MMA Conditioning Techniques Using a Medicine Ball

Medicine balls are big, heavy balls with limited bounce that you can use in a number of ways in MMA training. They are soft, and come in a variety of weights, making them great for ballistic exercises during which you throw the ball explosively. This helps you develop power and is something that you obviously cannot do with normal weights, at least not if you want to keep your gym membership. There are also some tough trunk, abdominal and partner exercises you can do with the medicine ball.

  1. Ballistic Exercises

    • MMA trainer Naudi Aguilar of Functional Patterns states that “in terms of functional ballistic core development, it’s very difficult to replicate the versatility of the Medicine Ball." Stand upright with the ball against your chest. Without leaning back or chambering in any way, thrust the ball forward explosively. You can incorporate your abs into this move by lying back in the situp position and throwing the ball as raise your upper body. Another effective ballistic exercise is the slam. Hold the ball above your head then slam it into the ground before returning it above your head to complete a rep.

    Trunk Work

    • Trunk work can also be performed in a ballistic fashion to build power in your hip rotation. Stand with your side to a wall and hold the ball with arms outstretched away from the wall. Twist your body as you throw the ball against the wall. You can perform this same basic movement when facing away from the wall, twisting around to throw the ball. You can also perform both of these exercises while kneeling.

    Abdominal Work

    • You can use a medicine ball to increase the effectiveness of your abdominal workouts. As Martin Rooney notes in his 2008 book “Training for Warriors,” “To make this region strong, you must train with resistance, just as with every other muscle of the body.” Lie on the floor with your legs raised straight in the air, holding the medicine ball against your chest. Reach up and touch your toes with the ball. To increase the difficulty, lay flat with your legs straight and arms extended. Raise your legs and your arms to touch the ball to your toes, then lower under control.

    Partner Drills

    • If you have a training partner, you can perform the ballistic exercises in turn, throwing the ball to each other. If you wish, you can condition the body by throwing the ball into the chest and abdominals, just take care not to aim too high or too low. A good partner drill for the abdominals is to hook your feet together to do situps, then pass the ball to each other on every repetition.