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A medicine ball (also known as an exercise ball, a med ball, or a fitness ball) is a weighted
A medicine ball (also known as an exercise ball, a med ball, or a fitness ball) is a weighted ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
whose diameter is about a shoulder-width, (approx. ), often used for rehabilitation
Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to:
Health
* Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished
* Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...
and strength training
Strength training or resistance training involves the performance of physical exercises that are designed to improve strength and endurance. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate a variety of training te ...
. The medicine ball also serves an important role in the field of sports medicine
Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. Although most sports teams have employed team physicians for many years, it is only since the ...
to improve strength and neuromuscular coordination. It is distinct from the inflated exercise ball, which is larger (up to diameter).
Medicine balls are usually sold as balls and are used effectively in ballistic training to increase explosive power in athletes in all sports, e.g. throwing the medicine ball or jumping whilst holding it. Some medicine balls are up to in diameter and up to weight, or in the form of weighted basketballs
A basketball is a spherical ball used in basketball games. Basketballs usually range in size from very small promotional items that are only a few inches (some centimeters) in diameter to extra large balls nearly in diameter used in training exe ...
.
History
Hippocrates
Hippocrates of Kos (; grc-gre, Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος, Hippokrátēs ho Kôios; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history o ...
is said to have stuffed animal skins for patients to toss for medicinal purposes. Similar large balls were used in Persia in 1705. The term "medicine ball" dates back to at least 1876, in ''American Gymnasia and Academic Record'', by Robert Jenkins Roberts Jr. The first known photograph of a medicine ball in the United States was taken in 1866 and shows Harvard athletic instructor Aaron Molyneaux Hewlett surrounded by his equipment.
See also
*Dumbbell
The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs, with one in each hand.
History
The forerunner of the dumbbell, halteres, were used in ancient Greece as lifting ...
* Exercise ball
* Hooverball Hoover ball is a medicine ball game invented by President Herbert Hoover's personal physician, Medal of Honor recipient Joel T. Boone, to help keep then-President Hoover fit. The Hoover Presidential Library Association and the city of West Branc ...
* Kettlebell
In weight training, a kettlebell is a cast-iron or Steel casting, cast-steel ball with a handle attached to the top (resembling a cannonball with a handle). It is used to perform many types of exercises, including Ballistic Training, ballist ...
* Medicine ball cabinet
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Medicine Ball Balls Exercise equipment