Total Body Medicine Ball Workout

Is it just me or do you guys have certain pieces of gym equipment you tend to gravitate toward over and over again? I defintiely have fitness equipment favorites (the BOSU ball, TRX and a jump rope immediately come to mind) and lately medicine balls have become increasingly common in my workouts. They’re incredibly versatile and today’s workout utilizes the medicine ball in eight different exercises that will work your whole body.

Total Body Medicine Ball Workout

I have good news for those of you who love decreasing repetition workouts! Though you’ll take yourself through three rounds during this workout, each round will slightly decrease in repetitions, so you’ll get the hardest round out of the way first. It’s like a mini victory every time you complete a round!

For the first round, you’ll complete 30 reps of each exercise, followed by 20 reps in round two and 10 reps in the final round. For certain exercises that work the right side of your body and then the left side, count each right/left combination as ONE rep. For example, for the Russian Twists, you’ll twist with the medicine ball to the right side and then the left side and that will count as one rep. There is one exception to this rule and that is the alternating medicine ball push ups. Each time you complete a single pushup, regardless of the side, it counts as one rep.

As always, please remember to listen to your body and rest as needed!

Exercise Descriptions

Alternating Medicine Ball Pushups: Begin on the floor in the pushup position. Engage your core, keep your back flat and your hips down. Place one hand on the medicine ball while the other remains on the floor. Bend your elbows and lower your body toward the floor. Push back up to the starting position. Roll the ball to the other side and repeat the exercise with the opposite hand on the medicine ball.

Medicine Ball Bridge: Begin on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place a medicine ball slightly in front of your hips on top of your body. Raise your hips off the floor, pausing briefly at the top before lowering your body back down to the floor.

Russian Twists: Begin by sitting on the ground. Lift your feet up and bend your knees. Lean slightly back, bracing your core and taking care to keep your spine straight. Grasp a medicine ball between both hands, suspending it right above the bottom of your ribcage. Twist slowly to the left, return to the center and twist slowly to the right.

Medicine Ball Jacks: Hold a medicine ball at your chest and begin standing with your feet under your hips. As you jump your feet out wide, press the medicine ball overhead. As you bring the ball back down to your chest, jump your feet back to the starting position.

Curtsy Lunges: Hold a medicine ball at waist height in front of your body with both hands and take a wide, lateral step behind your body with your left foot. Bend your knees, lowering your body into a lunge until your front knee is approximately 90-degrees. Push your body up out of a lunge, driving your weight through your right heel. Repeat on the opposite side.

360-Degree Toe Taps: Place a medicine ball on the ground. Stand facing the medicine ball and tap your left foot on top of the medicine ball behind a medicine ball. Quickly remove the left foot and replace with the right foot. Alternate toe taps as your make your way around the medicine ball in a complete circle.

Figure 8: Begin with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend at the knees and weave a medicine ball in and out of your legs, behind and in front of the knees in a continuous figure-eight motion.

Medicine Ball Slams: Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and old a medicine ball with two hands. Explosively press the ball overhead and in a fluid motion, slam it downward to the floor. Brace your core as you squat low and scoop the medicine ball back up on the first bounce and repeat the motion.

Details

Wearing:

• Top: Lululemon Cool Racerback Tank
• Sports bra: Lululemon Energy Bra
• Leggings: Fabletics Brogan Legging (I’m 5’8’’ but ordered this legging in “short” so it wasn’t crazy too long and was very happy with the ankle-length!)
• Shoes: Nike Free Flyknit

Photos: Stacey Lanier Photography

Location: Burn Boot Camp

Additional Total Body Workouts

• 10 to 100 Driveway Workout
• Decreasing Reps Bodyweight Workout
• Total Body BOSU Workout
• 10 to 1 Bodyweight Workout
• 1,000 Rep Workout

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