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Push-Up Medicine Ball
A push-up performed with both hands on a medicine ball to train the chest and triceps through a narrow base while demanding heavy shoulder stability.
ChestMedicine BallHorizontal press
GoLightWeight mediapush-up-medicine-ball
Demonstration coming soon
Primary
Pectoralis majorTriceps
Secondary
Anterior deltoidsCoreSerratus anterior
Equipment
Medicine Ball
Pattern
Horizontal press
Setup
- 01Place a medicine ball on a non-slip surface.
- 02Set both hands on top of the ball with fingers spread down the sides.
- 03Walk the feet back into a plank with the shoulders stacked over the ball.
- 04Brace the trunk and squeeze the glutes before the first rep.
Execution
- 01Lower the chest toward the ball under control.
- 02Keep elbows tracking close to the ribs on the narrow base.
- 03Stop when the chest lightly touches the ball.
- 04Press back up to full elbow lockout without letting the ball tip.
Checkpoints
- -The ball stays still through the whole rep.
- -Hips and shoulders move as one unit.
- -Wrists stay stacked under the shoulders at the top.
- -The chest, not the face, leads the descent.
Common mistakes
- -Letting the elbows flare wide off the narrow base.
- -Sagging the hips as the set fatigues.
- -Cutting the range short well above the ball.
- -Using a ball that rolls on a slick floor.
Programming notes
- -Use 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps as a close-grip push-up progression.
- -Own strict diamond push-ups for reps before loading this variation.
- -Slow 3-second descents raise the stability demand without adding load.
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