Besides all the equipment regards to exercises, there is another piece of equipment which has tons of benefits to keep you fit. This is none other than a medicine ball, which has the capability to develop explosive power, increase your body strength, increase your speed and thus provide more versatile movement in different planes. That’s why many athletes especially baseball, softball, football, and tennis players train with a medicine ball. The versatility of the ball helps them nail down the mechanics and play better. With the help of this article, we will try to figure out some of the best medicine balls for fitness that you should consider buying.
What is a Medicine Ball
A medicine ball for fitness is a weighted exercise ball used for full-body strength and endurance training among athletes. It is also a common tool used in physical therapy settings to promote stability and aid in recovery. As a popular piece of fitness equipment that sculpts and tones the arms, shoulders, back, core, and more; a medicine ball for fitness can also be easily used at home to enhance your workout.
If we go far back in history, it has been found that ancient Greeks used medicine balls from as far back as 3000 years ago to help patients going through post-injury stages of recovery. Nowadays, medicine balls or weighted balls have become popular in daily training with their ability to tone up bodies, build core strength, and improve balance. Being available in a wide range of weights ranging from 1kg to 10kg and shapes consisting of straps, handles, inflatable, etc., medicine balls provide users with a versatile and portable tool to carve their shapes and reduce body fat.
Benefits of Medicine Balls for Fitness
- Builds Strength – One of the greatest advantages of medicine ball training is that these exercises utilise a huge range of movement, which is effective for strengthening the hamstrings, glutes, and abdominals in total body strength training. Through short, high-impact, high-intensity movements, medicine ball training offers the ability to generate higher levels of explosive strength, which is essential for most competitive sports especially rotational sports such as baseball, tennis, and golf.
- Offers Full Body Workouts – Medicine ball forces your core muscles to engage more, regardless of the primary muscle group being targeted. This way you can get more of a full body workout, which means burning more calories and improving overall fitness. So, mixing up and varying training forms will help you unlock your overall body capability.
- Great for Rehabilitation after Injury – Helping patients to recover from injuries or surgeries, the medicine balls are really useful in regenerating the body’s endurance and response post-surgery. The particular parts that they help the most are spinal, shoulder, and knee injuries. Patients are usually instructed to use the lightweight ball at first, then gradually increase the ball’s weight as the recovery process progresses. Furthermore, some exercises can be designed to help to build fluidity and strength of the thigh or calf muscles specifically.
- Allows Cardiovascular Fitness – Having good cardiovascular health is a common goal when starting training programmes, and increased cardiovascular fitness is another one of the benefits of medicine ball workouts. Medicine ball exercises are generally full-body movements that combine cardiovascular and strength training at the same time. The muscles worked in this exercise include the shoulders, triceps, glutes, back, and hamstrings, while the core redirects energy into the movement. Ultimately, this builds overall power and strength, but also spikes the heart rate, boosting cardiovascular health.
How to Use Medicine Balls for Fitness
Medicine ball training can be aerobic/anaerobic or you can use it as a strength training tool. Because of its numerous versatilities, there are many ways you can use a medicine ball in your training.
- Strength Training – Build up your muscles by incorporating a medicine ball into your strength training workouts. Whether it’s in high-intensity interval workouts or simple medicine ball slams, the added resistance will give you an elevated workout.
- Rehabilitation – As a way to rehabilitate from and prevent future injury, use a medicine ball to build up strength. Add in low-impact medicine ball moves that’ll help to ease you back into a strength-building workout.
- Balance – Improve your balance and stability by using a medicine ball in your workouts. Standing on one leg, hold the medicine ball in front of you and rotate your core from left to right. Repeat on your other leg.
Best Medicine Balls That You Should Consider Buying
1.) Titan Fitness Leather Medicine Ball – This is one of the best medicine balls for fitness. The outer covering is soft, but also decently grippy, so this ball doesn’t slip through your hands if you are sweaty. The inside is filled with polypropylene cotton which ensures the weight is well distributed and does not skew one side of the other. Finally, the double-stitched, reinforced seams maximize durability.
2.) Rogue Rubber Medicine Ball – This is one of the best medicine balls for fitness. One of the most grippy medicine balls we have come across is this rubberized ball by Rogue. With a textured tread-pattern rubber outer, this medicine ball is ideal for your daily workout. They also exhibit great durability and have been approved by numerous durability tests.
3.) ZELUS Medicine Ball with Dual Grip – This is one of the best medicine balls for fitness. The outer layer of rubber that covers this ball and handles is anti-slip, giving you the ability to perform many exercises that other balls can’t. The rubber is also eco-friendly, non-toxic and odourless. Besides all, this ball is a solid option if you want a medicine ball with handles that can also open up other exercise options.
4.) Technogym Medicine Ball – This is one of the best medicine balls for fitness. Its material and construction are extremely durable, making them a favourite for any gym or fitness studio. This ball is good during slamming exercises because it helps to improve hand-eye coordination and strength.
5.) Cando Firm Medicine Ball – This is one of the best medicine balls for fitness. Designed with at-home and physical therapy applications in mind, this cando firm medicine ball is a useful addition to your home gym collection. This medicine ball offers weight options from 2 pounds to 30 pounds to enhance any core-strengthening or stability workout. The durable and textured rubber makes it easy to hold on during those tough ab exercises. You also have the choice to order a value ball set if you want to use different options for weight training at home.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
