There are lots of ways to throw medicine balls during your workouts and most of them are fun. The best medicine ball exercises involve slamming or swinging the ball around, providing both stress relief and a fitness-boosting challenge to the body.
The medicine ball squat throw, which is very similar to wall balls, is a little different in that you have to be a bit more careful with your throws, but since it also involves catching a ball – always fun – it’s another enjoyable move to add into your medicine ball workouts.
Medicine Ball Squat Throw Benefits
The medicine ball squat throw works muscles throughout the body: the squatting part of the move hits the lower body and the throw works the upper. It’s also a great way to get your heart pumping during cardio workouts, and a great addition to a HIIT circuit.
How To Do The Medicine Ball Squat Throw
Stand about 1.5m from a solid wall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the ball in front of your chest. Lower into a deep squat and look up at the point on the wall you’re planning to hit when you throw the ball.
Start to throw the ball towards the wall as soon as you begin to rise. Aim to hit the wall about 1.5m above your head. Straighten your arms at the end of the throw so your hands are as close as possible to the ball as it falls. Catch the ball, controlling its descent to chest height, and then lower into another squat.
Medicine Ball Squat Throw Workout
Now that you know the move, use it in this quick 15-minute AMRAP workout. You’ll be doing rounds of three moves. Aim to complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes.
1 Medicine ball squat throw
Reps 20
2 Around the world pull-up
Reps 5 each side
Grip the bar 1½ times shoulder-width apart. Pull your body up and to one side until you’ve got your chin next to one thumb. Pull your body towards the other end of the bar until your chin is next to your other thumb. Lower to return to the starting position. You can alternate the direction you move in each rep, or do all your reps on one side and then switch.
3 Woodchop lunge
Reps 10 each side
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell above one shoulder in both hands. Lunge forwards, chopping the dumbbell across your body as you go so it ends up next to your opposite hip. Push back up and return the dumbbell to the starting position. You can either alternate sides for the reps, or do 10 on one side and then switch.
