null
The Benefits of Slam Balls

The Benefits of Slam Balls

27th Jul 2022

A slam ball, also known as a medicine ball, is a great piece of workout equipment used to do many exercises. They go back centuries; in Ancient Greece, over 3,000 years ago, it would be common to see a slam ball used to help those recover from injuries. With many different weights of slam balls available, from 5kg to 15kg and higher, there are many uses for those wanting to exercise.

You’ve probably seen a medicine ball in the gym, but what are its benefits? Take a look here as we go through with you the best reasons why you should use slam balls for your workouts.

Increase Your Power and Overall Strength

If you’re looking to increase the strength of your body, a slam ball is the ultimate piece of equipment for doing this. Strength is not only needed for lifting heavy things, it’s important for utilising a wide range of movement, helping you do things much easier and with much less strain on your body and joints.

Push exercises help you increase explosive power and strength. This is especially ideal for those who take part in many sports, from baseball and tennis to golf. There are a multitude of push exercises that you can do with a slamball 10kg.

One example of a great push exercise that you can do with a medicine ball is the ‘ball throw downs’. This is where you jump up and in a burst of explosive power throw the ball down to the ground. This is a great full-body workout, improving your overall strength by increasing power in your arms, shoulders, thighs, glutes and core, while also helping to burn fat.

Improves Your Balance and Overall Posture

Good posture is vital for everyday activities. Without it, muscle groups are strained, and your spine will be negatively affected. Good posture improves mood, bone and muscle health, and much more.

One of the great benefits of slam ball exercises is that it always focuses on the core muscles by utilising many movements that work on balance, posture, and improving the overall flexibility of the body.

The medicine ball is used for balance and posture for all kinds of people, whether they are beginners or experienced athletes. Many professionals use medicine ball exercises that throw them off balance, so they can work on these core muscle groups and improve their posture and balance, all in one workout.

Cardio Fitness

When wanting to improve your cardio fitness, many people often think about using treadmills or the bike machine. However, one piece of equipment many people often neglect when cardio is concerned is the slam ball. To back this up, one recent study found that slam ball exercises are equivalent to conventional cardioexercises in terms of strain, such as running or swimming.

Another reason why slam balls can be such an effective option for cardio fitness, like the 5,10 or 15kg slam ball, is because they can be incorporated into mixed cardio exercises that focus on strength and stamina.

One great example of a cardio workout that utilises the slam ball is the ball toss to burpee. This one has great benefits for your cardio fitness. By throwing the ball upwards, catching it, and then letting it go before doing a burpee and repeating the movement, you can get your blood flowing and increase your cardiovascular strength.

Injury Recovery Benefits

One underlooked benefit to slam balls is the advantages they bring to many workouts used for those recovering from injury. They help your body regenerate and increase endurance and the overall response of your body. In particular, they specifically help those recovering from spine, knees and shoulder injuries.

When recovering from injury, it is advised to use lighter balls than the ones you usually use when wanting to improve your strength or cardiovascular fitness. This is so you don’t aggravate the injury.

By slowly increasing the weight over time, you are less likely to get injured and will be able to recover fully so that you can use the weight you originally used before the injury without the risk of hurting the muscles and joints.

When recovering from an injury, one of the main workouts you should do is core exercises. This is because the core ensures that the whole body is supported by the main muscles you need to move around and do your daily activities without injury.

The Russian Twist is a workout that is often used in injury recovery due to how easy it is to perform. All you have to do is sit in an upright position, and move the slam ball with both hands from the left side of your body to the right side while twisting your torso to the relevant side. This is great, as it doesn’t put too much strain on your joints, while massively strengthening your core.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

The majority of gym exercises require you to do it alone. However, this isn’t the case with many slam ball exercises. This is a great benefit as working out with a friend massively increases motivation, whilst also being much more fun. Studies have shown that working out in a team environment increases accountability and mood. One study found that 95% of a group of people who went to a weight lossprogram with their friends completed the whole program.

Team slam ball exercises can include workouts such as throwing, rolling or even bouncing the ball to each other, helping improve a great many different muscle and joint groups while keeping things fun and energetic all at once.

Slam Balls for all Your Exercising Needs

All in all, slam balls are perfect for many exercises, whether you want to improve your strength and cardio or just want to recover from an injury. Take a look at our slam balls here.

However, if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contactus today.