Medicine Ball Abdominal Exercises
Medicine Ball Ab Workout

Medicine Ball Abdominal Exercises are not just for boxers and wrestlers; they are also good abdominal exercises for the average person trying to increase ab strength and core stability.

The first time I saw a medicine ball it was in the movie Rocky. Rocky is one of my all-time favorite movies, and "Eye of the Tiger" is on my ipod.

Even though I was an athlete in high school and college, I didn't use medicine ball abdominal exercises regularly until I graduated physical therapy school and became a personal trainer. I have noticed that the medicine balls have become more popular in the gym since around 2000 and the whole "core training revolution".

In a big gym with tons of fancy exercise equipment, it's easy to forget how effective something as simple as a medicine ball can be at improving your abdominals, core strength, and athletic ability.

Medicine balls, which are simply weighted balls, come in many varieties and sizes. Some are filled with sand or another filler, and some are solid rubber. Generally, a beginner and/or someone with small hands will use a ball that is 2-6 pounds, and someone who has decent abdominal strength and big hands will use a ball that's between 6 and 12 pounds.

I often teach my clients medicine ball exercises, and here are a few of my favorites.

Medicine Ball Abdominal Exercises:
Russian Twist (V-sit with a twist)

Starting Position: Begin sitting on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Hold the medicine ball and extend your arms out in front of you, and recline back so that your body is angled about 45 degrees.

Form: Keeping your lower body still, twist your body to the right and then to the left.

Personal Trainer Tips: The more you lean back, the more challenging this exercise becomes.

Use an angle that is comfortable, yet still gives your abdominal muscles a challenge.

To make this exercise more challenging you can lift your feet about 1-2 inches off the floor and keep you feet in the air during the entire set.

Medicine Ball Abdominal Exercises:
Crunches with a Toe Touch

Starting Position: Lie on your back with your feet off the floor and your legs pointed straight in the air. Keep your arms straight while holding the medicine ball.

Form: Exhale as you lift your shoulder blades off the floor attempting to touch your toes with the medicine ball. Hold at the top for 1 second, and slowly lower to the starting position.

Personal Trainer Tips: If your legs are really stiff it�s okay to slightly bend your knees, but continue stretching and work up to keep your legs straight.

Your neck muscles will also be challenged during this exercise. If you cannot complete the entire set at once, perform 5 reps or so and then rest before completing the rest of the set.

Medicine Ball Abdominal Exercises:
Medicine Ball Crunches on a Stability Ball

Starting Position: This exercise is performed very similar to the regular ball crunches. Start by sitting on the ball while holding a medicine ball. Walk yourself forward until your hips are at the edge of the ball and the ball supports your back.

Form: Hold the medicine ball over your head as you curl your body forward and lift your shoulder blades off the ball. Hold for 1 second at the top and then slowly lower to the starting position.

Personal Trainer Tips: Move slowly, so that momentum does not take over. Moving slowly will stop you from bouncing on the ball, and will work your abs harder.

Keep the medicine ball over your head during the entire crunch movement. This will keep added tension on your abdominal muscles.

If your abs get really fatigued, it's okay to bring your arms in front of your at the top of the motion.

Just remember that the medicine ball is used to add resistance and challenge to your abs, and it only adds resistance to your abs when your arms are overhead.

Medicine ball abdominal exercises can be a fun way to spice up your ab workouts. If you've been using big fancy machines to work your abs and core, I recommend getting off the machines now and then and using the medicine ball for your core work.

The other cool thing about medicine balls is they are relatively inexpensive and easy to store in your home. Add a medicine ball to your home gym, so next time you're watching The Biggest Loser or American Idol, you can actually get in a few sets of Russian Twists and Medicine Ball Toe Touch Crunches.

Here are some additional medicine ball ab exercises:
Leg Lifts with a Medicine Ball
Reverse Ab Crunch with a Medicine Ball
Medicine Ball Oblique Exercise: Knees to the Side

Yours in Health,
Dr. Charles

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click--> Directory of Abdominal Exercises

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