By Mark Barroso Men’s Fitness
“Medicine balls are a hybrid of everything: a good core and arms workout and you increase your heart rate,” says Ben Bruno, Los Angeles-based personal trainer. This commonly underused training tool may be exactly what your workouts have been missing. Bruno recommends, if you’re looking to increase power, use fewer reps and rest longer between sets. For fat-burning, throwing the ball as hard as possible with higher reps and less rest is the way to go. He adds, “The injury risk is relatively low and there is a very fast learning curve.”
WORKOUT INSTRUCTIONS
Start with a 12-pound medicine ball. “Do these exercises during your workouts between exercises or sets to the keep your heart rate elevated,” Bruno says. Or, do the moves after a strength-training workout to add variety to cardio.
THE WORKOUT
1. Split-stance Side Toss
Sets: 3
Reps: 12 (each side)
Rest (between sets): 45 seconds
Ben says: Stand with side (parallel) to a wall. If your left side is facing the wall, get in the bottom of a split squat so left leg is forward, right leg is backward, and right knee is hovering above the ground. Then, toss the medicine ball to the side like swinging a golf club or baseball bat.
2. Slam to Side Toss
Sets: 3
Reps: 10 (each side)
Rest (between sets): 45 seconds
Ben says: Stand parallel to wall while holding med ball with arms extended straight out and back flat. Slam the ball down, catch the ball, and in one motion do a side toss.
3. Squat to Chest Pass
Sets: 3
Reps: 20
Rest (between sets): 45 seconds
Ben says: Stand facing wall with medicine ball in hands at chest level. Perform a squat then do a chest pass against the wall as you come up. Catch the ball and in one continuous motion drop back into the squat.
4. Bulgarian Split Squat Iso Hold
Sets: 3
Reps:10 (each side)
Rest (between sets): 45 seconds
Ben says: Elevate back foot on a bench with front foot 2-3 feet from the bench. From the bottom of the split squat position with back knee hovering off the ground do medicine ball slams in front of you with arms fully extended.
Source: http://www.mensfitness.com/training/…arve-your-core
