Best Upper Body Workouts With Medicine Balls To Build Strength

The Medicine Ball Russian Twist is a core exercise using a medicine ball to increase resistance. This variation challenges your stability and strength while twisting side to side, engaging your core effectively.

How to do it

1. Sit on the floor and hold a medicine ball with both hands at your chest.
2. Lean back slightly and lift your heels off the ground a few inches.
3. Engage your core to stay stable.
4. Twist to one side, bringing the ball toward your hip.
5. Return to the center and then twist to the other side.
6. Repeat the movement, alternating sides.

The Alternating Medicine Ball Push Up is a challenging push-up variation that targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Using a medicine ball helps improve balance and strength on both sides of the body.

How to do it

1. Place your right hand on a medicine ball and keep your arms shoulder-width apart.
2. Raise your knees to form a straight line from your heels to your shoulders.
3. Bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor, keeping your elbows at 45 degrees.
4. Push back up and roll the ball to your left hand.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

The Decline Sit Up with Medicine Ball Toss is a challenging core exercise done on a decline bench. It works your abdominal muscles and improves coordination by adding a toss to the sit-up movement.

How to do it

1. Set the decline bench to your preferred angle and secure your lower body.
2. Hold a medicine ball with both hands.
3. Engage your core and sit up, lifting your torso off the bench.
4. At the top, toss the ball straight up above you.
5. Wait for the ball to come down while keeping your core tight.
6. Catch the ball as it descends and lower your torso back to starting position.
7. Ensure your shoulders are back and chest is up throughout the exercise.

The Medicine Ball Superman is an exercise that strengthens your back, glutes, and hamstrings using a medicine ball for added resistance. It targets similar muscles as the standard Superman but enhances the workout by incorporating an object to lift.

How to do it

1. Lie face down on the floor holding a medicine ball with both hands extended in front of you.
2. Keep your arms straight but allow a slight bend in your elbows.
3. Lift the medicine ball and your legs a few inches off the ground by engaging your back and glutes.
4. Hold the lifted position briefly, feeling the tension in your back and glutes.
5. Slowly lower the medicine ball and legs back to the ground.

The Medicine Ball Leg Crunch is a great exercise to strengthen your abdominal muscles. You lie on your back, hold a medicine ball between your feet, and lift your upper body toward your legs while keeping the ball squeezed.

How to do it

1. Lie on your back on the floor with a medicine ball between your feet.
2. Lift your legs so your knees are bent at 90 degrees and your heels are off the ground.
3. Crunch your upper body toward your legs while squeezing the medicine ball with your feet.
4. Pause briefly at the top, keeping your core tight.
5. Lower your shoulder blades back to the ground while maintaining tension in your core.

The Medicine Ball Push Up is a challenging twist on a standard push-up that uses a medicine ball to engage your chest, shoulders, and core more effectively. It helps improve your balance and coordination while increasing the difficulty of your push-up routine.

How to do it

1. Start in a push-up position with your hands on a medicine ball.
2. Keep your body straight as you bend your elbows to lower your chest to the ball, keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle.
3. Push back up to the starting position after your chest lightly touches the ball. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

The Medicine Ball Slam is a full-body exercise that builds strength and improves cardiovascular fitness. It involves lifting a medicine ball overhead and slamming it down, engaging your arms, shoulders, core, and back.

How to do it

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold the medicine ball overhead.
2. Breathe in, brace your midsection, and slightly bend your elbows.
3. Hinge at your hips, bending your knees to bring the ball down.
4. When elbows reach waist level, slam the ball to the ground with force.
5. Squat down to pick up the ball and return to start.

The Balance Trainer Overhead Weighted Crunch is a core exercise performed on a BOSU Balance Trainer using a medicine ball for added resistance. This exercise targets the abdominal muscles while also improving grip strength and core stability due to the instability of the dome.

How to do it

1. Sit cross-legged on the front slope of the BOSU Balance Trainer.
2. Hold a medicine ball with both hands above your head.
3. Lean back slightly to a supine position while keeping the weight lifted.
4. Crunch up to return to a seated position, keeping your core tight.
5. Avoid arching your lower back throughout the movement.