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Medicine balls can be a savior for your workout. However, knowing how to use these medicine balls is key. We will discuss a few of the many purposes medicine balls serve and how they can help your workout.
Many fitness trainers around the world believe that the simplistic medicine
ball is the answer to all their workout prayers.
Once an invaluable training tool for track athletes, fitness fanatics, and
prizefighters, the medicine ball has been revamped from dormancy and is once
again regarded as a workout favorite for many trainers.
The value of the medicine ball is that it targets your core strength –
or the area that includes your back and your abs. Strengthening your core will
directly fortify the joints in your elbows, shoulders, and knees, thus providing
more raw power for your arms and legs.
So to put that old training tool back to use, try these abdominal exercises
with the use of the medicine ball:
Medicine Ball - Leg Raises
Get flat on your back and place your arms by your sides. Holding the medicine
ball between your lower legs, slowly raise the ball until your legs are arched
upward at an angle of 45 degrees (or approximately two feet off the floor).
Slowly bring your legs (and the ball) back toward the floor as you squeeze your
abs, stopping just an inch or two before hitting the floor. Repeat the motion
for as many repetitions as you can.
Medicine Ball - Sit Ups
Bend your knees slightly, keeping your feet flat on the floor as you lie on
your back. Holding the medicine
ball directly out in front of you, slowly lift your shoulders off the floor,
lifting your upper torso until it’s bent at a 45-degree angle. Slowly
let your back drop down to the floor before repeating this motion as many times
as you can.
For an upper-body exercise, try this exercise to strengthen the triceps and
the chest with the use of the versatile medicine ball:
Medicine Ball - Push Ups
Place your hands atop the medicine ball with the ball directly underneath
your chest. Your hands, obviously, will be placed close together. Your legs
should be straight back with your toes planted straight into the floor. Push
your torso straight up from the medicine ball until your arms are fully
extended. Then slowly lower your upper body until it nearly touches the ball.
Repeat this motion as many times as you can for a great chest and triceps workout.
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