In this article you will find out detailed information on:
- The difference between Standard Medicine Balls, Dynamax & Dead Balls.
- How to train for Mobility & Prehab/Rehab
- How to train for Maximal Strength & Speed Strength
- How to train for Speed & Power
- How to train for General Conditioning
Introduction
Training with weighted balls has been around for literally thousands of years. In Ancient Greece, Hippocrates had his patients throwing stuffed animal skins around for injury rehab and Persian wrestlers trained with sand-filled animal bladders way back in the 4th Century BC. Medicine ball training, in its various incarnations, has certainly stood the test of time.
Medicine balls are incredibly versatile and these days, with different types of balls suited to different purposes, a huge range of training goals can be catered for with the humble weighted ball. As Paul Check points out in the below video, everyone from children to pro athletes can use medicine balls and derive great benefits from them.
This article aims to cover a range of medicine ball exercises for different training outcomes, focusing on exercises where the medicine ball adds something unique. There is also a section with a wide range of common movements where the medicine ball can be used as a simple loading option.
- Standard Medicine Balls
- Dynamax Balls
- Dead Balls
- Intro: Why medicine balls are useful for mobility and prehab/rehab work and which medicine ball types to use.
- Exercises:
- Rotator Cuff Throws and Wall Dribbles
- Medicine Ball Overhead Squat
- Over, Under and Side Partner Passes
- Wood Chops
- Back Lunge with Rotation
- Intro: Why medicine balls are useful for developing maximal strength and strength speed and which types of medicine balls to use.
- Exercises:
- Medicine Ball Push Ups
- Medicine Ball Squats
- Medicine Ball Atlas Stone Lifts
- Medicine Ball Cleans
- Intro: Why medicine balls are useful for developing speed and power and which types of medicine balls to use.
- Exercises:
- Slams
- Wall Ball
- Chest Pass
- Side Throw
- Overhead Back Throw
- Sit Up Throw
- Russian Twist Throw
- Intro: Why Medicine balls are a good conditioning tool and which types of medicine balls to use.
- Exercises
- Examples of conditioning routines with medicine balls.
- Dynamax Balls exercise series.
- Deadlift, Single Leg Deadlift, Jump Squat, Good Morning, Lunge and Lateral Lunge.
Types of Medicine Balls
These days your options of weighted balls aren’t limited to sand-filled animal bladders or stuff animal skins; there are a variety of different medicine balls available on the market that vastly increases the options in terms of training applications.
There are three general categories of medicine ball: standard rubber medicine balls, large soft weighted balls such as Dynamax Balls and balls that have no bounce such as Dead Balls. The different categories may vary somewhat from manufacturer to manufacturer so the below descriptions focus on the medicine balls stocked by Iron Edge.
Standard Medicine Balls
Standard medicine balls are simply weighted rubber balls with a relatively high level of bounce, making them suitable for exercises requiring rebound.
The quality of these balls, and the amount of punishment they can withstand, will depend largely on the type of rubber used in manufacture – if you are after something really tough opt for the Premium Medicine Ball range.
Standard medicine balls usually vary in size according to weight, having small, light weights in the range suitable for single hand work, rehab/prehab and mobility.
Dynamax Balls
Dynamax Balls are weighted but soft with a relatively high level of bounce. Being soft, they are ideal for partner work, exercises that require throwing/catching at maximum velocity and exercises that involve rebound as they are less likely to inflict injury than their harder counterparts.
Dynamax Balls are standardised in diameter at 14 inches as this allows them to be held in a manner conducive to good posture (the athlete’s shoulder girdle isn’t protracted and the scapula is set in a neutral position) and generating maximum power.
Dynamax Balls are tough enough to withstand repeated impact on any relatively smooth surface and may be used for slams but only with a Dynamax Slam Mat.
Dead Balls
Dead Balls, as the name suggests, are a dead weight with little to no bounce. They are filled with iron sand and are somewhat deformable (they will change shape in response to pressure) – a bit like a cross between a medicine ball and a sandbag.
The deformability of Dead Balls mean, when compared with standard medicine balls, they are more resistant to rolling, more stable for balancing on for exercises such as push ups and easier to get purchase on in difficult positions such as holding overhead.
Dead Balls are extremely tough and designed to withstand very high impact, making them perfect for exercises such as slams.
Dead Balls come in a very large variety of weights, with much heavier options than other types of medicine ball (up to 85kg) so they are suibtable for strength and power development.
Training for Mobility and Prehab/Rehab
Medicine balls lend themselves perfectly to mobility and prehab/rehab work:
- They are moved easily in all planes and allow easy transitions from one plane to another, enabling joints to be worked through their full range.
- They can be thrown to add dynamic effort to warm ups, increase the difficulty of rehab exercises and to perform mobility/rehab exercises that prepare the body for power and acceleration drills.
- They can be passed easily from person to person for partner work.
Which medicine balls?
Obviously, mobility and prehab/rehab work generally requires lighter weights, so this may affect your choice (for example, Dead Balls only go down to 3kg, Dynamax down to 2.7kg and standard down to 2kg).
Some exercises will require a ball with bounce, so dead balls won’t be appropriate, while for other exercises it’s not a concern.
The diameter of the medicine ball may also determine which type is most suitable. For example, if you intend to hold the ball with one hand the smaller diameter of a light standard medicine ball may be best. On the other hand, if you are holding the ball with both hands the 14 inch diameter of the Dynamax Ball may be beneficial for maintaining good posture while performing mobility or rehab exercises.
For more details visit : http://ironedge.com.au/blog/?p=6327
Reference : http://ironedge.com.au/blog/?p=6327
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