Improve stability, core strength and balance with a medicine ball and these six trainer-approved exercises

Woman holding medicine ball at head height.

Medicine balls are a firm favorite in the exercise class I teach, and newcomers often ask how else they can use them if they bought their own.

I think it’s a great addition to a home gym, even if you already own free weights, because you often have to hold the ball in a different position to, say, dumbbells, creating a new type of instability for your core to work against.

This type of exercise means your core is better able to support your spine and this can improve posture and reduce back pain—something many of my clients suffer with.

That’s why I’ve programmed this six-move medicine ball workout with some exercises that deliberately challenge balance.

How to do this medicine ball lower-body workout

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You will need a medicine ball for this workout. I’m using a 5kg one in the video.

Perform the following six exercises as a circuit, completing one after the other, working for 40 seconds, then resting for 15 seconds between exercises. When you get to the end of the circuit, take a two-minute break, then start again from the top. Complete four rounds in total.

1. Goblet squat
2. Reverse lunge
3. Wall sit
4. Glute bridge
5. Calf raise
6. Squat to press

How to do the exercises

1. Goblet squat

Time: 40sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the medicine ball close to your chest.
• Engage your core and move your shoulders back and down.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, as if you are sitting back into a chair.
• Lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then squeeze your glutes and push through your heels to return to standing.

2. Reverse lunge

Time: 40sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the medicine ball at your chest.
• Step your right foot back and bend both knees to lower, keeping your torso upright and your left knee directly above your left foot.
• Pause when your right knee is just above the floor and hold this position for three seconds.
• Push through your left foot to return to the starting position.
• Continue on the same side, then change sides on the next round.

3. Wall sit

Time: 40sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your back resting on a wall, holding the medicine ball at your chest.
• Step your feet away from the wall and slide your lower back down until your there’s a 90° bend at your hips and knees.
• Hold this position for time, keeping your heels pushed into the floor and your back pressed against the wall.

4. Glute bridge

Time: 40sec Rest: 15sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor, holding the ball on your pelvis.
• Push through your heels to raise your hips until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees.
• Pause for a moment, then slowly lower your hips back to the floor.

5. Calf raise

Time: 40sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the medicine ball at your chest.
• Push through your toes to lift your heels.
• Pause briefly, then lower your heels slowly.

6. Squat to press

Time: 40sec Rest: 2min

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the medicine ball close to your chest.
• Engage your core and move your shoulders back and down.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Squeeze your glutes and push through your heels to stand as you extend your arms to press the ball overhead.
• Lower the ball back to your chest and go straight into the next rep.