Fit to fight
Do you know that you can improve your core strength with the use of a single, small piece of readily available equipment? To show you what I mean, the medicine ball is ready to use whenever you want and can you incorporate its easily adaptable exercises for both men and women? On top of that, you don’t have to be an expert and it’s great for beginners who want to train in the comfort of their own home. Okay, so what is a medicine ball? Well, believe it or not, and contrary to what some people think, it doesn’t contain any medication inside it, folks. In short, the weighted ball can be used for different exercises to improve your strength, overall fitness, and coordination. Many athletes use it not only to improve their physical condition, but also to help with rehabilitation after a sports injury, hence its current name. Its use as a training tool dates back almost 3000 years when Persian fighters used it, but back then they used animal bladders filled with sand for their training.
Today medicine balls are surprisingly affordable, especially if you’re on a budget. They are typically made from leather, vinyl, rubber, or some other synthetic material and come in varying weights from 2 to 29 pounds. However, some cross fit trainees sometimes use a medicine ball that can weigh up to 50 pounds, the standard size is 14 inches up to 5 inches in diameter, but again they come in various sizes to suit your particular needs. Most balls are round, but some manufacturers offer handles or grips embedded in the design of the balls for a better grip that allows you to swing the ball further away from your body. Other variations include power balls, tornado balls, and hit balls. Beginners should start slowly with a light medicine ball, perhaps up to six pounds, gradually moving up in weight as you develop abdominal strength, core stability, and more experience working with the medicine ball doing the varied exercises for your individual needs.
Having a strong core is important for combat or martial arts training because it allows you to do any combat movement more efficiently as the core muscles connect the upper and lower body and as such acts as a sturdy chain. which improves balance, power, and stability and has a direct bearing on how your entire body works, as most actions originate within your core, a weak core will have a direct effect on how well you perform your movements. By doing medicine ball exercises, you will help strengthen your abdomen and back.
There are a wide range of exercises you can do, such as holding the ball with weight while doing squats, sit-ups, medicine ball push-ups, and lifting the ball overhead and lowering it to chest level in the starting position (military press) , to name just a few. Exercising with a medicine ball translates into the force of effort you use in each movement, in addition, it also teaches your body to react to abrupt changes in stimuli if you exercise with a partner, particularly useful if you train in combat or martial arts. Other movements like torso rotations and wall shots can also aid hand-eye coordination and the ability to quickly change direction. Studies have shown that the medicine ball can help a person generate maximum power and improve athletic performance for you to see; has a proven track record. In short, the different movements work simultaneously on different parts of the body and the freedom of movement, as stated above, will allow you to tailor the exercises according to your needs.
The most important thing is to make sure you warm up thoroughly for 5-10 minutes to avoid injury, unlike some beginners who choose not to warm up before starting to exercise with the medicine ball and thus end up injuring themselves in the process. Are you not one of them? You need to understand that you must first prepare your body and mind for the strenuous activity that will come by starting slowly with a little static stretching of the muscles and limbs, maybe including a little light cardio to increase your heart rate and body temperature, but Don’t try to run before you can walk, remember, if you are injured you can’t train so there is no point in doing it too hard from the start, it is counterproductive. be patient and you will progress, your body will tell you when it is ready to continue progressing.
The good news is that medicine ball exercises are not complicated, but you should choose the right size and weight to start depending on your fitness levels to avoid repercussions afterwards, last but not least, before starting any program. of exercises, make sure you are physically able to do it or seek the advice of a medical professional beforehand, also, if you are really interested, I would advise you to consult it, delve into books on how to train with medicine balls, as well as the many types of exercises you can perform with it more, the correct techniques to use, there are many such publications available to choose from when doing so, so you will also discover the many benefits of adding the time-tested medicine ball to your training program.
Overall, the medicine ball is a great piece of equipment, it’s inexpensive, and you can do a wide range of functional movements with it to help improve your fitness level, strength, and flexibility. There you have it, are you ready to work out with a medicine ball? If the answer is yes, it’s time to break a sweat, remember, you learn by doing, victory wants to come to you unless you go to it.
Stay safe.
