Picture this: You're standing in the gym – or perhaps outdoors in your driveway or at the park – holding what looks like an oversized grapefruit with a grudge. That, my friends, is a medicine ball – and it's about to become your new best frenemy.
As a guy who's been around the fitness block a few times (and blown out more birthday cake candles than most of my friends), I'm here to tell you that this seemingly innocent sphere is your ticket to an athletic body that'll make your younger self green with envy.
Buckle up – because you're about to embark on a 13-exercise journey using a medicine ball that'll have you questioning why you ever thought postponing your health was an acceptable idea. I've included a video that should prove helpful.
What You Need to Know about Medicine Ball Training
A medicine ball is a weighted spherical training tool, typically ranging from 2 to 25 pounds – or .91 to 11.34 kilograms – used in fitness and rehabilitation settings. The one I use in the video below is 8 pounds (3.63 kilograms), and believe me, that's heavy enough when you're using a medicine ball within a higher intensity, circuit-training workout.
Unlike traditional balls, medicine balls are designed to be thrown, caught, or used as resistance during exercise.
They're often constructed with a durable rubber or leather exterior and filled with various materials to achieve the desired weight.
Medicine balls come in different sizes, textures, and bounce characteristics, allowing for versatility in training applications.
Medicine balls can be incredibly beneficial for several reasons. For starters, they provide a dynamic form of resistance training that engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously, improving overall strength and power. A study on physical education students found that a 6-week medicine ball training program led to significantly greater improvements in measures of speed, agility, power, and muscular endurance compared to a control group.

The ball's versatility allows for exercises that enhance core stability, balance, and coordination. It's particularly good for giving you strong-looking abs. As someone rapidly approaching 60, I need all the help I can get in that area.
Medicine ball exercises often mimic functional movements, making them excellent for sport-specific training and injury prevention.
Perhaps best of all, they can add variety to workouts – making exercise more engaging and challenging.
The portable nature of medicine balls also makes them suitable for both individual and group training sessions, offering a cost-effective option for diverse fitness environments. For example, in the video, you'll see I brought mine to the park, which I do often.
The workout I'm sharing today uses the circuit-style training method and contains 13 exercises – all using the medicine ball.
Medicine Ball Magic: Revive Your Youth
Something you might not have considered about medicine ball workouts – they're basically time travel for your muscles.
No, I'm not talking about magically erasing decades off your birth certificate (though wouldn't that be nice?). I'm referring to a phenomenon called 'muscle memory.'
You see, many of us spent our youth throwing, catching, and generally horsing around with balls of various sizes. By reintroducing these movement patterns through medicine ball exercises, we're tapping into deeply ingrained neural pathways, potentially helping us regain some of that youthful athleticism we thought was long gone.

Here's another nugget of wisdom that might surprise you: medicine ball workouts can be your secret weapon against the dreaded "middle-age spread."
Now, I know what you're thinking – "Isn't that what my treadmill is for?" Well, yes and no. While traditional cardio certainly has its place, the dynamic, multi-planar movements involved in medicine ball exercises engage your body in ways that can torch calories more efficiently.
Plus, the muscle-building aspect helps boost your metabolism long after you've finished your workout. It's like having a fat-burning furnace that keeps on chugging even while you're lounging on the couch, contemplating the mysteries of your latest streaming obsession.
And here's a little-known fact that might raise a few eyebrows: contrary to popular belief, medicine ball training isn't just about brute strength or explosive power. It's an incredible tool for enhancing something we often overlook – proprioception. That's a fancy term for your body's ability to sense its position in space.
As we age, this sense can diminish, leading to balance issues and increased risk of falls. But fear not! The varied movements and hand-eye coordination required in medicine ball exercises can help sharpen this sixth sense, potentially keeping you steadier on your feet than a tightrope walker in a windstorm.
Using the Medicine Ball in a Circuit-Training Format
Circuit training is a form of conditioning involving a series of exercises in rapid succession with minimal rest between each activity.
A typical circuit consists of 5 to 8 exercises.
Participants move from one station to the next, completing a specific number of repetitions (or working for a specified time at each station) before progressing.
Circuits can be designed to focus on strength, cardiovascular endurance – or a combination of both, like the workout I'm sharing below.
The best workout is always the one you will actually do – and do regularly. And that's why I tend to prefer circuit training – because it's just more fun, I enjoy it more, and therefore, I do it more often (which leads to better results).
Also, the circuit-training format makes it easier to remember the exercises, so you don't have to refer to your notes or phone as often.
More benefits make circuit training a popular choice for fitness enthusiasts and athletes alike. Its primary advantage is time efficiency, allowing for a comprehensive full-body workout in a relatively short period.
The fast-paced nature of circuit training elevates heart rate, improving cardiovascular fitness while building strength and muscular endurance. Intervals using a medicine ball, similar to those in my workout below, pose a potent cardiometabolic stimulus and elicit significant increases in oxygen consumption, ventilation, respiratory exchange ratio, and heart rate. Research supports this and suggests that medicine ball interval training has the potential to provide benefits similar to intense intermittent running or cycling.
This combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise can lead to increased calorie burn and improved metabolic rate, aiding in weight management.
Age-Defying Fitness: A 13-Move Medicine Ball Routine
Circuit training is highly adaptable and easily modified to suit different fitness levels. For example, in this workout:
➣ Beginners can do 5 consecutive exercises, then rest for 3 minutes before beginning the circuit again from the beginning. 8 repetitions for each exercise.
➣ Intermediates can do 5 consecutive exercises, then rest for only 2 minutes before beginning the circuit again from the beginning. 12 repetitions for each exercise.
➣ Like the intermediates, advanced athletes can do 5 consecutive exercises, then rest for 2 minutes before beginning the circuit again from the beginning – 12 repetitions for each exercise. However, advanced-level athletes do each entire circuit a total of 3 times (instead of just twice). Plus, they can do the extra "finishers" circuit at the very end of the workout.
CIRCUIT ONE:
- Reverse Lunge with a Twist
- Elbow Plank with a Roll-Through
- Under-the-Leg
- Squat with an Overhead Toss
- Overhead Ball Slam with Alternating Side Pivot
CIRCUIT TWO:
- Russian Twist
- Reverse Lunge with a Front Arm Raise
- Elbow Plank with an Overhead Roll
- Push Up w/ Rolling Ball
- Overhead Ball Slam
See the video to get a better idea of what the movements look like in action:
FINISHERS (EXTRA CREDIT):
- Overhead Ball Wall Toss
- Side Rotation Wall Toss
- Decline Pull Over with Sit-Up
Important Safety Considerations While Doing Medicine Ball Exercises
You'll often hear coaches reminding clients to maintain proper form while training. But what does "proper form" really mean?
"Proper form" in exercise refers to the correct technique, mental alertness, and body positioning when performing a physical activity.
These are crucial aspects of any workout routine because they maximize effectiveness while minimizing the risk of injury.
For example, while using a medicine ball, mental alertness is crucial. If you tire and your concentration wanes, you could miss catching the ball as it rebounds from the slam and, therefore, take a fastball to the face! Similarly, you don't want to toss a heavy ball at a passer-by accidentally. So, if you start getting so tired that you lose focus, that's a sign to stop the exercise.

There are other essential considerations while training with a medicine ball, such as alignment (which means maintaining correct posture and body alignment throughout the movement). This often involves keeping the spine neutral and ensuring joints are correctly aligned.
Range of motion is crucial. Executing the full, intended range for each exercise without overextending or cutting the movement short.
Controlled movement is a wise idea. Performing exercises in a controlled manner, avoiding momentum or swinging motions that can reduce effectiveness and increase injury risk.
Breathing mindfully is always helpful. Coordinating breathing with the exercise, typically exhaling during exertion and inhaling during the less strenuous phase of the movement.
Core engagement is absolutely vital and will keep you from throwing out your lower back. Activated core muscles support the spine and maintain stability during exercises. I include the glutes as a vital part of an engaged core, so I encourage you to keep your buttock muscles contracted whenever stability is needed.
Joint stability is essential: Maintain proper joint positioning to prevent unnecessary stress on ligaments and tendons.
Balance work is an opportunity. Distributing weight evenly and maintaining equilibrium, especially in unilateral exercises. Research has established that medicine ball training can result in 2.27% and 6.96% greater gains in balance and flexibility (compared to a control group).
Remember tempo, too. Moving at an appropriate speed for the exercise, often with a slower eccentric (lowering) phase and a more explosive concentric (lifting) phase.
It's tempting to forget about grip and hand placement, but using the correct grip or hand position for the exercise can affect muscle engagement and safety.
Generally, it's a good idea to be consciously aware of the proper stance or position specific to each exercise.
I'm encouraging you to seek out the advice of your medical doctor before making any significant changes to your lifestyle habits or movement patterns. Similarly, a professional coach can help you execute these medicine ball exercises with excellent form.
Conclusion on this Medicine Ball Workout and the 13 Exercises for an Athletic Body
So there you have it – 13 exercises that prove the humble medicine ball is more than just a heavy sphere with attitude. Whether you're aiming to reclaim your high school athlete glory days, wage war on stubborn love handles, or simply want to navigate your living room without tripping over air, this workout has got you covered.
Remember, age is just a number, and with this medicine ball routine, you're about to make that number your b*… well, let's just say you're going to show it who's boss.
Now go forth, grab that ball, and show the world that "over the hill" is just a state of mind – especially when you're busy slam-dunking that hill into oblivion with your newfound medicine ball skills.