Medicine Ball Training Product Review

I have to say, medicine ball training is my favorite method for improving power for volleyball.

The medicine ball (weighted ball) was originally used by physiotherapists to help clients return from an injury. Today, the weighted ball is used by many strength and conditioning specialist that work with all kinds of athletes.

The medicine ball is my favorite tool for improving strength and power for volleyball.

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Developing a Stronger Hit, Block & Overhead Pass

There are several different versions of weighted balls.

• balls with straps
• balls with handles
• balls that are inflatable
• balls filled with sand 

Medicine Ball Training - Upper Body Power

You likely have come across many different ways to improve upper body strength for volleyball. 

To be able to spike hard, you need both strength and explosiveness.

A compound movement such as a push up helps you increase upper body strength.

However, it's also important to work to increase power. By using a weight to throw and release, you are able to improve power and explosiveness.

The goal is to recruit as many fast twitch muscle fibers as possible by recruiting them during a heavy lift and then transfer this into an explosive movement.

7 Medicine Ball Exercises for Upper Body Power

I love the medicine ball because of all the volleyball strength exercises I can do. 

Here is a list of medicine ball exercises I do for upper body power.

• overhead throw
• overhead slam
• underhand to sky
• chest passes
• one hand chest passes
• one hand overhead throws
• wall setting

If you value these exercises and would like to keep it close to you at any time, just save this pin to your Pinterest Volleyball Training Board.

There are important medicine ball exercises that force the core to be engaged throughout the movement. For example, with the medicine ball rolling push up, if you don't engage the core, the lower back will start to sag or rotate excessively when moving the ball from hand to hand. So in order to do the movement correctly, you need to keep those abs on and engaged!

Developing core strength is important for not only performance, but also injury prevention. The medicine ball is a great tool for improving stability at the shoulder.

Here are some of my favorite shoulder/core strength exercises that involve the medicine ball.

• rolling push up
• ball fly
• overhead press
• figure 8
• single leg squat
• front squat
• single leg bridge
• weighted superman
• lying chest toss
• lunge overhead press
• lunge with a twist
• squat, press, and throw

One of My Favorite Medicine Ball Training Drills

I prefer to train with a heavy ball that bounces.

This ball is strong enough to bounce against the hardest surfaces while retaining it's shape. 

This basketball-style medicine ball is perfect for core training with a partner or by yourself. 

You can use this for overhead strength movements where you release the ball and then the ball rebounds back. 

This works well when tossing to a partner (be sure to always let the ball bounce).

In the age of high tech equipment, the medicine ball may seem like a very simplistic training tool. However, this is an incredibly effective tool for training the entire body through a complete range of motion. 

Sign Up for the 30 Day Upper Body Challenge
Developing a Stronger Hit, Block & Overhead Pass