10 Best One Arm Slam (with Medicine Ball) Alternatives for Limited Equipment
You can replace the one-arm medicine-ball slam with moves that reproduce its hip-hinge power, trunk rotation and oblique load. Try two-arm slams, woodchoppers, Russian twists, standing cable chops or plank-to-hip-dips. Cue: hinge from the hips, brace the core and exhale sharply to drive force through the midline.
Original Exercise: One Arm Slam (with Medicine Ball)
How to Perform One Arm Slam (with Medicine Ball)
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the medicine ball with one hand in front of your waist.
- Bend your knees slightly and engage your core.
- Raise the medicine ball above your head, fully extending your arm.
- Forcefully slam the medicine ball down to the ground, using your core and shoulders to generate power.
- Catch the medicine ball on the bounce and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best One Arm Slam (with Medicine Ball) Alternatives
1. Barbell Side Bent V. 2
83.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with both hands, palms facing down.
- Keep your back straight and core engaged throughout the exercise.
- Slowly bend your torso to the right side, lowering the barbell towards your right knee.
- Pause for a moment, then return to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement on the left side.
2. Cable Judo Flip
78.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hold the cable handle with both hands at chest level, palms facing down.
- Engage your core and rotate your torso to the right, pulling the cable across your body.
- As you rotate, pivot your back foot and allow your hips to rotate naturally.
- Extend your arms fully and finish the movement by flipping the cable handle over your shoulder.
3. Advanced Kettlebell Windmill
78% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Clean and press a kettlebell overhead with one arm.
- Keeping the kettlebell locked out at all times, push your butt out in the direction of the locked out kettlebell. Keep the non-working arm behind your back and turn your feet out at a forty-five degree angle from the arm with the kettlebell.
- Lower yourself as far as possible.
- Pause for a second and reverse the motion back to the starting position.
4. Barbell Standing Ab Rollerout
75.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the barbell with both hands in front of your thighs.
- Engage your core and slowly roll the barbell down towards the ground, keeping your back straight and your arms extended.
- Continue rolling the barbell forward until your body is fully extended and your hands are directly above your head.
- Pause for a moment, then slowly roll the barbell back towards your thighs, maintaining control and keeping your core engaged.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Cable Standing Lift
74.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hold the cable handle with both hands and position it at waist height.
- Engage your core and maintain a straight back throughout the exercise.
- Keeping your arms straight, exhale and lift the cable handle up towards your opposite shoulder, rotating your torso.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale and slowly lower the cable handle back to the starting position.
6. Barbell Standing Twist
73.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell in front of your chest with both hands, palms facing down.
- Engage your core and keep your back straight throughout the exercise.
- Slowly twist your torso to the right, pivoting on your feet and hips, while keeping your lower body stable.
- Pause for a moment at the end of the twist, then slowly return to the starting position.
- Repeat the twist to the left side.
7. Double Kettlebell Windmill
72.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Place a kettlebell in front of your front foot and clean and press a kettlebell overhead with your opposite arm. Clean the kettlebell to your shoulder by extending through the legs and hips as you pull the kettlebell towards your shoulders. Rotate your wrist as you do so, so that the palm faces forward.
- Keeping the kettlebell locked out at all times, push your butt out in the direction of the locked out kettlebell. Turn your feet out at a forty-five degree angle from the arm with the locked out kettlebell.
- Bending at the hip to one side, sticking your butt out, slowly lean until you can retrieve the kettlebell from the floor. Keep your eyes on the kettlebell that you hold over your head at all times.
- Pause for a second after retrieving the kettlebell from the ground and reverse the motion back to the starting position.
8. Barbell Ab Rollout
71.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- For this exercise you will need to get into a pushup position, but instead of having your hands of the floor, you will be grabbing on to an Olympic barbell (loaded with 5-10 lbs on each side) instead. This will be your starting position.
- While keeping a slight arch on your back, lift your hips and roll the barbell towards your feet as you exhale. Tip: As you perform the movement, your glutes should be coming up, you should be keeping the abs tight and should maintain your back posture at all times. Also your arms should be staying perpendicular to the floor throughout the movement. If you don't, you will work out your shoulders and back more than the abs.
- After a second contraction at the top, start to roll the barbell back forward to the starting position slowly as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
9. Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
70% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.
- Engage your core and lift your knees towards your chest, keeping your legs together.
- Once your knees are at chest level, explosively throw your legs down towards the ground, extending them fully.
- Allow your legs to swing back up and repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
10. Barbell Rollerout
68.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Kneel on the floor and hold a barbell with both hands, shoulder-width apart.
- Roll the barbell forward, extending your arms and keeping your core engaged.
- Continue rolling forward until your body is fully extended and your arms are overhead.
- Pause for a moment, then slowly roll the barbell back towards your knees, maintaining control.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Why You Might Need a One Arm Slam (with Medicine Ball) Alternative
You may need substitutes because of shoulder pain, lack of a medicine ball, limited space, or programming goals that favor stability over ballistic power. Replacements let you preserve the same movement patterns—rotational torque, anti-extension and hip-hinge—while reducing joint stress or using available equipment. For example, a controlled cable woodchopper preserves oblique recruitment and transverse-plane torque with lower impact; cue a neutral spine and rotate from the thorax while keeping hips square. Substitutes also let you progress load safely by increasing resistance or time under tension to target hypertrophy rather than pure power.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Pick a substitute based on the primary quality you want to train: power, rotational strength, or core endurance. If you want explosiveness, favor two-arm slams or plyometric med-ball throws and cue a full hip hinge with rapid hip extension. For rotational strength and oblique hypertrophy choose cable or dumbbell woodchoppers and pause 1–2 seconds at end range to emphasize oblique contraction. If you lack equipment, select plank-to-hip-dips or bicycle crunches to maintain anti-extension capacity and transverse control; brace the ribcage to the pelvis to maximize abdominal activation. Also account for shoulder or low-back limitations and scale range of motion accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does One Arm Slam (with Medicine Ball) work?
The one-arm slam primarily targets the rectus abdominis and obliques through forceful trunk flexion and rotation, while also recruiting lats, deltoids and hip extensors during the overhead-to-slam path. Cue: hinge at the hips, drive with the glutes and exhale as you slam to maximize core transfer and limit shoulder overuse.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to One Arm Slam (with Medicine Ball)?
A high-quality bodyweight alternative is the plank-to-hip-dip progression (plank with controlled lateral hip dips) because it trains anti-extension and oblique isometrics with dynamic rotation. Cue: keep shoulders stacked over elbows and rotate from the ribs while maintaining a tight glute and abdominal brace to sustain transverse-plane tension.
Can I build muscle without doing One Arm Slam (with Medicine Ball)?
Yes. You can build core muscle with progressive loading and time under tension using alternatives like weighted Russian twists, heavy cable woodchoppers, or slow, loaded Pallof presses. Cue progressive overload—add load or increase eccentric tempo and pause at peak contraction to accentuate oblique and rectus abdominis activation.
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