your balance and proprioception (your body’s positional sense) as well as your conditioning. Also, all those deck squats will help your hip mobility.

Reclaim your abs, 500 calories at a time, with this rapid medicine ball circuit from coach Andrew Tracey. “This is next-level full-body Tabata conditioning,” says Tracey. “High intensity is key here, especially if you’re using a light med ball. It has to be all-out, balls to the wall on every set.”

All you need is a med ball and a sturdy floor to slam it into. The movements will work every part of your body, building functional power, while the relentless on/off nature of the Tabata intervals will kick your heart rate up to a fat-strippingly high pace.

Directions

Do each of the six exercises in order for 20 seconds, resting for ten seconds between them. Complete four rounds of the circuit for a total of 12 minutes, take a three-minute rest, then go again. To progress, increase the weight if you can, or try to do more reps in each period of effort.

Although the med ball adds resistance, you’re primarily using your bodyweight to burn calories here. When you can’t make it to the gym, sub in a football, which is just as good as long as you keep the movements explosive.

1 Ninja get-up

Hold the ball in both hands and kneel on the floor. Drive your hips up and forwards powerfully and use the momentum to land in the bottom of a deep squat, then stand.

Tip This is a dynamic move to kick things off, so warm up with light cycling or bodyweight squats first

2 Slam

Hold the ball high above you with straight arms and slam the ball hard into the floor, using your core to generate power. Catch the ball as it bounces up and continue into the next rep.

3 Reverse lunge

Hold the ball with both hands and take a big step backwards. Lower until your front thigh is parallel to the ground, keeping your body upright and glutes strong.

Tip Going backwards with your lunges challenges your calves, hamstrings and glutes to work harder

4 Rolling press-up

Get in a press-up position with one hand on the ball and lower into a press-up. As you drive back up, roll the ball across your body and repeat the press-up with your other hand on the ball.

5 Thruster

Hold the ball at chest height. Lower into a squat, keeping your knees wide apart, your heels down and your back straight, then drive back up and press the ball above your head until your arms are straight.

Tip Crank up the heat by turning these into wall ball squats. Face a wall and throw the ball high against it as you stand

6 Straight-arm twist

Hold the ball with your arms straight and parallel to the ground. Rotate your torso to bring the ball from one side to the other, using your core to accelerate and decelerate each rotation.

For more from Andrew Tracey visit wayofthenomad.co.uk

Unless it proves actively harmful to your health, no piece of fitness equipment ever goes completely out of fashion. Even now people mount penny-farthings for events and purchase chest-expanders from questionable TV adverts.

The medicine ball is another old school piece of kit that remains just as useful as it ever was, even if it’s ditched the heavy leather look for a sleeker style. Medicine balls have come a long way from the brown leather spheres of old – and any home gym would benefit from the addition of one of the modern versions that can be used for a wide variety of exercises, especially as part of a HIIT circuit.

Browse medicine balls on amazon.co.uk

One great way to incorporate this throwback weight into your gym routine is the medicine ball crunch. As you’ve probably guessed, the medicine ball crunch is a great core workout, and your abs will certainly feel the strain of a full set. It’ll also improve the strength and flexibility in your arms and shoulders, and if you opt for a little throw and catch, your co-ordination should benefit as well.

RECOMMENDED: Medicine Ball To The Wall Power Workout

How To Do The Medicine Ball Crunch

Start on the ground, with your knees bent and the medicine ball held against your chest. Extend your arms out above you in a straight line. Keep them straight as you perform a sit up, and then reach back as you come down, so the medicine ball touches the ground behind your head. Repeat, for three sets of 15 to 20 reps, or whatever interval you’ve set for circuit training.

RECOMMENDED: Crunch Exercises for Building a Six-Pack

If you want to get a little spicy with your sit-ups, locate a wall and bounce the medicine ball against it as you come up and catch it before you head back down. You’ll probably want to use a lightweight medicine ball for this one, or even just a football, unless you’re not especially attached to your security deposit.

When you think of explosive power, your first thought is likely of sprinters or strongmen who need to move a weight (or themselves) from point A to point B as quickly as they can. But building explosive power won’t just make you faster or stronger, it will also help you build more lean muscle mass in less time. That’s because the quicker and harder you can contract a muscle, the more weight you can lift, and the more tension you can place upon it both during the concentric (lifting) part of a rep as well as the eccentric (lowering) part too. Fortunately, improving your explosiveness is simple. Try this five-move workout that requires just one bit of kit – a medicine ball – to fire up your muscles and build the explosive speed and power that will transform your training and performance, as well as your physique.

RECOMMENDED: Medicine Ball Exercises

How to do this workout

This workout has five moves. The first four moves are paired in supersets. Do all five reps of move 1A, rest for 10sec, then do all five reps of 1B, then rest for 60sec. Repeat this for five sets, then move on to moves 2A and 2B and follow the same pattern. The final move is performed as a straight set. Focus on keeping your abs, lower back and glutes engaged for every rep of every set to keep your body stable and improve power transfer between your upper and lower body.

Pick a med ball at a weight that allows you to perform all the exercises explosively – the main aim here is to develop speed.

1A Sledgehammer

Sets 5 Reps 5 Rest 10sec

How Bend at the hips to lower the ball. Stand and raise it, then return to the start position quickly.

Why Moving the ball from in between your legs to over your head requires explosive power.

Progression Hold yourself in the bottom position for one second.

1B Press-up

Sets 5 Reps 5 Rest 60sec

How Get in a press-up position with your hands on the ball. Lower, then press back up quickly.

Why The ball’s instability works your core hard, and you must press explosively to return to the start.

Progression Slamming the ball into the floor then catching it will force more abs muscle fibres into action.

2A Squat jump throw

Sets 5 Reps 5 Rest 10sec

How Squat down, then stand up quickly and launch the ball up. Catch it on its way down.

Why It requires significant force to jump up off the ground and launch the ball skywards.

Progression At the bottom of the move, thrust your legs behind you and perform a press-up on the ball.

2B Throw

Sets 5 Reps 5 each side Rest 60sec

How Hold the ball in one hand, then pivot your hips to launch it towards a wall or partner.

Why You must generate explosive power from your heels to your hand to propel the ball forward.

Progression Increase the reps to ten per hand in each set to push your muscles harder.

3 Crunch swap

Sets 4 Reps 10-12 Rest 60sec

How Start with the ball behind your head. Crunch up and put it between your knees. Keep your heels off the floor for the duration of the set to keep your lower abs engaged and work your muscles harder

Why Moving the ball between your hands and knees fires up your core muscles to move the ball.

Progression Use a heavier ball to increase the workload on your abs muscles.

Is your training on the ball? It should be. Training at home doesn’t always allow the movements modern medicine balls are designed for – being flung across a room at high velocity, say – but the instability they provide can help you to hit your stabiliser muscles without taking chunks out of your walls. Ultimately this will significantly boost your core strength, allowing you to lift heavier in the long run. 

Directions

Do this core-strengthening session once a week as a supplement to your regular gym sessions.

1 Crossover press-up

Sets 3 Reps 8

Adding imbalance and a unilateral challenge to your press-ups will force your chest to explode (not literally). Simply perform a press-up with one hand on the ball, change hands at the top, and repeat on the other side.

2 Close-grip round-the-clock

Sets 3 Reps 3 each side

Hit your triceps hard. Starting with both hands on the ball, walk your feet in a semicircle. Keep your glutes and core braced and your back and hips in line. If you’ve got a big living room you can try the full circle, you massive show-off.

3 Roll-out

Sets 3 Reps 5

This is like the classic abs wheel move but with more time under tension. Start with your hands on the ball and knees on the ground. Roll the ball away from you, one hand at a time, until your torso is as close to horizontal as possible, then reverse back to the start.

4 Glute bridge

Sets 3 Reps 10

Another classic move with a spherical twist for an added stability challenge. Start with both feet on the ball and your upper body on the floor. Raise your hips explosively into the air, then lower under control.

5 Russian twist

Sets 3 Reps 12 each side

The one you’ve seen before, but harder. Sit on the floor with your knees tucked and feet slightly raised. Touch the ball to the floor to one side of you – that’s what makes it tougher – then the other. Slower is better.

Medicine balls have been around since moustachioed gentlemen were flinging them around gymnasia during Queen Victoria’s reign. And, er, probably before that. But are medicine ball exercises actually an efficient use of your training time? Yes – if they fit with your goals. Here’s the easy-to-remember version, alongside a must-do move for each one.

Throwing

This is the best reason to use med balls – and the one thing it’s difficult to do with any other bit of gym kit. “However fast you press a dumbbell or barbell, you’ll have to spend the last part of the move decelerating it,” says strength coach and strongman competitor Jack Lovett. With a medicine ball there’s no need for that, so you can accelerate throughout the move, helping you to build power. Use overhead throws to mimic sporting movements.

Must-do move: Rotational medicine ball throws

Benefit Developing explosive rotary power

How to do it Pick up a fairly bouncy medicine ball and stand 120-150cm from  a sturdy wall. Throw the ball at the wall while explosively rotating through your shoulders and hips. When the ball bounces off and rebounds back towards you, catch it and get ready for the next throw, performing rep after rep in quick succession. Do as many reps as you can handle then switch sides. 

Slamming

You might have tried supersetting bench presses with explosive press-ups, or heavy squats with jump squats, but what do you use to train your pull-up muscles explosively? Easy: med ball slams. Hoisting the ball aloft and slamming it into the Tarmac/mat/floor works similar muscle groups to the pull-up, and will give you a decent cardio hit into the bargain. For best results, try to catch it on the bounce.

Must-do move: Explosive medicine ball slam

Benefit It may sound like a special move from a videogame but this exercise will help to develop explosive upper-body power quickly.

How to do it Start with the medicine ball held over your head. Explosively slam the ball just in front of your feet, using your entire body for the movement. If you’re using a bouncy ball, watch out for that rebound. Continue to replicate the move for your designated number of reps. 

Balancing

A dose of instability in your training can mix things up and provide a fresh training stimulus to your muscles. The med ball press-up is a classic – just put both hands on the ball and get going.

Must do move: Medicine ball push-up

Benefit Strengthening your core

How to do it Start the exercise in a traditional push-up position, palms placed on the medicine ball, with your bodyweight shifted forward until in the plank position. Keep your core tight throughout and your head aligned with your spine, slowly lower your chest toward the medicine ball until they almost touch, ensure you keep your elbows pinned to your sides. Complete the move by pressing upward through your arms until they're back to the fully extended start position. Try to complete 12 reps. 

The medicine ball core rotation is one of those exercises that looks simple – so much so that you might not consider adding it to your medicine ball workouts. However, looks can be deceiving, and it’s actually an unusually tough core exercise because there aren’t too many moves that require rotational movement.

Read on for more about the benefits of the medicine ball core rotation, a form guide for the exercise and a tough medicine ball workout you can use it in.

Medicine Ball Core Rotation Benefits

Many moves that work your middle involve moving forwards and backwards, like the sit-up. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the best core workouts will also involve twisting exercises to target the midsection in a different way. The medicine ball core rotation engages muscles you might not already be using much in your workouts, but you will be in your day-to-day life – every time you twist to grab or pass something, for example.

That’s the main benefit of the move, though you’re also engaging the arms – particularly the biceps – to hold the ball at length throughout the exercise, so there are some bonus strength gains to be had there.

How To Do The Medicine Ball Core Rotation

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the medicine ball out in front of your chest with a slight bend in your elbows. Twist your torso to one side to move the ball that way. Keep your core braced and focus on moving the ball by twisting your torso, rather than just moving your arms. Aim to turn at least 90°, then come back to the centre and twist to the other side.

Medicine Ball Workout

This workout is short but far from sweet, and the frenetic pace at which you should do it will ensure you feel every minute of action. The aim is to do as many reps as possible of each of the four exercises, working for one minute at a time and resting for just 20 seconds between moves. If you have time you can go for another round or two, or try tacking this on to the end of your workout as a first-class finisher.

You need a pull-up bar, a kettlebell and a medicine ball for the workout.

1 Round the world pull-up

Time 60sec Rest 20sec

Start in a dead hang, holding the bar with a wide overhand grip. Pull yourself up so your chin is above the bar directly behind one of your hands. Pull your body across the bar until your chin is behind your other hand. Lower under control to the starting position. Repeat in the other direction.

2 Medicine ball core rotation 

Time 60sec Rest 20sec

As above. 

3 Goblet squat

Time 60sec Rest 20sec

Hold a kettlebell by your chest. Drop into a deep squat so your bottom ends up lower than your knees, then push through your heels to drive back up.

4 Burpee

Time 60sec Rest 20sec

Start in a press-up position, with your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. Jump your feet forwards so you end up in a tuck position with your hands still on the floor. Explode up into a vertical jump, lifting your hands above your head. Land softly and go straight back to the press-up position.

There are lots of ways to throw medicine balls during your workouts and most of them are fun. The best medicine ball exercises involve slamming or swinging the ball around, providing both stress relief and a fitness-boosting challenge to the body.

The medicine ball squat throw, which is very similar to wall balls, is a little different in that you have to be a bit more careful with your throws, but since it also involves catching a ball – always fun – it’s another enjoyable move to add into your medicine ball workouts.

Medicine Ball Squat Throw Benefits

The medicine ball squat throw works muscles throughout the body: the squatting part of the move hits the lower body and the throw works the upper. It’s also a great way to get your heart pumping during cardio workouts, and a great addition to a HIIT circuit.

How To Do The Medicine Ball Squat Throw

Stand about 1.5m from a solid wall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the ball in front of your chest. Lower into a deep squat and look up at the point on the wall you’re planning to hit when you throw the ball. 

Start to throw the ball towards the wall as soon as you begin to rise. Aim to hit the wall about 1.5m above your head. Straighten your arms at the end of the throw so your hands are as close as possible to the ball as it falls. Catch the ball, controlling its descent to chest height, and then lower into another squat.

Medicine Ball Squat Throw Workout

Now that you know the move, use it in this quick 15-minute AMRAP workout. You’ll be doing rounds of three moves. Aim to complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes. 

1 Medicine ball squat throw

Reps 20

2 Around the world pull-up

Reps 5 each side

Grip the bar 1½ times shoulder-width apart. Pull your body up and to one side until you’ve got your chin next to one thumb. Pull your body towards the other end of the bar until your chin is next to your other thumb. Lower to return to the starting position. You can alternate the direction you move in each rep, or do all your reps on one side and then switch.

3 Woodchop lunge

Reps 10 each side

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell above one shoulder in both hands. Lunge forwards, chopping the dumbbell across your body as you go so it ends up next to your opposite hip. Push back up and return the dumbbell to the starting position. You can either alternate sides for the reps, or do 10 on one side and then switch.

RECOMMENDED: How to Master the Press-Up

Target : 5kg medicine ball

Sets : 3

Reps : 20 (10 each side)

Medicine ball passing press-up, step 1

• Start in a press-up position with your arms one-and-half times shoulder-width apart and your feet shoulder-with apart.
• Palm a medicine ball with your left hand.

Medicine ball passing press-up, step 2

• Lower down until your face is only a few centimetres from the floor.
• Keep you body in a straight line as you lower.

Medicine ball passing press-up, step 3

• Press up explosively, rolling the ball from your left to right hand as you go.

Medicine ball passing press-up, step 4

Medicine ball passing press-up, step 5

• Start lowering down.
• Keep you body in a straight line as you go.

For the third of this four-part series, you’ll be doing a medicine ball complex. But before you get stuck into the ball work, you need to bang out a load of pull-ups. “Why?” you ask. Because the pull-up is the king of the upper-back builders and will balance the pushing work you’re doing on the bench so you don’t end up hunched over. It’s also a good way to keep track of your relative strength: if your max pull-ups figure stays the same but you’re putting on weight, then you’re getting stronger.
 
“I don’t like people doing weighted pull-ups until they can do 12 clean reps unweighted,” says strength and conditioning coach Zach Even-Esh, who programmed this series. “If you can’t do that, try 'greasing the groove' by doing multiple sets of a few reps, say three or four every 30 seconds for five minutes.” Check out our pull-up form guide, if you want a simple guide to the bog standard pull-up.

How To Do The Workout

If you’re already fairly decent at pull-ups, aim to do between three and five warm-up sets, and then do three serious sets (or ‘work sets’) with a weight that’ll challenge you even for a low number of reps.
 
Once you've done the pull-ups it’s time to move onto the medicine ball complex. “This is a classic metcon workout,” says Even-Esh. “It may be short but it's a killer. The idea of the workout is simple: do 10 reps of all the exercises back to back. That's one round. If you've still got something left in the tank, cycle through the complex again.”

1. Reverse woodchop
2. Passing press-up
3. Russian twist
4. Overhead squat

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

In This Series

• Introduction
• Pop-up press-up
• Medicine ball jackknife
• Wide-grip pull-up
• Human knot
• Leg pull
• Lower back stretch

Stokes' tip: 'Your core is important in surfingbecause the force generated from your movements travels backwards andforwards through your feet to your hips then into your torso and thisexercise strengthens that kinetic chain.'

Sets : 3

Reps : 10

Medicine ball jackknife

• Hold the medicine ball securely between your feet and brace your abs.

Medicine ball jackknife

• Crunch your legs into your chest and reach up with your arms.

Medicine ball jackknife

• Continue the ball's arc by taking it behind your head without touching the floor.

In This Series

• Introduction
• Variation: One-leg gym ball leg curl
• Variation: Gym ball hip raise and leg curl
• Variation: Double medicine ball leg curl

Two legs, two balls. Extra co-ordination is required to pull off this move, making your core work hard to keep your body straight.

Double medicine ball leg curl: Step 1

• Place a medicine ball beneath each calf.

Double medicine ball leg curl: Step 2

• Drag them both beneath you until your heels are on the balls.

Medicine ball rotational press

Sets 3 Reps 8 each side

This move targets your arms, abs and shoulders with a rotational movement, which is controlled by the core for a functional, testosterone-boosting training effect.

Brace your core and rotate your whole torso as you press the weight overhead. Avoid tilting the angle of your shoulders as you rotate.

Medicine ball incline knee raise

Sets 3 Reps 10

The resistance of the ball is added to that of your legs to hit your lower abs hard for sustained muscle growth.

Push your lower back into the bench and don’t lower the ball too far. Start with a light weight but add more once you’ve achieved perfect form.

Medicine ball curl-up

Sets 3 Reps 10

Extending your arms creates a long lever for your abs to pull against while the ball provides extra resistance.

Initiate the lift with your abs rather than your arms or shoulders. Keep your feet flat on the floor by reducing the weight if necessary.

Sets: 3 / Trisets: 4 / Reps: 10

Target: quads

Why it works: This targets the muscle that stabilises your kneecap. There’s little point having bulging quads if your knees can’t support them.

• Stand holding a medicine ball in front of you.
• Bring your left leg up behind you.
• Lower yourself as far as you can, then drive back up again.
• Do ten reps on one side and swap sides on the next triset.

Unilateral squat with medicine ball

Unilateral squat with medicine ball