What are wall balls? Summed up, they are the best exercise you're not doing or the worst exercise you're doing. Whether you're doing them or not, we'll explain why we love them!
How do you do a wall ball?
First you'll need to grab a medicine ball - usually 9kg for men and 6kg for women - however, you can adjust to suit your needs or fitness level. Once you have the ball and wall sorted raise the ball to your chest, perform a full squat (thighs at least parallel with the floor) and push up through your heels maintaining momentum until you release the ball above your head to hit the 3m mark. Catch the ball on it's way down and perform a full squat and repeat! Simple yes? NO!
The whole body take a hit while you're performing your wall ball WOD! On the squat, the calves, quads, hamstrings and glutes then on the throw section your chest, arms, back and shoulders cop a beating. All this is happening while your core is activated also.
4 REASONS WHY WE LOVE THEM
1. They work your entire body
As stated above, your whole body cops a beating while performing a wall ball. Since wall balls are essentially a squat and a push press, you work a total of 11 muscles while performing them.
2. They improve your overall conditioning
If you're looking to improve your VO2 max, increase endurance or get into shape quick then doing wall balls often will improve your performance faster than you think
3. They make you functionally fit
Functional exercises train your muscles to work together and prepare them for daily tasks by stimulating common movements you might do at home, at work or during sports. While using various muscles in the upper and lower body at the same time, functional fitness exercises also emphasise core stability.
4. They increase overall explosiveness and power
When you're at the bottom of the squat looking up at where you're medicine ball has to hit, 124 wall balls into your WOD, fatigue has set in, the only way you get the ball to that mark is through an explosive, powerful movement.
DO THEM OFTEN!!
Need the gear to do them? Below is what we recommend
WPN Onyx Shorts - When you're at the bottom of the squat you need a comfortable pair that moves with the shape of your body. In our opinion, nothing beats these shorts during any workout - Click here
TacSource AUS Fitness Tee - Our best selling tee the TacSource AUS Fitness Tee is designed for performance and features a comfortable cotton polyester fabric - Click here
