I love finding new ways for my personal training clients to build core strength, like making them use a medicine ball.
It’s a tool I use myself for things like wall balls and floor slams, but you can also use it to make floor-based core moves more challenging.
How? Well, placing your hands on the ball during something like a plank creates a wobbly surface, so your core muscles have to work harder to stabilize your body.
Here’s a five-move, core-focused medicine ball routine you can try at home, which will challenge your balance and stability.
How to do the routine
The fives moves are:
- High plank mountain climbers x20
- High plank Jacks x20
- Bear hover to high plank x20
- High plank hold
- Russian twists
In the videos, I’m using an 8kg PhysioRoom medicine ball.
This doesn’t ship to the US, but I recommend getting something like the 15lb ProSourceFit instead.
Aim to do each move for 20 repetitions (reps), apart from the high plank, which you should hold for as long as you can while maintaining good form.
1. High plank mountain climber
Sets: 2 Reps: 20 each side
- Start on your hands and knees, with your arms straight and hands resting on the sides of your medicine ball.
- Engage your core and step your legs straight back, so you’re in a high plank position.
- Bring your right knee towards your left elbow, then step your foot back.
- Repeat on the other side.
2. High plank Jack
Sets: 2 Reps: 20
- Start on your hands and knees, with your arms straight and hands resting on the sides of your medicine ball.
- Engage your core and step your legs straight back, so you’re in a high plank position, with your body in a straight line and your feet hip-width apart.
- Jump both feet out to the sides so they land wider than hip-width apart.
- Jump both feet back in so they’re hip-width apart.
How to modify: If jumping both feet out at the same time feels too hard then you can step the feet out one at a time.
3. Bear hover to high plank
Sets: 2 Reps: 20
- Start on your hands and knees, with your arms straight and hands resting on the sides of your medicine ball.
- Raise your knees a couple of inches above the mat.
- Engage your core and step one foot back at a time until you are in a high plank.
- Hold for a second, then step your feet back in so that you are in the bear hover position again.
4. High plank hold
Sets: 2 Time: 30-60sec
- Start on your hands and knees, with your hands resting on the sides of your medicine ball.
- Engage your core and step your feet straight back, so your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Hold that position for as long as you can while maintaining good form.
5. Russian twists
Sets: 2 Reps: 20 each side
- Sit on a mat with your knees bent and feet on the floor, holding the sides of your medicine ball in your hands.
- Engage your core and lean back slightly.
- Twist your torso to the left and tap the floor with the medicine ball.
- Return to the center, then rotate to the other side.
