Medicine Ball Push-Up
The medicine ball push-up is a push-up with both hands on top of a medicine ball, which gives a narrow, unstable base. It works the chest, triceps and front of the shoulders, with extra effort from the shoulder and trunk muscles to keep the ball steady.
Also called: Med Ball Push-Up, Medicine Ball Press-Up, Hands-on-Ball Push-Up · Equipment: medicine ball · Pattern: push
Step by step
- Place a firm medicine ball on the floor under your chest. Kneel and put both hands on top of the ball, fingers spread and pointing forward, thumbs close together.
- Step your feet back into a plank so your body forms one straight line from head to heels, with your shoulders directly above the ball.
- Brace your abs, squeeze your glutes and press your hands firmly into the ball and towards each other.
- Bend your elbows and bring your chest down towards the ball, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
- Go down until your chest is close to or touches the ball, holding the straight body line.
- Press the ball away to straighten your arms, keeping it still under your hands.
- After the last rep, bring your knees to the floor before taking your hands off the ball.
- Hands on top of the ball, pressed together
- Elbows close to your sides
- Body in one straight line
- Chest to the ball
- Keep the ball still
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Triceps brachii: lateral head | Prime mover | C |
| Pectoralis major: sternocostal (mid) | Prime mover | C |
| Anterior deltoid: anterior | Secondary | C |
| Serratus anterior | Secondary | C |
| Rotator cuff | Stabiliser | D |
| Rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Hands on the sides of the ball
Fix: Place both hands on top of the ball with the fingers spread.
Shoulders drifting ahead of the ball
Fix: Keep your shoulders stacked over the ball throughout the rep.
Elbows flaring out
Fix: Keep your elbows close to your sides as you go down.
Hips sagging
Fix: Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes throughout the set.
Shallow reps
Fix: Bring your chest close to the ball on every rep.
What the research says
Muscle growthGeneral fitnessSport performanceEndurance
- Muscle activity — An EMG study found push-ups with the hands on a medicine ball produced more upper-chest and front-shoulder activity than on a stable base. Muscle activity is not the same as growth.
- Hand width — An EMG study found a narrow hand position produced more chest and triceps activity than a wide one.
- Push-ups as a press — Training studies found load-matched push-ups produced chest and triceps growth similar to the bench press. This research used standard push-ups.
- Load and effort — Research finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure.
- Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the medicine ball push-up in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.