Exercises with medicine ball
17 exercises you can do with medicine ball. Tap for technique and tips.
The medicine ball is one of the gym bag's most underrated assets. With 17 exercises in the arsenal, it covers the chest and core with five exercises each, shoulders with four, plus lats and triceps—but it's the way you move that makes the difference.
What sets medicine ball training apart is that every movement must be accelerated. You throw, slam, or pass the ball with intention, and that mechanics forces you to engage stabilizers and force chains that traditional strength training rarely reaches. Explosiveness and control in the same movement—that's the combination that makes these exercises truly functional.
Throws and slams—the foundation of explosive power
Most exercises in the arsenal build on horizontal or vertical force transfer. Chest pass from a three-point stance, single-arm chest pass, and chest pass with a running release all train the chest and shoulders but require you to generate force from deep within your body—not just lift a weight.
Backward medicine ball throw and catch and overhead throw are the most demanding full-body movements in the collection. Single-arm medicine ball slam and overhead medicine ball slam engage the lats and shoulders through the entire range of motion. Underhand toss from standing and standing overhead medicine ball throw emphasize core engagement and shoulder stability.
Rotation and core control
Medicine ball rotations are one of the few exercises that train rotational power in a way that directly transfers to sport and everyday movement. Combined with medicine ball chest pass and medicine ball throw, they form the core of functional core training that targets not just aesthetics but how you actually move.
For supine variations—lying chest throw, lying single-arm overhead throw, and lying bilateral overhead throw—it's crucial to maintain a neutral spine throughout the entire movement. Weighted medicine ball crunches are the only purely isolated core exercise in the arsenal and work well as a finisher after the dynamic movements are complete.
Programming your training
Choose three to four exercises per session, not all seventeen. A solid structure might look like:
- Explosive throw work: Backward medicine ball throw or chest pass with running release
- Rotational movement: Medicine ball rotation
- Supine finisher: Lying chest throw or weighted medicine ball crunch
Keep the weight light enough that you maintain perfect form throughout the entire movement—the goal is explosiveness, not grinding through a heavy lift. When you can perform every rep with full acceleration and control, that's when you progress.