Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Medicine ball has history of improving movement
I still remember the first time I noticed someone using a medicine ball in a fitness center.
I was probably 19, fresh out of high school and exploring a big city (for me) on my own. The only fitness equipment I’d ever seen was in my high school “weight room,” which contained things manufactured in the early 1980s.
As I strolled into a real commercial fitness center, I noticed a young exerciser doing situps on an inclined surface while holding a basketball-size object. I wondered, “What’s that for?”
But as soon as I held and lifted it, I understood.
Medicine balls have been around for centuries. Persian wrestlers are said to have used weighted balls to become stronger more than 3,000 years ago, and the Greek Hippocrates considered them a valuable tool for injury rehabilitation.
Fast forward to the late 19th century, when the idea of functional training became “en vogue.” From coast to coast, exercisers began hoisting all sorts of balls for the sole purpose of improving their fitness. Some of those balls quickly became slick with users’ perspiration, picked up sweat stench, came apart at the seams.
Manufacturers quickly adapted, moving from a leather-bound ball design to a rubberized material. These days, one can buy medicine balls weighing a pound or 150 pounds and every increment in between.
In my experience, the medicine ball is particularly useful when applied in two specific ways. First, it’s an excellent way to train “movements, not muscles.” In other words, the medicine ball allows the user to create movement patterns under resistance that would not be possible using a dumbbell or other traditional weight. Swings, tosses and rotations that are impossible to perform on a machine are great candidates for the medicine ball.
I also love the medicine ball for partner or group training. It’s portable, fun to toss and a great way to interact with other exercisers.
As we know, exercising with others creates a social bond that is much more motivating than exercising alone. The medicine ball takes this social experience to another level with exercisers relying upon one another to make the exercise happen. It’s awesome.
This week’s exercise doesn’t necessarily illustrate using the medicine ball in the manners described above, but it shows that it can be used as a dumbbell substitute. The Medicine Ball Squat to Curl could be done using a pair of dumbbells, but isn’t it more fun to use a ball?
1. Select a heavy medicine ball and grasp it with both hands. Plant your feet just a little beyond shoulder width apart.
2. While holding the medicine ball, allow your arms to extend downward until straight.
3. Squat down until the medicine ball touches the floor.
4. Hold this position with your legs and perform three curls with the ball by slowly flexing and extending the elbows. The ball should almost touch the floor each time you curl.
5. After the third lift, stand back up. Repeat steps 1-5 for five sets.
This exercise could be modified. For instance, using a lighter medicine ball, the squat and curl makes a great warmup. Heavier resistance with a longer squat hold would be perfect for a strength application.
In either case, it’s an easy movement designed to put the medicine ball to work without any additional risk for injury. Plus, it’s fun. Enjoy!