Home Gym Setup for Cheap: Medicine Balls

Medicine balls can be used alone as a substitute for regular free weights, or in tandem to vary your moves so your muscles and your mind stay engaged more. They’re inexpensive around $20-$30 each.

Exercise or stability balls are larger and meant to be used more for body positioning rather than lifting them like medicine balls.

My picture shows two sizes for two different medicine ball weights. The smaller weight at 8 pounds is easier to hold and squishier, so those with smaller hands find it easier to use.

The larger weight shown at 10 pounds is considerably larger in diameter, too. This makes it a bit awkward for me to hold with my smaller hands, so I’m adjusting where my hands are placed to keep it balanced and effective.

For those just starting out, the 8-pound size is good unless you’re already got a lot of muscle strength. Higher weights like 15 pounds on up are available, too. I moved from 8 pounds to 10 pounds for several moves and switched to 15 pounds for those moves that I found easier. At this point, I’m not using the 8-pound weight anymore.

7 Basic Moves:

In general, go for 15 reps each with a break of 1-2 minutes for 3 sets total for each move.

1. Ball Scoop. Squat lowering the ball between my legs as I go down, lifting it up to mid-body with arms outstretched the whole time. This one I started at 8 pounds and now am up to 15 pounds. It’s a fairly easy move.

2. Ball toss. Throw the ball up and catch as it comes down allowing your knees to bend in a bit of a squat. You can try for a full squat, but I’m trying to catch the ball every time so I don’t annoy the downstairs neighbors if I drop it. This one I’m at 10 pounds.

3. Ball lift. Hold the ball at shoulder height closer to the center of the body. Raise overhead then lower to back to shoulder height. Variation: hold at the top – you can try holding with the weight for some of the other moves, too.

4. Tricep Lift. Raise arms and bend elbows so your hands holding the ball are behind your head. Lift until they’re above your head. As you can guess from the title, this move is great for #michelleobamaarms with those toned triceps.

5. Wood chop. Start with arms raised holding the ball up and to the side of your body. Cross the ball across your body like you’re chopping a piece of wood on the opposite lower side.

This one made me quite sore when I first added it to my mix. While I’m usually doing it at 10 pounds, if I’m really tired I’ll switch back to 8 pounds.

IMPORTANT: Point the foot you’re chopping towards out sideways so your knee bends front-to-back NOT side-to-side motion that knees don’t handle well.

6. Ball Twist. Hold the ball in front of you with arms extended chest height. Twist only your upper body to the left then to the right as you keep your hips even in front.

This one really helps your core muscles like your abs. I’m still doing the 8-pound weight here because this is a fairly hard move. And I only do 10 reps for 3 sets, too. If it’s too hard with a ball, just use gravity on your arm weight alone.

7. Ball Slam. Hold the ball up high. Slam it as hard as you can into the ground. Great for stress relief!

I don’t do this normally, since I don’t want to annoy the neighbors, but it is a highly recommended move by my trainer and others.

In general:
Focus on keeping your shoulders back in retracted. Doing all these moves with all these reps takes quite a while. But if you want more exercises, search the web for “medicine ball” exercises and go to town. I don’t have a specific book I use for any of these.

Watch your foot position and your back position through these moves so you don’t injure yourself. Consider all the legal disclaimers put in here like consult your doctor, etc.

Mostly, use common sense. If it hurts, don’t do it. Tough doesn’t mean working through pain – that can lead to downtime or more serious injuries. As I always told my martial arts students, use your brain!