Medicine ball exercises – full body workout in 7 minutes

Reading time: 4 minutes

Tried-and-tested materials can make modern training easier and more attractive. The good old medicine ball is one example. Personal trainer and TV coach Arne Derricks shows how it's done.

Exercise 1: Squats

From a stable, slightly straddled stance, begin with deep squats. Hold the medicine ball in front of your body with bent arms. Then, to progress, throw the ball upwards with extended arms as you straighten your body and catch it again. For beginners, the lighter 1.5 kg version of the ARTZT Vintage Series medicine ball is sufficient; experienced athletes can also use the heavier versions of the leather medicine ball. 20 to 25 repetitions should be enough. If you don't want to throw, simply raise the Vintage Series medicine ball upwards from the squat position with straight arms.

By the way: It's also a great way to get your cardiovascular system going!

Exercise 2: Push-ups

Now it's time for push-ups. Choose a ball that offers the optimal position and stability for you and place one hand on it while resting the other on the floor. In this position, you'll assume a push-up position. During the push-ups, roll the ball to the other side each time you reach the top and change your arm position. A real challenge for strength and coordination.

Important: Keep your stomach tight and your gaze directed toward the floor. 15 to 20 repetitions are quite challenging. For beginners to training with the ARTZT Vintage Series medicine ball, you can also keep your knees on the floor; this will make it a little easier!

Exercise 3: Lunge & Rotate

A great exercise for your legs using a medicine ball – a twist on classic lunges: Hold the Vintage Series medicine ball overhead and step into a clean lunge. In the final position, hold the medicine ball in front of your body with straight arms. Now move on to the twists; with your left foot in front, turn to the left, with your right foot in front, turn to the right. Then stand back up and hold the medicine ball overhead. Important: When performing a lunge, roll over your heel, keep both knees bent at a 90-degree angle, and lift the heel of your back foot off the ground to protect your Achilles tendon. Do 10 repetitions of this on both the right and left sides.

Exercise 4: Balance Dead Lift

After legs and chest, it's time for an effective back exercise with the ARTZT Vintage Series medicine ball. In a one-legged stance – medicine ball held in front of your chest – you stretch one leg back and bend your torso forward with a straight line, then slowly return to the starting position. Your abdominal muscles are activated to counterbalance the weight of the medicine ball. Level 2, now it gets challenging: You hold the Vintage Series medicine ball overhead and get into a one-legged stance with one leg stretched back! Your standing leg is slightly bent and you are looking down. 10 to 15 repetitions not only strengthen your back but also train your balance. You decide how intense the exercise is, because the different weight classes of the ARTZT Vintage Series medicine ball allow you to vary the exercise.

Exercise 5: Vintage Burpee

Now things get dynamic. From the starting position, you bring the medicine ball overhead and forcefully bounce it onto the floor, catch it, step into a plank position, and jump back with your feet into a stretched position—hands on the Vintage Series medicine ball lying on the floor—and back again. Then return to the starting position. A great cardiovascular exercise, not only thanks to the integrated, powerful throw! Start with 10 repetitions and gradually increase.

Exercise 6: Plank & Kick

A bit of acrobatics is called for in the next exercise. For it, you get into a shoulder-width plank position, with one hand on the medicine ball again and the other on the floor.

Place the foot of this hand on the outside of your hand and swing the other foot between your hands until your leg is extended straight forward. Of course, your hand will lift off the floor, and the hand on the Vintage Series medicine ball will have plenty of work to do to stabilize it. Return to the starting position, roll the medicine ball over to the other side, and switch sides. Arne recommends doing this exercise 10 times on each side.

Exercise 7: Around the World

This is where the ARTZT Vintage Series gymnastics mat comes into play, a time-tested mat with a great vintage look that matches the medicine balls. Now it's all about the stomach. From a supine position—legs bent, heels raised—you now move an ARTZT Vintage Series medicine ball with the weight of your choice overhead in a semicircle, alternating right and left, with a crunch to your knees, keeping your torso in a slight hold. To make the whole thing even more athletic, you can raise one leg diagonally. This exercise is a great workout for the upper abdominal muscles.

To shift the training momentum further downward, place the ball on your feet in the starting position (forming a small hollow). With your back and pelvis flat on the mat, raise your feet so that the angle between your lower legs and thighs is almost 90 degrees. Now extend your legs. The medicine ball should still be at or slightly between your feet/shins. Do between 15 and 20 repetitions here as well.

If you regularly practice this sequence of 7 medicine ball exercises, you can also structure the program as follows: Practice for one minute, rest for 30 seconds, and then perform the next exercise for one minute. Have fun!