Medicine Ball Wall Workout

If you follow me on Instagram, you already got a hilarious (at my expense) sneak peek of this workout via blooper reel. Trying to time an overhead toss sit-up so that it could be caught on camera resulted in me getting hit in the face, the chest, the stomach, my lady parts…it wasn’t pretty. But oh man was it FUNNY. I think I got a better ab workout laughing at the outtakes than I did actually doing this workout.

But before we get to pictures that did make the cut from this workout, I want to draw attention to the pullover that’s keeping me warm in them.

I got the chance to sample the new athletic wear line EIGHTYONE 20, and with the weather in Boston being…typical freezing Boston weather…the timing was perfect. The Bulky Neck that I’m wearing is incredibly warm and soft. The outer material has that performance sheen of quality athletic apparel, but the inside of the pullover is a soft, heavenly fleece. You know that feeling of pulling on a pair of new sweats that haven’t gone through the wash yet? Is it not the best?? I think it’s even better than putting on a fresh new pair of socks—and that’s saying a lot because that feeling is magical.

The drawstring on the neck is also great for cold days without a scarf, and the sleeves have thumbholes for easy layering. As a long-limbed chick, I don’t always use thumbholes unless a top has extra long arms, but I figure it’s a feature worth mentioning since everyone loves those little sleeve slits.

The EIGHTYONE 20 collection is small right now, but their other piece of outwear, the Raglan Zipper Hoodie, is worth checking out at well—I love the two-tone color detail, and could totally see myself wearing it to and from the studio.

Medicine Ball Wall Workout

Equipment I Used:

• 6-lb medicine ball (similar one here)
• Gymboss Interval Timer
• Exercise mat

Important: Make sure you’re doing this workout against a concrete wall or other sturdy surface—don’t go hurling a medicine ball at your grandmother’s living room walls.

For this 30-minute interval workout, set a timer for 30 rounds of 45 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest. You’ll go through the following five exercises six times.

Med Ball Burpees with Chest Pass to Wall

Start standing about four-five feet away from a wall, holding the medicine ball at your chest, with feet about hip’s width apart. Squat down, bringing the ball to the ground in front of your feet. Keeping your hands firmly on top of the ball, arms straight, jump your feet back into a plank position. From there, jump your feet back up towards the ball, power up to your feet, bringing the ball to your chest, and pushing forward with both hands, throw the ball at the wall. When it bounces off, catch it with both hands and go right into your next rep.

Overhead Toss Sit Ups

There are a few ways to do these, all with varying degrees of difficulty. I want to take the time to go over them, because when I did this workout, I had to switch between them as I fatigued.

Lay on your back with your feet about one-two feet from a wall. Hold a medicine ball in your hands, outstretched overhead. From here, think of your upper body as a catapult. You’re going to do a sit up with arms still outstretched and launch the med ball overhead at the wall. Think of a soccer goalie launching a ball overhead back into play (except you’re seated). As it bounces off, you’ll catch it and return back down to starting position. You have to generate quite a bit of force to do this, so if it’s not happening, switch it up a little by doing the following:

Modification: Instead of launching the ball overhead in a smooth catapulting motion, do the sit up and then bring the ball down to your chest and throw it forward at the wall from there. A chest pass is a lot easier in the scenario than an overhead pass. Here’s what it looks like:

Up for a challenge? You can also make this exercise harder by doing with your legs hovering off the ground, forcing your core to work overtime. I can’t to an overhead toss with my feet hovering (yet), but I did a couple intervals of the sit-up-to-chest-pass this way and really felt the burn in my abs!

Wall Ball Squats

Start standing about four-five feet away from a wall, holding the medicine ball at your chest, with feet about hip’s width apart. Squat down, sending your hips and butt back and down, weight in your heels, med ball still held at your chest. When you reach the bottom of your squat, power up from your legs to standing position, thrusting your hips forward. As you do so, throw the medicine ball forcefully up and forward so that it hits the wall at least several feet above your head. Catch it as it bounces off and falls back down, and go right into your next squat.

Rotational Scoop Toss (Right)

This is a great one for the obliques. Start standing about six feet from the wall, with the wall to your left, ball held at your hip in your right hand. Plant your left foot and pivot on the back right foot as you launch the ball towards the wall with your right hand. It may take a couple tries to get it down, but you want the ball to hit the wall and then bounce once off the ground before you scoop down to grab it. You want to do this move rapid fire, so as soon as you catch the ball, wind up for the toss and twist right back into it.

This one is easier to show than explain, so I’d check out

THIS VIDEO of it in action. You’ll notice in the video, the guy uses an underhand toss—I don’t get enough power when I do that, so I scoop down for the ball then bring it up and push it from my hip. Do whichever works for you!

Rotational Scoop Toss (Left)

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Enjoy the workout! It’s a little different from other workouts I’ve posted in that it’s focused completely on power and dynamic movements. It’s a fun one–especially if you’ve got some anger to work off.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by EIGHTYONE 20. While I was compensated, all opinions—as always!—are my own.