Power Up Your Upper Body: Medicine Ball Throws Workout

Medicine ball throws are incredibly effective for building explosive power and strengthening the core. Most medicine ball throw exercises combine elements of a push press, a squat, and a bit of explosive athleticism.

A randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that 12 weeks of medicine ball training significantly improved throwing performance, bench press and shoulder press strength, and power compared to the control group who engaged in regular training without a medicine ball. (1)

Medicine ball throws are versatile exercises that can be tweaked according to an individual’s unique goals. As a veteran personal trainer, I especially program the medicine ball throws into the training regimes of seniors as they have been shown to be a safe and repeatable measure for building upper body power. (2)

In this article, I take you over the five best medicine ball throw exercises that should be a part of your arsenal.

5 Foundational Medicine Ball Throws

Here are the most effective medicine ball throw exercises that should be a part of your arsenal:

Overhead Medicine Ball Throw

In this exercise, you’ll throw the medicine ball against a wall while standing in an athletic stance. Stand far enough from the wall so you can throw the ball powerfully. However, you shouldn’t be so far back that the ball doesn’t come back to you after bouncing off. The overhead medicine ball throws work your lats, triceps, and core.

How To:

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart, shoulder square, and arms extended overhead while holding a medicine ball with both hands.
2. Maintain slight knee and elbow flexion and keep your core braced.
3. Drive your arms as far behind the midline as possible.
4. Forcefully extend your knees, hips, and elbows (triple extension), and use this momentum to throw the medicine ball directly at the wall in front of you.
5. Grab the ball as it bounces back off the wall.
6. Reset for the next rep.

Chest Pass Medicine Ball Throw

The chest pass medicine ball throw is a regression variation of the overhead throws and involves holding the ball at chest level. Since you cannot generate a lot of momentum in this exercise, you’ll be standing just 1-2 feet away from the wall.

How To:

1. Stand upright with a hip-width stance while holding a medicine ball against your chest with both hands and elbows fully flexed.
2. Bend your knees and hips slightly to generate force.
3. Perform an explosive triple extension and extend your elbows to throw the medicine ball toward the wall.
4. Lift your heels off the floor during the throwing phase for maximum impact.
5. Catch the ball on the rebound.
6. Rinse and repeat.

Rotational Medicine Ball Throw

Since this exercise works in the transverse plane of movement, it targets the often neglected oblique muscles (fish gill-like muscles on the side of the abs).

How To: 

1. Stand with your right side toward a wall, your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, and your knees slightly bent.
2. Hold a medicine ball on your left side, roughly at hip height. Your elbows should be slightly flexed in this position.
3. Pivot on your back foot, rotating your torso away from the wall. Bring the ball behind the midline and coil your upper body.
4. Forcefully extend your hips and throw the ball toward the wall as you twist your torso in the same direction.
5. Your leading foot will stay grounded while the heel of the rear foot can come off the floor.

Squat and Throw

The squat and throw is a wall ball variation that works your entire body, including your legs, core, shoulders, and arms. It also raises your heart rate, allowing you to burn a significant number of calories in a short period.

How To: 

1. Stand tall with a slightly wider-than-shoulder-width stance while holding a med ball in both hands at chest level.
2. While keeping your scapula retracted and chest proud, lower into a squat until your upper legs are at least parallel to the floor.
3. Perform an explosive triple extension to burst upward.
4. As you extend, lift your heels off the floor and use the momentum to throw the ball overhead.
5. Catch the ball and lower into a squat.
6. Alternatively, you could let the ball drop to the floor and catch it on the bounce.

Wall Balls

Thanks to CrossFit, wall balls are among the most popular medicine ball exercises. It is the same exercise as the squat and throw, with the only difference being that you throw the ball toward a target on the wall.

You must aim for a height that challenges you but doesn’t sacrifice your form. Catch the ball on the rebound and immediately drop back into a squat. Repeat this sequence for the recommended reps.

Progression: Medicine Ball Throws

After you have mastered these five medicine ball throws, use the following techniques to overload the muscles and ensure consistent progress:

• Lift Heavier: Gradually increase the medicine ball weight to add to the challenge.
• Throw Higher: Stand further away from the wall or throw the medicine ball higher.
• Increase the Cadence: If you previously did 10 overhead medicine ball throws, aim for 20 throws now.

Programming Medicine Ball Throws into Your Workouts

Here is how to work the medicine ball throws into your training plan:

Sets, Reps, and Rest

• Beginners: Start with three sets of five to eight repetitions to build muscular endurance and strength. Rest for 60 to 90 seconds between sets. Focus on drilling the correct form.
• Intermediate: At this stage, exercisers can perform between three and five sets of eight to 12 reps while resting for 45 to 60 seconds between sets. Use more challenging variations.
• Advanced: Aim for four to six sets of five to eight reps of explosive med ball throws. Use a heavier ball and slam the med ball as hard as possible into the wall. The goal here is speed and explosiveness, and not the total number of reps you can complete in a minute.

Sample Medicine Ball Throws Workout Plan

Here is a sample training plan for people of varying fitness levels:

Beginners: 2 circuits

• Overhead Medicine Ball Throws (x8)
• Chest Pass (x8)
• Wall Ball (x8)

Intermediate: 3 circuits

• Russian Twist (x10)
• Overhead Slam (x10)
• Rotational Throws (x8 each side)
• Squat and Throw (x10)

Advanced: 3 circuits

• Single-Leg Rotational Throw (x5 each side)
• Explosive Push-up with Throw (x6)
• Burpee to Overhead Slam (x8)

Integration with Other Exercises

As awesome as the medicine ball throws are, they are not meant to be your whole workout. Below is how to program them into your cardio or strength training workouts:

• Strength Training: I recommend using med ball throws as a dynamic warm-up before your resistance training workouts. Alternatively, you can use them as a finisher to ensure you’re leaving nothing in the tank.
• Cardio: You could replace a short LISS cardio workout with two to three circuits of med ball throws.

Make sure you’re focusing on using the proper form rather than trying to perform as many reps as possible. Remember, using a heavier med ball with a sloppy form can significantly increase injury risk.

Conclusion

Medicine ball throws are excellent for building explosiveness and core strength. Adding the five wall ball exercises listed in this article to your routine can help improve your overall athleticism and functionality.

If you have any questions about medicine ball exercises or how to program them, drop them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References

1. Ignjatovic, A. M., Markovic, Z. M., & Radovanovic, D. S. (2012). Effects of 12-week medicine ball training on muscle strength and power in young female handball players. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 26(8), 2166–2173. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31823c477e
2. Harris, C., Wattles, A. P., DeBeliso, M., Sevene-Adams, P. G., Berning, J. M., & Adams, K. J. (2011). The seated medicine ball throw as a test of upper body power in older adults. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 25(8), 2344–2348. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181ecd27b

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