Issue 077
July 2011
Paul McVeigh is a sports scientist and a professional fighter, ranked as the number-one bantamweight in Europe. Nothing beats a good old-fashioned medicine ball when it comes to torso conditioning, he says – except, of course, a brand new medicine ball!
Medicine balls pre-date barbells and dumbbells as tools for improving athletic qualities. They are one of the most versatile pieces of equipment around. You have probably seen them included in rehabilitation programs, strength workouts, conditioning or being used to smash in some poor guy’s spleen as he does sit-ups. But what I love them for is developing torso power.
There is a vast array of drills and techniques for developing power in the lower body, yet the options for developing upper-body power and reactive ability is limited. So, in an attempt to redress this imbalance, here are a few of my favorite upper body power training tips.
Getting started
Before you start lobbing medicine balls everywhere it’s a good idea to do a few structural checks first. If you have access to a masonry wall in your gym you are in luck. If you have any concern you may wreck the place throw a few mats up in front of your target and you will avoid any repair bills. It is also a good idea to get permission from whoever owns the particular wall you will be trying to decimate.
The old-school boxing leather med balls look great in a gym but do not hold up for very long when being smashed up against a solid wall. The newer rubber ones are much better and their elastic rebound is a great way to load the stretch shortening cycle. To develop power with the medicine ball the load must be light and travel fast: 6lb to 15lb works for almost everyone.
The program
I like to categorize med ball throws into three categories:
- Overhead throws: soccer-style throw-in
- Chest-pass throws: from chest into wall, simple
- Rotational throws: rugby-style passing
All three categories are performed twice a week before conventional strength training workouts. In general I like to get in no more than 30 total throws for each category, which works out nicely with three sets of 10 throws. To save time I also super-set the throws with a one-minute rest period. As with all exercises, medicine ball training needs to be progressive in nature. I like to spend three weeks on each variation before moving to the next one.
Progressing the throws
Life is easier when it is simpler; guys who get punched in the head recreationally tend to struggle with complex tasks. That’s why it’s a good idea to take the hips out of the equation when preforming Phase 1 throws (see table below). For the chest pass and the overhead throw that means a tall kneeling stance three feet from the wall. For the rotational throws this would be a half kneeling stance at 90 degrees to the wall. With all throws the torso is kept rigid and the athlete attempts to destroy either the ball or the wall, whichever happens first.
With the Phase 2 throws we are up standing in a parallel stance. We have progressed the complexity by taking an athletic-ready position. All the same mechanics that featured in the kneeling variation are maintained here.
Next we have three weeks of the staggered stance variation then another three weeks of a staggered stance with a step before the throw. The step allows for more force to be generated and is appropriate in this phase as the ground work has been done previously.
The final phase for the chest pass is the single-arm momentum throw or right-cross throw. This involves taking a very short run-up and attempting to shot putt the ball through the wall; tons of fun and great for developing a cannon-like right cross.
With the overhead throw we are now adding momentum, basically a short run up (three to four steps) before attempting to turn your body into a catapult. The overhead throws can be really tough on your rotator cuff. By working through the previous phases the rotator cuff muscles get better at eccentrically decelerating the arm. Jumping straight in to a Phase 5 exercise will make your shoulders hate you.
The rotational throw can be similarly progressed by adding a short run-up. In the past, shuffling laterally towards the wall has been difficult for some of the athletes so recently I have been using boxing footwork to facilitate the run-up and it has been working well.
CHEST PASS
Phase 1: Tall kneeling
Phase 2: Parallel
Phase 3: Staggered
Phase 4: Staggered with step
Phase 5: Single-arm momentum pass
OVERHEAD
Phase 1: Tall kneeling
Phase 2: Parallel
Phase 3: Staggered
Phase 4: Staggered with step
Phase 5: Throw with momentum
ROTATIONAL
Phase 1: Tall kneeling
Phase 2: Parallel (90° to wall)
Phase 3: Staggered (90° to.wall)
Phase 4: Staggered with step
Phase 5: Boxing footwork throw
Medicine ball training is a great tool for developing scary upper-body explosive power. But in truth the main reason I do it is because it’s super fun. Trying to smash down walls with a 8lb rubber ball is my kind of good time.
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