Soldier tosses a medicine ball while working out DVIDS462753

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 sometimes 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 for s ...

whose diameter is about a shoulder-width. The size of a medicine ball is approximately , often used for rehabilitation and

strength training Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is exercise designed to improve physical strength. It is often associated with the lifting of Weightlifting, weights. It can also incorporate techniques such as bodyweigh ...

. 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 much lighter and larger which is up to in diameter. Medicine balls are usually sold as balls and are used effectively in

ballistic training Ballistic training, also known as compensatory acceleration training, uses exercises which accelerate a force through the entire range of motion. It is a form of power training which can involve throwing weights, jumping with weights, or swinging ...

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.

History

Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; ; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician and philosopher of the Classical Greece, classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is traditionally referr ...

is said to have stuffed animal skins for patients to toss for medicinal purposes. Similar large balls were said to have been used in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, specifically by Persian wrestlers, as well as by

Gladiator A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...

s. 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.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Medicine Ball Balls Exercise equipment Strength training

History

See also

References

External links