How to do Bodyweight Exercises With a Medicine Ball

Use a medicine ball to add resistance to your total body workout. You can add a medicine ball to almost any existing exercise you're doing to work different parts of your body a little harder. Here are a few examples of exercises you can do with a medicine ball as well as how to maintain proper form throughout the exercises.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Stand with your feet hip width apart. Keep your stomach tight to protect your back and keep your chest facing forward. This is proper form for all of the following exercises.
2. Squat down and up, using both hands to hold the medicine ball between your legs. Lift the medicine ball above your head on the way back up. This exercise will work both your upper and lower body very well.
3. Lift the medicine ball over your head. Keep your elbows close to your head as you lower your arms to a 90 degree angle and then lift the ball back up over your head. This will work your triceps and your core.
4. Put the ball on the floor and hold onto it with your palms in a push-up position. Keep your body stable as you do push-ups on the medicine ball. Using the medicine ball to do push-ups will strengthen your shoulders. Keeping your balance while doing the push-ups will burn extra calories.
5. Reach the ball out to arm's length away from your body. Twist from side to side, keeping the motion very controlled. Holding the medicine ball will increase the resistance of the twist while it give your upper body an extra push. The twisting motion works your abdominal muscles.
6. Rotate the ball around your body in a giant circle. Be sure to stand tall, extend your arms out from your body and keep your stomach tight throughout the entire motion. Relax your neck and let your arms do the work. This movement will help strengthen your arms and increase your flexibility and range of motion.