TECHNIQUE SCHOOL
Ready to release a little rage? Get to know the medicine ball and turn the day’s frustration into serious toning potential
Let all your pent-up stress out with the medicine ball slam
We get it: packed commute, broken bag strap and your favourite lunch option sold out just as you got to the canteen. Handily, there’s a way to get it all out of your system and work your arms, bum and core at the same time. Appealing? We know. There’s a reason medicine ball slams make for the perfect combination of cardio and multi-targeted toning. The rapid movement – faster is better – gets your blood pumping, and the lift-and-slam motion uses your whole body. ‘This multi-joint exercise is a dynamic way to build full-body explosiveness,’ explains muscle physiologist Tayla Faulmann. Because you’re controlling contraction and producing force in your hip flexors, abs and obliques, you’ll notice results whether your workout is focused on improving power, motion or strength.
Out of breath? Good. If you’re not, you’re not doing it right. ‘Because it’s a power-based exercise, it’s important to ensure maximum force generation for each rep, so keep reps low,’ says Faulmann. If you’re a first-timer, take a 5kg ball and slowly progress to a heavier one, but don’t go higher than 10kg, says trainer Sanchia du Preez. ‘You’re not meant to go as heavy as you can. The aim of this exercise is to move as quickly and violently as possible.’ Add three sets of 10 throws to your workout, and prepare to leave the gym feeling stronger, faster and, yes, calmer. Ready? Get sweaty and hurl it.
AVOID IF: (a) You have a knee injury
(if you don’t engage your legs properly, you’ll risk doing damage to your lower back) or (b) you’ve injured a shoulder.