Medicine Ball & Plyo Ball - Drills To Increase Fitness Levels

I like to combine exercises for my clients so that they are maximizing their efforts and session. Plyoball or medicine ball training has been a nice change for them to help shake up their usual weight routine and I notice they enjoy the occasional change of pace.

You can use these tools for single exercise training of course but by combing exercises the client uses more muscle groups, stabilizers and joint connective tissue challenging them in a way which burns more fat as well.

The additional plus is that fact that they have to think. You must concentrate of multiple movement patterns so the workout stimulate the brain as well as the body. The feedback I most commonly hear is 'I can really feel these'. You teach your clients the names of exercises, the muscles they work and how to do them properly but with some it sticks and with others it doesn't, although they all know 'feel it'. The no pain no gain mentality is still ever present no matter how hard we try to diminish that myth.

A good exercise to start with is the squat and shoulder press combo. Holding your ball with a comfortable yet challenging weight, squat down holding ball between knees, then stand up and press the ball over head. Immediately return to your squat and so on. You will be amazing at your increase in breath after just one set of 10.

Walking lunges with a twist performed turning in the direction of the lead leg while in the knees bent position will work core with legs. Postural muscles are triggered while you work on keeping your shoulders back, chest out and head neutral.

If you really want to go hard, try performing burpees holding the plyoball. This combines the squat and shoulder press movements with a pushup like movement done while hands remain on the ball incorporating upper body balance and strength. The core is triggered during each phase of this exercise.

Upward or downward chop exercises again use a squat type movement with a shoulder press but utilizing different angles. Hips work harder for this exercise as do lats and calves since you can raise to toes at top of movement working balance and lower legs and must use lats to control the chop motions.

Another combo I like to use for core is the pullover crunch. You lay on a body ball to do a crunch holding the plyoball at your chest, toss the ball at the top of the crunch, catch then with ball overhead, lay back and allow ball to go back like a pullover. Use light weight for this to learn.

Advanced exercisers can appreciate a chin or pullup combo with leg curl. This is a tough leg curl. You have to hold the ball between your ankles, perform your pull or chin up then on the up phase hold it and curl your legs.

If you work with the weighted balls more often then you will most likely come up with some new combos of your own chosen from exercises you need or prefer to do mixed with a little creativity.

By Linda Cusmano