Medicine Balls: Why Use Them for Your Exercise Program
A medicine ball is a weighted ball roughly the diameter of the shoulders.
Considered one of the oldest forms of strength and conditioning training, it dates back to Persia nearly three thousand years ago.
Medicine balls are used to improve the strength of abdominal muscles and to increase core strength.
Lifting the ball or performing different exercises, such as sit-ups and leg raises, with the ball increases the stress on a particular muscle.
Medicine Balls are perfect for total body fitness training.
Total body training helps develop muscular strength, power, and stability.
Medicine balls help build and tone muscles, while improving coordination and endurance during aerobic or strength training workouts.
There are many different ways you can utilize them in your workouts; however, as with all physical activities, please consult your doctor before you begin any kind of exercise program.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about them is the way boxers use them to strengthen their abdominal muscles.
As part of their training, the ball is dropped on their stomach, simulating a punch coming from an opponent.
Ouch! I don't think that's for everybody, but there are other ways to use them.
A popular use is to hold the ball against your chest and push it to someone else, who catches it against their chest.
This strengthens arm, chest, and leg muscles.
Other ways to use a medicine ball as part of your exercise program is to throw the ball behind you or over your head as far as you can, or kneeling and pushing the ball out from your chest to see how far you can get it to go.
While these might seem advance to a novice, simple ways to utilize the ball is to simply pick it up and put it back down.
You can also perform different exercises such as sit-ups,either by holding the ball against your chest and sitting up, or by placing your legs on top of the ball while you sit up, and leg raises.
By doing this, you are increasing the stress on a particular muscle.
There are also some variations of the medicine ball that have been developed over time.
Some producers of the ball have added handles.
By adding the handles, this allows the user to grasp the ball and swing the ball in movements with the weight placed away from the body.
The user may also place their foot in the handle, thus adding weight to the lower body.
As you can clearly see, there are multiple ways to incorporate the medicine ball into your exercise routine and help achieve the results you desire.
Having been around for quite some time, the medicine ball continues to prove its value.
Considered one of the oldest forms of strength and conditioning training, it dates back to Persia nearly three thousand years ago.
Medicine balls are used to improve the strength of abdominal muscles and to increase core strength.
Lifting the ball or performing different exercises, such as sit-ups and leg raises, with the ball increases the stress on a particular muscle.
Medicine Balls are perfect for total body fitness training.
Total body training helps develop muscular strength, power, and stability.
Medicine balls help build and tone muscles, while improving coordination and endurance during aerobic or strength training workouts.
There are many different ways you can utilize them in your workouts; however, as with all physical activities, please consult your doctor before you begin any kind of exercise program.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about them is the way boxers use them to strengthen their abdominal muscles.
As part of their training, the ball is dropped on their stomach, simulating a punch coming from an opponent.
Ouch! I don't think that's for everybody, but there are other ways to use them.
A popular use is to hold the ball against your chest and push it to someone else, who catches it against their chest.
This strengthens arm, chest, and leg muscles.
Other ways to use a medicine ball as part of your exercise program is to throw the ball behind you or over your head as far as you can, or kneeling and pushing the ball out from your chest to see how far you can get it to go.
While these might seem advance to a novice, simple ways to utilize the ball is to simply pick it up and put it back down.
You can also perform different exercises such as sit-ups,either by holding the ball against your chest and sitting up, or by placing your legs on top of the ball while you sit up, and leg raises.
By doing this, you are increasing the stress on a particular muscle.
There are also some variations of the medicine ball that have been developed over time.
Some producers of the ball have added handles.
By adding the handles, this allows the user to grasp the ball and swing the ball in movements with the weight placed away from the body.
The user may also place their foot in the handle, thus adding weight to the lower body.
As you can clearly see, there are multiple ways to incorporate the medicine ball into your exercise routine and help achieve the results you desire.
Having been around for quite some time, the medicine ball continues to prove its value.
