Med Ball Workouts + Exercises
Med Ball - Full Body Strength and Speed Workout
This really gets the lower body and core firing, also great for upper body explosiveness! 💥 Also found it a great conditioning tool as the lighter ball helps you maintain peak force / effort for higher rep ranges 👊🏼🔥
EXTENDED WARM-UP
Aim here is to fire up the full body for an explosive workout. The key exercise here is the Standing woodchop fantastic exercise I used YEARS ago working across the Oblique myofacial sling that’s important for transferring force from the hip, through the core and to the fist 👊🏻🔥
KEY EXERCISE 1
This Med Ball Slam Complex will transfer to combination punching as it will challenge your ability to produce power in multiple planes of movement
KEY EXERCISE 2
Going for a mini PAP response using 5 Tempo Reps on Press Ups, Rest 60 Secs then perform maximal force and intent on the MB Chest Slams
KEY EXERCISE 3
Lunge and Woodchop this is fantastic for core control and targeting the Glute Med
Pair this up with some kneeling rotational wall throws 🏀💥
KEY EXERCISE 4
No school like the old school with some classic RUSSIAN TWISTS. Straight into some SUPER SLOW Straight Leg Sit Ups. Tuck in the ball nice and tight into your chest, try 8-10 seconds on the descent only 6 reps…. brutal!
Med Ball Max Effort
This is a fantastic workout for SPEED endurance during Lockdown, which will prepare you for your return to the Boxing Gym!
6-10 kg Medicine Ball 🏀
60s max out effort with 3 minutes recovery
Split into 3 x 20s splits of the following exercises
1️⃣ Burpee to Overhead Slam
2️⃣ Slam to Rotate (10s each side)
3️⃣ Chest Pass Slam to Overhead Slam
📊 Perform 4-6 sets
👉🏼 COACHING CUES
💥 Go for POWER over SPEED – high quality and forceful reps will be more effective
🏋️♂️ Start from a DEEP SQUAT on the Overhead Slams during first and second exercise to increase role of lower body
🔥 Warm up with full mobility, some plyos and do a practice run of each exercise to refine technique
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This is a modified version from @dr_duncan_french presentation on the Boxing Science Membership 🖥
WHY IS THIS GOOD FOR BOXING DURING LOCKDOWN 🥊
💪🏼 FULL BODY CONDITIONING
No matter how hard we run, it will be hard to replicate the intensity that’s required for boxing and sparring. Running is predominantly lower-body stimulus, whereas boxing requires full-body conditioning.
This workout challenges lactate conditioning for the full-body and can help prepare us for when we’re back in the boxing gyms.
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📉📈 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LOWER TRAINING LOADS
We mentioned in the @boxingscience podcast that Boxers now can take the advantage of lower boxing training loads to get FASTER + STRONGER
Which means that we have more opportunity to go ALL OUT … This workout helps you achieve that!
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❌🚑 REDUCE THE RISK THAT SPRINTING CARRIES
With most of us now being in a positive energy balance, most of us will have put on an extra 1-2 kg atleast. This can increase the injury risk of max out effort sprinting – especially if you haven’t refined your sprinting technique.
Therefore, doing this med ball workout can help us achieve a similar physiological adaptation without the increased impact forces through the joints.
Med Ball Slam Complex
This Med Ball Slam Complex will transfer to combination punching as it will challenge your ability to produce power in multiple planes of movement.
To get the most out of these movements:
Start with ball in line with your stomach.
Elevate on to your toes whilst bringing the ball overhead – keep the shoulders back and down and ribcage compressed to avoid supercompensating through the lower back.
Once in the overhead position, forcefully drive the ball into the ground – think about putting a hole in the floor.
Land in quarter squat position – knees and hips slightly flexed, sitting back onto the heels and maintaining a solid core brace.
Return to the midline again with the medball before bringing the implement to your hip pocket, then to overhead, pivoting on the rear leg, rotating the hip through and slamming the ball into the ground on the opposite side, executing a rotational slam.
Ensure to finish the rotational slam in a slightly flexed position without displaying excessive torso lean over the lead leg.
Medicine Ball Woodchop
This is a great exercises to challenge the lateral stabilisers of the core and hips.
Mastering control and stability during fast actions can transfer to the action of a Hook, and can benefit combination punching.
This is an effective exercise for developing powerful force transmission through the core, particularly across the myofascial sling.
To perform correctly:
Begin with feet hip width apart, knees slightly flexed
Start with the ball in your hip pocket.
Raise on to your toes and bring the ball overhead – keep the ribcage locked down and bellybutton tucked in to prevent hyperextending through the lower back.
Bring the medball to the opposite hip, returning to a quarte squat position before repeating.
Med Ball Power Press Superset
This slow, controlled press up can create a lot of tension, which can then induce a potentiating response to increase power output and speed in the MB chest slam.
This can benefit upper body power and hand speed
Rest for 60-90 seconds before performing maximal force and intent on the MB Chest Slams.
TEMPO PRESS UPS ON MEDICINE BALL
This is a fantastic press-up variation that creates significant tension in the upper body and develops strength in the shoulders and triceps which are highly involved in the punching action. It also provides an extra challenge for the core due to the narrow base of the medicine ball.
For correct technique:
Position feet hip width-apart, glutes engaged.
Retract the scapula, keeping the shoulders back and down. Tuck in the bellybutton and achieve a neutral spine position.
Lower yourself down slowly adhering to a 3 second duration descent, keeping the core braced.
Pause at the bottom for a second, before exploding back up to the start position, forcefully extending the elbows.
MEDICINE BALL CHEST SLAMS
Are effective at developing power and rate of force development in the main upper-body muscles contributing to the punch
To perform correctly:
Achieve the start position by hinging at the hips, allowing your chin to go over your knees and position the ball at sternum height with elbows tucked.
Keep shoulder-blades back and down
Engage your core and punch the medicine ball into the ground using your shoulders and triceps to accelerate the implement.
Think of putting a hole in the ground with the medicine ball to achieve maximal force.
Rotational Slams
This is a great exercise to develop rotational POWER 💥 as it transfers energy through the kinetic chain, across the core by pivoting the hips 👊
The slam challenges anti-rotation and extension as you need to control core position under high speeds and forces 👊🔥
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Start with feet facing forwards slightly wider than hip-width apart, holding a 4-6 kg medicine ball central.
Begin each rep with the feet hip-width apart and the medicine in the centre of the abdomen. Shoulders should be fixed back and down with the core tense and rigid.
Rapidly bring the medicine ball to your hip pocket before forcefully extending the ball overhead and slamming the ball to the ground.
Focus on pivoting on the back leg and prevent the torso from leaning over the front leg excessively as this can cause lower back compensation.
Lateral Press Ups
This is a great exercise that can be used during a warm-up, as a main exercise or as part of a conditioning circuit.
This challenges an athletes posterior shoulder strength, stability and scapula control during a pressing motion. The exercise also challenges lateral stability of the trunk and hips.
This exercise represents a great way to warm-up the upper limbs whilst also developing shoulder and core stability in a dynamic manner.
To execute this exercise with perfect technique:
Being with one arm on the medball and one arm on the floor. Pin your shoulders back and down, feet should be positioned hip-width apart.
Engage the glutes, tuck the bellybutton in and brace the core.
Lower yourself down to the medball using the hand on the floor as a guide. Most force should be generated through the arm on the medball. Keep the elbows tucked and core braced as you descend.
Having returned to the start position, move laterally, placing two hands on the medball.
Perform another press-up, adopting the same technique, on the opposite side.
1/2 KneelingThrows
This is a great exercise to develop rotational strength, speed and stability.
The upper and lower-body separation whilst rotating over the lead leg can transfer to the Hook Punch, Head Defences and Combination Punching.
The main technical considerations:
Adopt a half kneeling position to begin with the leg furthest away from the wall in front.
The medicine ball will start to just outside the lead leg. Establish an upright posture, keeping the shoulders pinned back and down, rib-cage compressed and core braced.
Maintain a slight bend in the elbows before rotating through and projecting the medball against the wall. Hips should remain stable to emphasize upper and lower body separation which can transfer more forceful hooks on the inside.
Reps should be performed in a repetitive manner to exploit and develop the SSC functions of the core. Ensure to rotate upon catching the ball each time.
Core Superset - Russian Twists + Straight Arm Sit Ups
No school like the old school with some classic RUSSIAN TWISTS. Straight into some SUPER SLOW Straight Leg Sit Ups. Tuck in the ball nice and tight into your chest, try 8-10 seconds on the descent only 6 reps…. brutal!
RUSSIAN TWISTS
This is an old school core exercise but nonetheless, is very effective at targeting the obliques which are recruited during the rotational aspect of punching actions.
To perform optimally
Begin in a standard sit-up position, heels fixed into the ground.
Try to rotate the upper body as much as possible whilst keeping the lower-body relatively stable.
STRAIGHT LEG SIT UPS
This is an excellent core exercise that focuses on developing the ability to perform hip flexion with a neutral spine which is an important quality to develop as it prevents forward leaning and loss of balance when on the front foot.
The main technical points to keep in mind:
Hold the medicine ball firmly into your chest, making a conscious effort to create tension in throughout the core region.
Lower down slowly and under control (5-10 secs), keeping outstretched legs stable and pressed against the floor. Maintain a neutral spine as you descend.
At the bottom, release tension from the spine, before raising back up to the starting position.
Standing Rotations
This is a great warm-up tool for the upper-body prior to intense medball sessions and primarily targets rotation through hips and trunk as well as providing an dynamic stretch through the hip flexors.
To perform correctly and get the most out of this exercise:
Begin with feet-hip width apart – knees slightly flexed
When rotating to each side make sure to pivot on the back leg, push the hips through and remain upright by keeping the shoulders pinned back and down.
Ensure to rotate back under control.
Standing Medicine Ball Slam
Medicine Ball Slams: Provide a potent stimulus to develop full-body power.
To ensure optimal technique:
Begin each rep with the medicine ball in line with your stomach/abdomen region, keep the chest up and shoulders back.
Switch on the core, extend the ball overhead whilst also raising on to your toes.
Forcefully slam the ball into the ground and make sure to finish in a quarter squat position with hips and knees slightly flexed.
Medicine Ball Punch with Step Back
This is an excellent dynamic exercise that developed the capacity to absorb and reproduce force in an explosive and punch specific manner.
To get full benefit of this exercise:
Perform a quick step back, as if evading a jab or straight rear-hand punch, shift the weight onto the back leg.
Redirect the absorbed force and ensure your rotating the rear hip through whilst also pivoting on the back foot.
Avoid leaning forward having released the ball and return immediately to the boxing stance.
Focus on full extension of the hip, shoulder, elbow for a powerful throw.
Medicine Ball Hooks
This exercise primarily targets and develops the rotational stretch shortening cycle properties and can therefore have an acute effect on hook force and velocity.
To get the most out of this exercise:
Begin in a split-stance with knees slightly flexed and core braced. Shoulders should be pulled back and down.
Perform a quick and sharp counter-movement to the opposite side, this creates a pre-stretch on the core muscles allowing for a more forceful throw and replicates the motion of a hook.
Rotate back as much and as forcefully as possible, before releasing the ball.
Focus on rapidly rotating the hip of the lead leg and pivoting on the lead foot as the ball is thrown.