Medicine Ball Resistance Training

In the past, the off-season for middle and high school athletes was consumed by cross training through other sports. Today, however, there are more sport-specific athletes. Therefore, the off-season has athletes focusing on strength and conditioning.  Therefore, it is important to include sport-specific exercises in addition to sports-generic squats and bench press.

An article published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal in 2010 praises the benefits of medicine ball training specifically for rotational power sports, such as lacrosse.

It explains that medicine balls are especially helpful because they allow a closer mimic of sports specific ranges of motion. This is important for rotational sports because the athlete must attain a maximum angular motion while still maintaining accuracy, such as while shooting or passing.

Suggested medicine ball workouts include:

For further information, read the full article

Earp, Jacob E MA, CSCS1; Kraemer, William J PhD, CSCS*D, FNSCA2 (2010). "Medicine Ball Training Implications for Rotational Power Sports." Strength and Conditioning Journal. 32, 4 (20-25).