Turn on the power: use these six exercises to electricity your routine and shock your muscles - Home Work

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, July, 2002 by Sherri McMillan

Do you sometimes feel like your exercise options -- what you can do with a bench and dumbbells or your bodyweight -- are too limiting? With the addition of a simple piece of equipment, you can change your workouts significantly, and challenge your muscles so you can continue to achieve the results you want. This is where the medicine ball enters your home gym.

Medicine balls are an amazing tool -- they're inexpensive, small, portable and can be used to strengthen your whole body Many exercises using medicine balls challenge your levels of speed and power, and allow you to do many rotational movements that are often difficult when using traditional strength-training equipment. Whether you're a competitive athlete or just looking for a hardcore workout, the following six exercises will provide you with an overall bum that will shock your body into producing amazing results!

power squat with ball toss

Start by standing upright with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Hold the medicine ball close to your body at chest height. Set your posture by contracting your abdominals. holding your chest out and up, and keeping your shoulders back and down. Jump up while simultaneously letting go of the ball. Grab the ball while landing and squat down. Continue jumping and squatting quickly for 30-90 seconds.

floor slam

Start by standing upright with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Hold the medicine ball over your head. Keep your abdominals contracted throughout the entire exercise while you throw the ball to the floor Catch the ball as it bounces back up and quickly return to the starting position; repeat. Continue for 30-90 seconds.

wall-side-swing pass

Stand erect with your right shoulder about 2 feet from a wall. Maintain perfect posture and keep your abdominals contracted. Hold the ball in front of you with your arms extended. Swing the ball to the left, away from the wall, then to the right, tossing the ball against the wall. Your outside leg will pivot as you rotate across your body. Catch the ball and continue rapidly rotating your body, then throwing and catching the ball. Repeat for 30-60 seconds per side.

tip: Try using a soccer ball or volleyball first before using a medicine ball.

squat with granny shot

Start by standing in a plie squat stance with your feet wider than your hips and your feet turned out slightly. Hold the medicine ball in front of you with your arms extended toward the floor. Set your posture by contracting your abdominals, holding your chest out and up. and keeping your shoulders back and down. Explode upward out of the squat while simultaneously throwing the ball into the air similar to a basketball "granny shot." Catch the ball as it comes back down and quickly return to the starting position; repeat. Continue for 30-90 seconds. tip: Resist the urge to lean forward when catching the ball by keeping your abs contracted throughout the exercise.

power sit-up

Lie faceup on the floor with your feet about a root from your glutes. Slowly crunch up, lifting one vertebra at a time off the floor. Once you almost reach a fully upright, seated position, throw the ball in the air. Catch the ball while maintaining perfect. stable posture. Lower to the start position and repeat for 30-90 seconds. tip: At about 30 degrees upward. you'll reach a "sticking point" where you'll feel like you've hit a brick wall. At this point, it's important to muscle through, using your abdominals to overcome the resistance. Don't bounce or add momentum with your upper body, and don't lift your feet off the floor.

triceps ball toss

Lie faceup on a flat bench and hold a medicine ball at your chest. Throw the ball into the air and then catch it. Repeat for 30-90 seconds. tip: Keep your elbows tucked in close to your body to better target your triceps.

note: Beginners should master these movements before attempting to do them with the medicine ball.

good medicine

Medicine balls vary in size from 2-12. pounds. Six pounds is an average size to begin with. Obviously, if you're just getting started with fitness, lighter will be better; if you're Fitness Olympia-bound, go a little heavier, To purchase your own medicine ball, check your local sporting-goods dealer or contact Spri Products at 1-800-222-7774; www.spriproducts.com. To best execute these exercises, buy one that bounces.

Sherri McMillan. Ms. was the 1998 IDEA International Personal Trainer of the Year as well as the 1998 CanFitPro Canadian Fitness Presenter of the Year. She is co-owner and operator of Northwest Personal Training and Fitness Education based in Vancouver. Washington. Her books, Go for Fit, The Winning Way to Fat Loss and Fit After 40 (Raincoast Publishing) are available at her website, www.nwpersonaltraining.com.

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