Best Medicine Balls: Top 5 Gym Accessories Most Recommended By Fitness Experts -

If you need to up your training game or you’re undergoing rehab for a sports injury, you may want to add a medicine ball to your workout. What’s a medicine ball? It’s a weighted ball to help boost mobility, endurance, and athletic performance. Medicine balls range in weight from two to 30 pounds. When shopping for the best medicine balls, consider your strength and what type of workout you’ll use the ball for.

Incorporating Medicine Balls into Your Workouts

Here are some tips to get started:

Start with lighter weights: Begin with lighter medicine balls to familiarize yourself with the movements, and gradually increase the weight as your strength improves.
Maintain proper form: Prioritize proper form over lifting heavy weights to avoid injury and maximize the effectiveness of each exercise.
Consult a trainer: If you are new to medicine ball exercises, consider consulting a certified personal trainer to develop a safe and effective workout plan.

Ready to take your workouts to the next level? StudyFinds has researched the best medicine balls on the market, and we have the list of the top five, according to fitness gurus. If you have a medicine ball you can’t live without, let us know in the comments below.

The List: Best Medicine Balls, According to Experts

1. Yes4All Slam ball

“The Yes4All Slam Balls are smartly designed with tread to support firm and comfortable grips,” according to Gymless. “It comes in a wide range of weights so you can go with the right one for your training session. The seamless construction prevents it from splitting overtime use. This is great for wall slams, overhead throws, Russian twists, squats, and many more.”

Very Well Fit says, “The sand-stuffed ball comes in four different tread patterns (and five colors) to help you personalize your grip. Our fave: the one with the strategically-placed large triangles with deep grooves on the dynamic black hue. This pattern ensures that the sweat from your hands can just slither on through those slits instead of building.”

California physical therapist Jereme Schumacher told Livestrong, “This slam ball has enough tread to combat even the slipperiest of hands. The outer shell is an easy-to-grip PVC material and it’s equipped with raised ridges that provide some extra traction. This one is also filled with sand, which prevents the ball from rolling away between slams.”

2. TRX Medicine Balls

“They’re built with Kevlar, an extremely durable material, to sustain your highest-impact workouts,” says Sports Illustrated. “These low-bounce balls are perfect for strength, stability, and endurance training. While not all medicine balls are built for slamming, you can slam this TRX ball on the floor, against walls and rebounders. Just make sure you have proper flooring in your home gym before doing so.”

Since the ball is filled with sand, Very Well Fit writes, “Having to control the repositioned center of gravity that shifting sand creates—even if just a little— will make you work a wee bit harder, upping your overall strength and stability skills. For even more challenging exercises, try using it with a vibration plate.”

Gymless likes the TRX Training Slam Ball because it’s designed to help you reach your fitness goals. “This weighted slam ball is filled with sand and has an easy grip with textured rubber on the outside. Constructed with durable material helps the ball to withstand slamming force from every core strengthening exercise wherever you are.”

3. REP Fitness Medicine Balls

“The REP brand is well-known for designing high-quality home gym equipment, and their medicine balls are no exception,” according to Sports Illustrated. “These medicine balls are soft, grippy, and well-balanced. These are not slam balls, so they do have some bounce to them. If you drop these balls, they will rebound back to you.”

If you want a great-looking medicine ball, Coach Ryan Horton of Horton Barbell says this is the one. “The Rep Fitness is my favorite-looking medicine ball. Most wall balls are made with synthetic leather and most wall balls look like they’re made with synthetic leather. Rep Fitness’s wall ball is also made with synthetic leather, but it looks more like a canvas material.”

Style Craze prefers the soft version of this ball, saying it’s “suitable for high-intensity workouts, cross-training, and wall ball exercises. It has hand-stitched, double-reinforced seams for maximum durability. Its superior tough and thick synthetic leather shell absorbs impact from extended use.”

4. Rogue Medicine Ball

What makes Rogue medicine balls so desirable? Gymless says the balls are “individually constructed, stitched, and tested in Ohio…They are made for high-speed, high-intensity training. Use them for anything from wall ball throws, torso twists, sit-ups, squats, presses, and more.”

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Strength and conditioning Coach Ryan Horton, from the website Horton Barbell tested this ball for some time and thinks “it has a good predictable bounce.” As for durability, he says, “I’ve been doing two sets of slams, 4 days a week with this ball for two months now and it hasn’t shown any signs of wearing or cracking.”

California-based physical therapist Jereme Schumacher loves Rogue’s MK D-ball model. He told Livestrong, “The easy-to-grip rubber material and 14-inch diameter (larger than most exercise balls) makes it easier to carry and maneuver. And thanks to the durability, this ball is perfect for slamming on the ground.”

5. Amazon Basics Medicine Ball

The ever-reliable Amazon strikes again! “Amazon Basics has the best medicine ball for beginners,” touts Jacked Gorilla. “It’s great for classic medicine ball workouts and balance training.”

Very Well Fit also believes this budget-friendly ball is great for newbies. “This no-frills, basic ball is roughly the same size and less than two pounds heavier—which means hauling or throwing it is totally within your fitness reach, even if you’re new to resistance training.”

The ball also gets high marks from Garage Gym Reviews which says it’s a worthy addition to any workout. In addition, “The weighted strength-training ball works well for a wide range of upper- and lower-body workouts, including the classic medicine ball workout where you throw the ball back-and-forth with a gym buddy or personal trainer.”

Medicine Ball Exercises

Here are a few examples of medicine ball exercises that you can incorporate into your workouts:

Russian twists: Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet lifted off the ground, holding a medicine ball with both hands. Twist your torso from side to side, keeping your arms extended.
Sit-ups: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a medicine ball on your chest and perform sit-ups by engaging your core muscles.
Planks: Start in a push-up position with your forearms on the ground and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Hold a medicine ball between your hands and maintain the plank position.
Chest presses: Lie on a flat bench with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a medicine ball with both hands and perform chest presses by lifting the ball towards the ceiling.
Shoulder presses: Sit on a chair or bench with your back straight and feet flat on the floor. Hold a medicine ball in each hand and perform shoulder presses by lifting the balls overhead.
Bicep curls: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a medicine ball in each hand. Perform bicep curls by bending your elbows and lifting the balls towards your shoulders.
Squats: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a medicine ball at chest level. Perform squats by lowering your body as if sitting into a chair.
Lunges: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a medicine ball in each hand. Step forward with one leg and lower your body until both knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.
Deadlifts: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a medicine ball in each hand. Bend forward from the hips and lower the ball towards the floor, keeping your back straight. Return to the starting position.
Slam balls: Hold a medicine ball with both hands and lift it overhead. Slam the ball forcefully into the ground, keeping your back straight.
Medicine ball throws: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a medicine ball in each hand. Throw the ball forcefully towards a wall or another target.
Jumping jacks: Hold a medicine ball in each hand and perform jumping jacks by jumping your feet apart and bringing them together while raising the balls overhead.

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Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations. This post may contain affiliate links.

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