Medicine ball workouts are great for improving strength, balance, and overall athleticism. Learn our favorite beginner medicine ball exercises for a full-body workout. Your friends at Jack City Fitness are here to help!

Try Our Favorite Med Ball Exercises

If you received a medicine ball over the holidays, heard your gym buddies raving about it, or simply want to try a new and effective type of workout equipment, we’ve got you. 

The medicine ball is a popular workout tool for several reasons:

• It can be used in all kinds of ways.
• It’s portable and easy to store.
• It comes in a variety of weights for different athletes.
• It delivers powerful results! 

Plus, it has years of use to back it up—some folks believe that Hippocrates created a type of medicine ball in ancient Greece.

Whether you’re seeking medicine ball workouts for beginners, partner workouts, or resistance training, you can find ideas in our guide. You can also try these exercises with one of our coaches at Jack City Fitness—we have our own supply of medicine balls and plenty of other workouts where these came from!

How To Use a Medicine Ball

There is not just one way to use a medicine ball! You can include this nifty piece of equipment in all sorts of workouts, either solo or with a fitness coach. This flexibility, combined with its size and storability, makes it a perfect choice for athletes who split their time between home and gym workouts. Many of our partners have a medicine ball at home but use the Jack City supply as they learn and perfect new routines with their coach. 

Is a Medicine Ball Full-Body Workout Possible?

Absolutely! Depending on your preferred workout style, you will find dozens of medicine ball full-body workout options that suit your needs. Generally, these workouts last between 15 and 20 minutes and involve a collection of around 10 exercises per session. 

Medicine balls are also a stalwart of cross-body workouts like CrossFit. If you are curious about perfecting specific cross-body movements with the medicine ball, like cleans or slam balls, ask one of our coaches for a one-on-one sesh!

What Are the Best Medicine Ball Exercises for Beginners?

There are all sorts of medicine ball workouts for beginners! The following workouts are a great place to start out. We also recommend using a lighter medicine ball while you get the hang of these workouts—4-6 pounds ought to do it. 

1) Medicine Ball Push-Ups

Love push-ups? Why not try some medicine ball push-ups, which offer a unique form of bodyweight resistance training that delivers serious results. 

To perform this workout:

• Begin in your regular push-up position, but rest your left hand on a medicine ball rather than the floor/mat.
• Bring your chest towards the floor, and press yourself up, as you would with a regular push-up. 
• In the “up” position, switch your hands, so your right hand is on the medicine ball, and your left is on the floor/mat.

2) Medicine Ball Crunches

This is one of our favorite medicine ball core exercises! These crunches are great for your abs and core strength. It’s a favorite of cyclists and a fantastic form of resistance training—especially if you prefer using your own body weight.

To perform medicine ball crunches:

• Begin by laying on the floor/mat with the medicine ball against your chest and your knees bent.
• Keeping your arms straight, bring the medicine ball out and above you.
• Perform a regular sit-up. As you come down, bring your arms back. The medicine ball should touch the mat/ground behind you.

Medicine Ball Workouts for Intermediate Athletes 

These workouts will suit athletes with a bit more experience. While starting out on these workouts, it might be helpful to practice your form with a fitness coach. 

1) Medicine Ball Clean

The medicine ball clean is best known as a CrossFit workout, but you can include it in all types of training routines! 

To perform the medicine ball clean:

• Begin in standing position, with your feet hip-width apart and in a ¼ squat pose. The medicine ball should be at your feet with your hands at its sides. Keep your back straight!
• Lift the ball off the ground and bring yourself up to a standing position. This should be a quick, explosive motion.
• Bring your shoulders up towards your ears, with your elbows forward. Circle your hands around the ball.
• Go down into a squat. 
• Stand to finish, with the medicine ball resting at your chest.

2) Overhead Medicine Ball Throw

The overhead medicine ball throw, or the medicine ball slam, is a popular cross-body fitness workout. Like the medicine ball clean, it has tons of uses beyond the CrossFit sector. It provides a full-body workout and is a great addition to a HIIT circuit. 

As this workout is very intense, we recommend trying it for the first time with a coach. If you are prone to lower back or shoulder injury, it may be best to give this one a miss.

To perform an overhead medicine ball throw:

• Begin in a standing pose, with your hips and knees bent slightly. Grip the medicine ball with both your hands—it should be at the level of your torso. Be sure to keep your core tight and engaged.
• Bring yourself slightly down into a semi-squat.
• On an inhale, use your heels to push you upwards, extending your hips and knees and swinging the medicine ball over your head. This should be in one fluid motion—remember to keep your arms straight.
• Exhale. With an engaged core, your hips back, and bent knees, slam the ball down onto the ground in front of you. It should land between your feet.
• Squat down and lift the ball from the floor.
• Return to standing, using your lower body muscles and the balls of your feet to bring you upwards. Once again, extend the ball over your head to repeat the amount of reps you’ve decided on with your coach.

3) Medicine Ball Squats

Medicine ball squats aren’t just great for your core; they’re also a fantastic glute workout. There are several types of squat workout, but we prefer the power deck. It’s different from other squats you might have tried before! 

To perform this workout:

• Stand on your mat with the medicine ball held to your chest.
• Lower your bum towards the floor so it almost touches your heels.
• Bring your knees towards your chest as you roll back.
• When your head reaches the mat, stretch your legs up 
• Rock back forwards and use your heels to propel yourself back to a standing position. 

Try Some Medicine Ball Workouts at Jack City Fitness!

At Jack City Fitness, we offer all the latest workout equipment, from medicine balls to Woodway treadmills to a full-sized synthetic ice rink! Whatever you need to support your athletic goals, we can help you meet them, any time. 

We’re open 24 hours a day to our partners and offer unrivaled support from our elite-level team of athletic coaches, teachers, and nutritional counselors. Everything you need to meet your goals is waiting for you here at Jack City Fitness—all you need to do is get in touch. Shoot us a text or call (208) 999-1111 for a FREE fitness consultation with our team. Once you’ve signed up to become a partner, you can jump right into one-on-one training sessions, exciting classes, and more. We can’t wait to meet you and help you see RESULTS!