How to do a Medicine Ball Overhead Sit Up
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Medicine Ball Overhead Sit Up
Workouts with Medicine Ball Overhead Sit Up
Instructions for Proper Form
Incorporating a medicine ball held overhead, this sit-up variation increases the workload on the abdominals and arms. It enhances core strength and stability, providing a more challenging alternative to traditional sit-ups by adding resistance and increasing the range of motion.
- Lie face up on the floor with a medicine ball grasped in both hands and your knees bent.
- Position the medicine ball in the middle of your chest.
- Engage your core to raise your torso off the floor as you begin to raise the medicine ball above you.
- Pause for a moment once the medicine ball is above your head while maintaining tension in your core.
- Slowly allow your torso to descend back into the starting position while maintaining tension in your core and bringing the medicine ball back to your chest.
- Maintain good posture by keeping your core engaged, shoulders back and chest up.
- You should feel this exercise primarily in your core, but may feel some tension in your shoulders from pressing the medicine ball overhead.
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Alternative Exercises to Medicine Ball Overhead Sit Up
1. Overhead Weighted Sit Up
42.5 mSCORESWAPPED 51 TIMESOverhead Weighted Sit Up is a variation on the standard Sit Up. By holding a weight overhead, you not only add resistance to the movement but also engage your shoulders and upper back. This additional resistance and muscle engagement make it a more challenging exercise, ideal for building core strength and improving overall stability.
- Advanced
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2. Ab Crunch Machine
96.1 mSCORESWAPPED 50 TIMESAb Crunch Machine is a variation of Crunches performed with a machine. Unlike standard Crunches, the use of a machine gives you more control over your resistance. In addition, the machine will restrict your range of motion allowing you to focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement.
- Intermediate
- Abs
- Ab Crunch Machine
3. Sit Up
93.8 mSCORESWAPPED 44 TIMESSit Up is one of the most common exercises out there. It’s a bodyweight exercise that targets your core. Sit Ups are very similar to Crunches, however, rather than raising just your shoulder blades off the ground, you raise your entire upper body. This gives you a bit more range of motion than Crunches, however you’ll start to lose some tension in your core at the top of the movement.
- Beginner
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4. Crunches
94 mSCORESWAPPED 36 TIMESCrunches are one of the most common exercises out there. It’s an easy to perform, bodyweight exercise that targets your abdominals. Crunches are very similar to Sit Ups, however, instead of raising your upper body all the way into a near sitting position, you only raise your shoulder blades off the ground. This is a great exercise for beginners looking to build core strength.
- Beginner
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5. Decline Sit Up
77.6 mSCORESWAPPED 34 TIMESDecline Sit Up is a variation on the more common Sit Up. By laying back on a decline bench, you can keep more tension on your abdominals at the top of the movement. This is a great exercise for adding a bit more of a challenge to your Sit Ups.
- Intermediate
- Abs
- Decline Bench
6. Medicine Ball Russian Twist
79.7 mSCORESWAPPED 28 TIMESMedicine Ball Russian Twist is a weighted variation of Russian Twist. By holding a medicine ball in both hands, you can add resistance to this usually bodyweight exercise. While the weight usually isn't much, it forces you to engage your core both to move, and to stop the medicine ball as you rotate. This is a great variation for anyone looking to make their Russian Twists a bit more challenging.
- Beginner
- Abs
- Medicine Ball
7. Cable Crunch
88.8 mSCORESWAPPED 28 TIMESCable Crunch is a variation on the more standard Crunch. Unlike Crunches, this is a weighted exercise that does not have you laying on your back. Instead of using your bodyweight for resistance, you use a cable machine. This gives you more control over your resistance, as well as more control over the direction that resistance is coming from.
- Beginner
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- Rope Cable
- Hi-Lo Pulley Cable
8. Leg Raise
96.5 mSCORESWAPPED 25 TIMESLeg Raise is a simple bodyweight core exercise that involves laying on the ground and suspending your legs in the air. While your core does play a significant role in raising your legs, the real benefit comes from controlling their descent back to the floor.
- Beginner
- Abs
9. Russian Twist
96.2 mSCORESWAPPED 24 TIMESRussian Twist is one of the more common core exercises. This exercise targets multiple muscles in your core, but the reason for including this exercise is usually to target your obliques. By raising your feet off the ground, engaging your core, and twisting to each side, you can better target this specific muscle in your core.
- Beginner
- Abs
10. Decline Overhead Weighted Sit Up
58.2 mSCORESWAPPED 23 TIMESThis exercise is a variation on the more standard Sit Up. Unlike Sit Ups, this is a weighted exercise. In addition to added resistance, the use of a decline bench helps you get more consistent tension in your core, especially near the top of the movement. This is a great variation for adding significantly more challenge to your Sit Ups.
- Advanced
- Abs
- Decline Bench