10 Best Medicine Ball Overhead Slam Alternatives for Your Upper Back

The Medicine Ball Overhead Slam is done standing with a medicine ball. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Barbell Bent Over Row, the Barbell Pendlay Row and the Kettlebell Two Arm Row.

The Medicine Ball Overhead Slam is a whole-body power move: you hold the ball overhead, slam it into the floor as hard as you can, and catch it on the bounce, with your shoulders and core driving the effort. The Barbell Bent Over Row is the first swap to reach for: it loads the upper back through a controlled bar row, retracting the shoulder blades instead of slamming a ball. Training at home, the Kettlebell Two Arm Row reaches that same upper back with a kettlebell in each hand.

Medicine Ball Overhead SlamWatch the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam

The steps for the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Upper Back, with shoulders, core · Medicine-ball · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball with both hands above your head.
  2. Engage your core and keep your back straight.
  3. Bend your knees slightly and forcefully slam the medicine ball down to the ground in front of you.
  4. As you slam the ball down, use your entire body to generate power, including your shoulders and core.
  5. Catch the ball on the bounce and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Medicine Ball Overhead Slam Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Medicine Ball Catch And Overhead ThrowPlay demonstration

    1. Medicine Ball Catch And Overhead Throw

    84% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    A looser match: it uses the same equipment, but it works the lats rather than the upper back.

    • Medicine-ball
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball in both hands at chest level.
    2. Bend your knees slightly and engage your core.
    3. Lower your body into a squat position, keeping your back straight and chest up.
    4. Explosively extend your hips and legs, while simultaneously throwing the medicine ball overhead.
    5. Release the ball at the top of the movement and catch it on the way down.
    6. Lower your body back into the squat position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: lats, not upper back
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam
  4. Barbell Bent Over RowPlay demonstration

    4. Barbell Bent Over Row

    75% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have a barbell to work with, and it still works the upper back.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
    2. Bend forward at the hips while keeping your back straight and chest up.
    3. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    4. Pull the barbell towards your lower chest by retracting your shoulder blades and squeezing your back muscles.
    5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam
  6. Kettlebell Two Arm RowPlay demonstration

    6. Kettlebell Two Arm Row

    71% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have a kettlebell to work with, and it still works the upper back.

    • Kettlebell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a kettlebell in each hand with your palms facing your body.
    2. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
    3. Pull the kettlebells up towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the kettlebells back down to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam
  7. Dumbbell Reverse Grip RowPlay demonstration

    7. Dumbbell Reverse Grip Row

    71% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have dumbbells to work with, and it still works the upper back.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
    2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing your body.
    3. Bend forward at the waist, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
    4. Let your arms hang straight down, fully extended, with a slight bend in your elbows.
    5. Pull the dumbbells up towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam

Why You Might Need a Medicine Ball Overhead Slam Alternative

A medicine ball is not always sitting on the gym floor, and finding room to slam one down safely takes space a busy gym does not always have. Training from home with a kettlebell in each hand or a pair of dumbbells solves both problems at once. The row swaps keep the demand on your upper back and change what you hold to get there: a barbell, an EZ bar, a kettlebell, or a dumbbell in each hand. A few keep the medicine ball itself. The Overhead Slam is the same drill under a shorter name, while the Medicine Ball Catch And Overhead Throw and the Catch And Overhead Throw send the ball up or forward instead of into the floor, for lifters who still want to throw rather than pull.

How to Choose the Right Medicine Ball Overhead Slam Substitute

Match the swap to what you already have. The Barbell Bent Over Row uses a barbell to reach the same upper back as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam, working through a controlled pull instead of a slam. No barbell? The Kettlebell Two Arm Row works your upper back with a kettlebell in each hand, and the Dumbbell Reverse Grip Row (female) does the same job with a pair of dumbbells. The Lever One Arm Bent Over Row keeps your elbows close to your body for a different feel. Prefer to keep a ball in your hands? The Medicine Ball Catch And Overhead Throw keeps the equipment but flips the direction: you squat, drive up through the hips and legs, and throw the ball overhead instead of slamming it down, so the lower body does much more of the work.

Medicine Ball Overhead Slam FAQ

Can I get the same upper back work at home?

Yes. The Kettlebell Two Arm Row and the Dumbbell Reverse Grip Row both reach the same upper back as the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam, and neither needs more than a pair of kettlebells or a pair of dumbbells. Both fit in a small home gym without a rack or a cable station taking up space.

Which alternative keeps me working with a medicine ball?

The Medicine Ball Catch And Overhead Throw. It uses the same ball, but you squat and throw it overhead instead of slamming it down, so your hips and legs take on much of the work. Treat it as a change in emphasis rather than a straight like for like swap for the slam.

Which swap changes the elbow path rather than the equipment?

The Lever One Arm Bent Over Row. You pull the bar toward your chest with your elbows tucked close to your body, using a barbell in the same bent-over stance as the Barbell Bent Over Row. It is a small variation on the pull rather than a different piece of equipment, so pick it if you want to try a tighter elbow path.

What should I pick if a barbell is all I have?

The Barbell Bent Over Row is the one to build around: it reaches your upper back with just a barbell instead of a ball. If you want a change in where the pull lands, the Barbell Pendlay Row pulls the bar toward your upper abdomen instead of your lower chest.

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