If you are feeling a little less than perfectly toned and want to shed some pounds while improving your balance and that all important muscle tone, the medicine ball is what you want to have in your repertoire. And whether you are an experienced athlete or just want to keep fit, there are a variety of medicine balls that you can choose from that will make it easy to accomplish your goals.
Medicine balls are often combined with other work out balls for the ultimate combination of balance, weight resistance and range of motion technique. A medicine ball is typically a very heavy, smaller ball that provides resistence throughout your movements; making nearly any motion you do with the gym ball a challenge. Some people use the medicine ball workout as simply another tool to burn fat off of your abdominal region while other trainers suggest basing your entire workout around the medicine. Most people that use them fall somewhere in the middle.
A great way to exercise without it seeming like exercise is to have your ball at hand while sitting in front of your TV. You can sit down or stand up while watching the tube and do medicine ball workouts that involve twisting and stretching. These types of workouts will keep your middle and arms flexible and toned and help you stay in shape, no matter how much you pig out at the buffet the night before. Medicine balls come in sizes ranging from 2 to 12 or more pounds. Choosing the right one or two for you depends on what you want to accomplish.
If you are looking to shape up and keep fit, then doing medicine ball training with the smaller balls for longer repetitions is the way to go. This way, you can form that muscle memory that you want and focus in on key areas that you want to improve, but not so much that it gets bulgy and over muscled. If you are trying to make your body more muscular and don’t really care about being toned, larger balls and less reps are exactly what you should aim for. Once you have mastered one size of ball, you can either stick with it to shape your body, or you can step up to a larger new medicine ball to keep progressing through your routine.
Performing exercises with medicine ball and medicine ball workouts is going to improve your blood flow and keep your heart healthy and strong. Not only that, but all medicine balls are easy to use and can be picked up and used by almost anyone. One of the most demanding exercises that I learned about by doing is the sit-up medicine ball exercise. Essentially, you have a partner stand above you while you do sit-ups and when you come up, they throw drop the medicine ball to you, then you perform a sit-up and throw the ball back on the next repetition. Not only does it get the blood flowing, it will help you to develop your back and abdominal muscles very quickly, and even help with your arms as well. Medicine balls are great for any age group, no matter if you are a beginner or a personal trainer.