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Medicine Ball Squat

A squat holding a medicine ball against your chest. Light and friendly, good for learning the movement or for high-rep conditioning.

beginnermedicine ball

Medicine Ball Squat, start position
START
Medicine Ball Squat, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START1
  1. Pick a ball you can hold at your chest for the whole set.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Set your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes turned slightly out.
  2. Hold the ball against your chest with both hands, elbows pointing down.
  3. Tighten your stomach.

Check: You are standing tall with the ball held against your chest.

Sit down

  1. Push your hips back and bend your knees at the same time, as if sitting into a chair.
  2. Keep your chest up and your back straight all the way down.
  3. Keep your knees pointing the same way as your toes.
  4. Stop when your thighs are level with the floor.

Check: Your thighs are parallel to the floor, your heels are flat, and your knees point over your toes. The ball is still against your chest.

Stand up

  1. Push the floor away through your whole foot to stand up. Drive your hips and shoulders up at the same speed.
  2. Squeeze your buttocks at the top and stand tall.

Check: You are standing tall again in the same spot.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set.

Breathe in and brace before you go down; lower for 2 to 3 seconds; breathe out as you stand up in about 1 second.

MUSCLES WORKED
Medicine Ball Squat: muscles worked, front view
Medicine Ball Squat: muscles worked, back view

quadsglutescorecalvesfront delts

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES4
  • Knees caving in toward each other. Strains the knee joints. Fix: Push your knees out so they stay in line with your toes.
  • Heels lifting off the floor. Fix: Keep your weight over the middle of your feet; try a slightly wider stance.
  • Rounding the lower back at the bottom. Fix: Stop a little higher until you can go deeper with a straight back.
  • Hips shooting up first so the chest drops. Fix: Lead with your chest; hips and shoulders rise together.
SAFETY1
  • Keep the ball against your chest; holding it out in front strains the back.
RELATED EXERCISES

easier: bodyweight squat

harder: dumbbell goblet squat

variants: dumbbell goblet squat

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