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Selecting The Best Medicine Ball Weight For Your Routine – A Comprehensive Guide to Learning more about the Medicine Ball.
You are looking to start your fitness journey off right, but you’re unsure what Weight Medicine Ball to start with.
Believe me, you are not the only one with this problem.
With so many different options available these days, it’s hard to know which one will best suit your needs. Have you ever started a workout and after selecting a weight, realized it’s too heavy? And after that keep on struggling more and try to figure out what to grab next.
Or maybe it’s too light and doesn’t provide enough of a challenge? What if the material isn’t suitable for your exercises and the ball will break?
I get it, you are ready and motivated and you just want to get started on your fitness adventure. Instead of guessing and experimenting or spending hours online browsing and doing research.
Don’t worry! We’ve got you covered with this comprehensive guide on how to select the best medicine ball weight for your workout routine.
I have done the research for you and gathered all the important things you need to consider. This way you won’t need to waste time searching – instead, it’s time to focus on the fun of purchasing this equipment!
This definitive buying guide provides detailed and key information about weights, sizes, and materials to make sure you can make an informed decision.
I’m sure you are excited and ready to dive in and learn more!
In This Blog Post
- Medicine Ball Weight
- Medicine ball Weight and Medicine Ball Size, what is the difference?
- What is the standard size for a medicine ball?
- What is a Medicine Ball?
- What is a Medicine Ball used for?
- What NOT TO DO with this type of Medicine ball?
- What is a hard rubber Medicine Ball made off?
- Medicine Ball Warranty – Why it is important?
- FAQ
- What is the best Medicine Ball weight for a beginner?
- What is a good weight for a Medicine Ball?
- Medicine Ball Weight for Core Exercises
- How Heavy should a Medicine ball be for a 9-year-old?
- Medicine Ball Weight for a 14-year-old
- Medicine Ball Weight for Seniors
- Medicine Ball Weight for Man – Suggestions
- What weight medicine ball should a woman use?
- Conclusion
- Final important Disclamer
- Continue your Fitness Journey
Let’s start with doing a quick recap
Medicine Ball Weight
Most brands offering a hard shell rubber medicine ball have weight increments between 4 lbs to 30 lbs or if you are used to the metric system between 1.8 kg to 13.5 kg. The standard weights you would find in most commercial gyms are between 4 lbs to 20 lbs. Anything above 20 lbs I would honestly consider on the heavy side and more suitable for more seasoned fitness enthusiasts.
If you are starting to work out with a medicine ball you might notice that even “lighter” Medicine balls are deceptively heavy. This is because the weight is distributed throughout the entire ball. Whereas regular dumbbells have an easier and straightforward grip handle, the medicine ball might feel a bit more heavy and clumsy to hold and handle at first.
What weight of medicine ball should I use?
It may be difficult to pinpoint the precise medicine ball weight without any context, but with a better understanding of your fitness level, age, athleticism, and current lifestyle, you can make an educated guess to find what you need.
That said, I suggest you always take the safer approach and begin with a lower weight. Experiment with various weights for a few reps before advancing. Document your exercise routine and results to monitor if you are struggling with a certain weight or not.
Instead of worrying about the amount of weight you are lifting, focus your attention on doing your exercises correctly and efficiently first. It is more beneficial to construct a solid foundation for strength by gradually increasing difficulty than it is to jump straight into heavier weights.
As a general rule,
Absolute novices (male and female) should start with 4-6 lbs! Concentrate on executing the exercise properly rather than concentrating on the weight that is being moved around.
Healthy and capable female fitness enthusiasts can find a great medicine ball challenge using the 8-12lb weight range.
For fitness-minded men with some gym experience, the 12-15lbs range will provide a good starting place.
Even children can benefit from playing around with a 2 lbs slam ball.
Before you start lifting any of these weights, let’s start with the basics,
Medicine Ball Weight and Medicine Ball Size
Let’s take a moment to clarify what these terms mean. I get it, weight and size may appear simple and interchangeable, but they are very different when talking about weighted medicine balls. And I do believe it’s useful to identify the distinct differences between them before moving further.
So to make sure we’re on the same page,
Medicine Ball Size definition
When talking about the Medicine Ball Size in this article, I’m referring to the diameter (width) of the ball. Be aware that different brands have different diameters available. And within a brand’s same medicine ball product line, the diameter can get wider.
Depending on the brand, medicine ball diameters range from 7.5 inch (19 cm), 8.5 inch (21,5 cm), 9.5 inch (24 cm), 10 inch (25, 5 cm), 11 inch (28 cm), and 12 inch (35.5 cm).
All Brands follow the same principle more or less. The larger the diameter the heavier the ball gets.
Medicine Ball Weight definition
If I mention Medicine Ball Weight in this post, I’m referring to the gross weight of the medicine ball.
Just like dumbbells, each slam ball comes in a specific weight. Moving up in weight means grabbing or buying a different ball. Depending on the brand you will most likely see 2 lbs or 5 lbs weight increments. Be sure to pick a brand that has enough range for you to move up when your strength and power grow over time.
What is the standard size for a medicine ball?
Unlike the standard 14-inch wall ball size, there seems to be no reel standard size for the hard surface medicine ball. Depending on the brand, the diameters of the medicine ball tends to be quite different.
The only constant in all the brands, is that heavier medicine balls (10-lbs and up) have a larger diameter.
Here is a quick reference to help get an idea of the weight and diameter of some popular medicine ball manufacturing and retail brands.
| Weight (lbs) | Weight (kg) | Rogue – diameter (inch – cm) | Rhino Elite – diameter ( inch – cm) | ProSource – diameter (inch – cm) |
| 2 | 0.9 | 8” – 20.3 cm | ||
| 4 | 1.8 | 8” – 20.3 cm | 6.5” – 16.5 cm | |
| 6 | 2.7 | 8.5” – 21.6 cm | 9” – 22.9 cm | 7.6” – 19.3 cm |
| 8 | 3.6 | 8.5” – 21.6 cm | 9” – 22.9 cm | 8.5” – 21.6 cm |
| 10 | 4.5 | 9.5” – 24.1 cm | 9” – 22.9 cm | 8.8” – 22.3 cm |
| 12 | 5.4 | 9.5” – 24.1 cm | 9” – 22.9 cm | 9.2 “ – 23.4 cm |
| 14 | 6.3 | |||
| 15 | 6.8 | 11.25” – 24.1 cm | 11” – 28 cm | |
| 16 | 7.2 | |||
| 18 | 8.1 | 11.25” – 24.1 cm | 11” – 28 cm | |
| 20 | 9.0 | 11.25” – 24.1 cm | 11” – 28 cm | |
| 25 | 11.3 | 11.25” – 24.1 cm | 11” – 28 cm | |
| 30 | 13.6 | 11.25” – 24.1 cm | 11” – 28 cm |
Now that you know understand the difference between the weight and size of a medicine ball, let’s dive a bit deeper in
What is a Medicine Ball?
The hard shell rubber medicine ball is a weighted ball that is typically, but not exclusively, used in rehabilitation, sports training, and physical fitness. This type of medicine ball has been around for quite some time. And by quite some time I mean ancient times like old Greek and Rome.
Around the beginning of 2000, the medicine ball started to gain more popularity with functional movement fitness training. Where the emphasis was training and getting fit for everyday life situations (lifestyle) rather than lifting the heaviest weight possible.
Today there is not a single commercial gym where you will not run into a wide variety of this piece of fitness equipment. For anybody who has spent some time in a gym, or just started, there are different types of medicine balls, with different properties.
Although the name medicine ball is used interchangeably for all of them, it is good to point out that each of the types is designed for different exercises and even sports disciplines.
Utilizing a med ball type that is not suited for a specific exercise or movement can not only damage the equipment but it will also leave you feeling disappointed and angry. Rather than inspired and motivated to do it again.
This hard rubber shell medicine ball comes in different weights and widths. Based on your fitness level you can cater the exercises to your needs.
What is a Medicine ball used for actually?
Hard rubber shell medicine balls are an ideal choice for stationary exercises and can be just as effective (if not more so!) than typical solid weights like dumbbells or kettlebells.
If you’re looking for a challenging and effective way to train, picking up a medicine ball is a great option. With it, you can easily perform exercises such as Russian twists, V-ups, Lunges with Twists, Lunges with Ball Overhead, Weighted Supermans, or med ball planks.
Not only are they ideal for collaboration workouts, medicine balls can also make your regimen exciting and challenging; think throwing, passing, long-distance tossing, rapid throws – or numerous other drills you could come up with.
What NOT TO DO with this type of medicine ball?
Although the hard rubber medicine ball may look rugged and reliable, it is not unbreakable!
Do not toss or violently slam it against any surface as that would most certainly damage the equipment. And because of its bounce-back property, the ball could behave very unpredictably when bouncing up again.
Despite the manufacturer’s assurance that it is safe to do so, I would personally advise against using the product in this way. I did notice while reading through most brands’ warranty agreements for this product, that slamming the ball will void the product warranty.
The manufacturer’s durability promise is, in my opinion, more related to withstanding accidental drops in my opinion. Rather than the possibility of using this hard shell rubber ball to perform exercises that are more suitable for a slam ball.
If you believe that the medicine ball will be routinely misused, such as slamming or tossing it on the floor, then this is not the ideal product for your requirements. The majority of frustrated customer reviews I’ve read concerned broken or split outer shell were caused by aggressive handling and training with the hard-shelled med ball
My suggestion – if you plan on throwing or dropping this ball more often than not, opt for something sturdier and far more resistant! A SLAM BALL (what’s in the name I know) would be the type of weighted ball that is more suitable for high-intensity and aggressive handling.
To illustrate what to do and not to do a bit further, let’s investigate the Anatomy of this type of weighted ball closer
What is a hard rubber medicine ball made off?
In the next section, you will learn more about – interior filling, and outer covering, and why this specific medicine ball design will not withstand certain exercise routines.
Although interesting to some, the purpose of this article is not to go into all the technical manufacturing details of how this piece of fitness gear is constructed. It’s more to give a general understanding so you know what to expect when using the material.
Different brands employ different materials and methods when it comes to manufacturing. The following overview will give you a very good basis for what to look for.
Or even better – to look out for!
Hard rubber medicine ball – Outside shell materials:
The material of choice for most mass-produced hard-shell medicine balls is rubber, vinyl, or plastic.
Some outside shells are rubberized meaning that the bouncy plastic or vinyl shell has been coated with layers of liquid rubber solution. Depending on the thickness of the coating, this process can be repeated to have a thicker coat.
Another manufacturing method is using a solid synthetic rubber coat that is filled up with heavy material to get the desired weight.
The hard shell can be smooth or have a rough texture for easy grip. This will make sure that the ball will not slip when executing complex or challenging movements. Even when the ball gets wet from sweat, the textured grip of this ball ensures a secure hold that won’t slip.
Hard rubber medicine ball – Valve:
Most medicine balls come with a plug or valve. Depending on the brand and recommendations of the manufacturer air could be added to have a more firm ball.
I would advise you to read the instructions of your product or contact the manufacturer before you do so.
This is a considerable weak point in its construction. No matter how reinforced or embedded the valve is, be aware that it’s more likely to break down.
Hard rubber medicine ball – Weighted core:
Most medicine balls use regular sand or iron sand (a natural type of dark gray or black sand with heavy concentrations of iron) filling. That said, different brands can use other materials when manufacturing this fitness equipment.
Outside of sand, rubber granules (repurposed rubber material, grounded up into a fine texture), gels, plastic pebbles, or combinations of different heavy materials are used to fill up this type of ball
When you are buying, a decent Warranty is an absolute must.
After carefully comparing the warranties of several brands and types of medicine balls, I can guarantee that not all return policies are equal. I’ve found limited 15-day to 30-day Amazon returns to lifetime warranties on certain equipment.
In a time when it’s easier to throw away than repair and reuse, it’s amazing that there are still fitness equipment manufacturers who passionately believe in and stand behind the quality, design, and longevity of their products. Which is why they will provide warranties to guarantee customer satisfaction.
That said, as consumers we do hold a responsibility to make sure companies are willing to provide that warranty. In short, be a fitness user, not a fitness abuser.
Putting your equipment through a challenging workout is one thing. But abusing it, dragging it to the edge of destruction, going against the manufacturer’s recommendations when working out, and then wondering why it broke, that’s a completely different story.
Always read the warranty statement! Or if you are not sure, contact the manufacturer and ask what will void the warranty. Especially because not all medicine balls are designed to handle all types of exercises. I can tell you that in most agreements that I read, slamming the hard rubber medicine balls will automatically void the warranty.
Even when you use the equipment as suggested in this guide and the product manufacturer, when buying your gear, do not go for any medicine ball with less than 1-year warranty.
Frequently asked questions:
What is the best medicine ball weight for a beginner?
First and foremost, if you are an absolute beginner and have never done any physical activity before, I strongly recommend consulting with a healthcare practitioner first before you do any activity at all.
As I mentioned a couple of times in this article, it’s very important to select a medicine ball that is well-suited for your fitness goals and capabilities. The best way to determine what weight of medicine ball is best for you is to take into account your current level of physical activity and strength.
If you have never touched a medicine ball before,
and have not set foot in a gym for more than 5 years, I would recommend you start at the lowest weight (2lbs or 4lbs) and concentrate on performing the exercises smoothly. This is my best recommendation for male, female, and adolescent users.
If you have been working out with weights,
and you want to replace certain weighted exercises with a medicine ball. For healthy and capable female fitness enthusiasts 6lbs – 10lbs is a great starting point.
For male gym goers who are looking for a new challenge, a 10lbs-14lbs medicine ball weight is a good start.
Even for experienced gym amateurs,
it will never hurt to start low and concentrate on the smoothness and correct form of the exercise. Be aware of the muscle or muscles you are engaging and exercising rather than just going through the motion and moving the weight around.
What is a good weight for a medicine ball?
Without the proper context, it is impossible to put an ideal weight on this, and any fitness equipment, you are going to use.
That said you can make an educated guess if you keep the following in mind.
To determine the ideal weight of the medicine ball for you, consider your present physical activity and fitness level. With this information in mind, you can make an informed decision on which one will help best achieve success!
If you haven’t done any organized sports, or haven’t stepped into a gym since high school and want to start exercising, the 2lbs is where you should start.
In general, always be careful when exercising.
Pick the lowest weight and make sure you do the exercise smoothly and with proper form before picking up a heavier weight and doing it again. Be aware when you are doing the exercise instead of mindlessly going through the motion also helps with feeling if you are using the right amount of resistance.
Medicine ball weight for core exercises
For beginners who haven’t trained their core since graduating, I would highly recommend doing bodyweight exercises first. There are a variety of exercises that train the abs (6 pack), obliques (side muscles), and lower abs (for a flat belly) that are intense enough to keep you challenged for a couple of weeks if not months.
If you have done the bodyweight core exercises for a while and are looking for a challenge have a look at medicine ball weight between 2lbs to 6lbs. I guarantee that adding any resistance will make this and your body weight a new experience already!
If you have done resistance training before and are looking to make your V-ups, twists, and scissor kicks the 8lbs-12lbs range is a good starting point for healthy and capable male and female intermediate gym enthusiasts.
Concentrate on performing your core exercises with proper form and rhythm before you consider moving up in weight. Sloppy form is never an excuse to justify a higher weight.
Don’t feel that a weighted hard surface medicine ball is the only tool you can use to make core exercises more challenging, weighted plates, dual grip medicine balls, or even dumbbells and kettlebells are perfect fitness gear to add to your routines. As long as you don’t rely on rolling a ball when doing more balance exercises you should be good.
That said, having a grip fail with (aka dropping) a med ball might be less problematic than having the same issue with a kettlebell.
How heavy should a medicine ball be for a 9-year-old?
A 1, 2, or 3lbs medicine ball weight is plenty for a 9-year-old. Weighted Medicine balls are a great tool for younger kids to train and play with. It’s a very gentle introduction to resistance training and is great to get them comfortable with this type of fitness equipment.
When working with or suggesting equipment to and for children do remember that going “heavy” is not the idea of working with this type of fitness gear. So if young kids want to train for sports, look for the brands that provide 1, 2, and 3 lbs medicine balls and they should be more than enough to provide a challenge for starting out.
This might seem low, but the same rule goes for any beginning male or female adult. Start low, and concentrate on the motion first before you think of graduating to a higher weight.
Medicine ball weight for 14 year old?
Teenagers can probably start anywhere between the 4lbs to 8lbs weight range. As always, if you are the supervising or coaching adult, make sure the emphasis is on the execution of the exercises and not how much weight you are moving. Teenage boys will probably be a little bit harder to convince than girls on that topic. If that becomes an issue increasing the repetitions can provide an extra challenge for motivated young fitness enthusiasts. This will make sure to create a challenging workout and concentrate on form and technique rather than weight and ego.
Medicine ball weight for seniors
If you are an absolute beginner and have never done any physical activity before, I strongly recommend consulting with a healthcare practitioner first before you do any activity at all.
That said, age should not stop people from exercising. The older we get the more benefit we get from exercising. I’ve heard this quote somewhere and I can not agree with it more.
We get old because we stop exercising, we don’t stop exercising because we get old.
If you are looking to add resistance training, start with lower 2lbs, 4lbs, and 6lbs medicine ball weights. These will give you enough resistance to perform the exercise and get used to working out with weighted equipment.
After you are comfortable with this weight, nothing stops you of course from exploring more challenging increments. Always be mindful and aware when you do so. And ask advice and help from health professionals if you are in doubt.
Medicine ball weight for man suggestions
If you are a healthy and capable male and are not looking to rehabilitate after an injury, a medicine ball weight between 6lbs and 8lbs should provide a great start for your adventure. If you have not done any physical or resistance training before and this is your very first exercise effort go for 4 lbs and concentrate on the form and execution of the exercise first.
If you have some prior gym experience and are looking for weight alternatives, I believe the 10lbs, 12lbs, 14lbs, and 15lbs medicine ball weight increments will give you a nice challenge.
What weight medicine ball should a woman use
If you are a healthy and capable female and are not looking to rehabilitate after an injury, a medicine ball weight between 4lbs and 6lbs should be a good place to start your resistance training.
If this is your very first resistance training or medicine ball exercise effort go for 2 lbs and concentrate on the form and execution of the exercise first.
If you are no stranger to physical training and have been doing weight training, but are looking for alternatives to challenge yourself look for the 8lb or 10 lbs. These heavier medicine ball weights should be high enough to make most exercises in your routine more challenging for the next couple of weeks
Conclusion
I hope you have a good idea now of what to look for in a medicine ball, and what weight medicine ball is ideal to start your fitness adventure.
You don’t want to start with a hard-surfaced medicine ball that’s too heavy. And you don’t want to choose one that’s too light and doesn’t provide enough challenge.
That’s exactly why I created this ultimate buying guide for you. I’ve done all the research so you don’t have to. To make sure you have all the information you need! From understanding that things like the outside shell, filling material, and what the ball is designed for play a role in determining which one will suit your needs best.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced fitness enthusiast, now that you know what to look out for, I’m sure there is a medicine ball that suits your needs perfectly.
As always, I appreciate you for taking the time to read this article. The last thing I want for you is to get hurt. To make sure you fully understand,
A Final and important disclaimer
Homegymadventures.com articles are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment — nor should any information shared here be taken as such. Before taking any action related to your health, we strongly recommend consulting with a healthcare practitioner first. Here is our disclaimers page for more and detailed information
Continuing your Fitness Journey
After reading this post, you can’t help but think that choosing a medicine ball just turned into more work. With all of the different options and opinions out there – how do you even begin to narrow down your choices?
Have a look at this best Medicine ball review post, so choosing a medicine ball will not feel like extra work!
If you are not sure that a medicine ball is a weighted ball you are looking for have a look at this article Slam ball vs medicine ball, which one should you choose?
Or if you are excited and want to learn more about the other types of medicine balls available on the market. Have a look at What is a medicine ball and how can it benefit my workouts?