What Medicine Ball Weight Should I Use? Tips and How to Decide

You can use a medicine ball in many creative ways during your workout, including balance training, plyometrics, slams and strength training. So choosing the right medicine ball weight means first deciding how you'll use it.

Learn how to use a medicine ball to improve your overall fitness level and the best weights to get you started.

Although the name may be a little deceiving, medicine balls don't actually have anything to do with medicine. They're large, weighted exercise balls with a rubbery, firm outer surface. You can find medicine balls in a variety of sizes and weights, just like dumbbells.

Medicine balls are a piece of functional exercise equipment you can use to strengthen and condition your whole body, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE). They're especially useful in short workouts, because you can use one to train multiple muscle groups at once.

Plus, they're versatile — you can do nearly endless exercises using just a medicine ball. You can keep it simple with medicine ball squats or try a challenging exercise, like medicine ball halo lunges. And you can choose heavier med balls over time to build muscle.

As mentioned above, finding the right medicine ball weight for you depends on how you'll use it. Before you buy a medicine ball, it's best to test a few sizes with exercises you may want to try. You want a ball that provides resistance but isn't so heavy that it limits your motion, recommends the Dynamax blog, a popular medicine ball company.

"The best weight for you depends on your fitness level," says Carolina Araujo, CPT, a California-based strength coach. "Adults with some strength-training history can probably start with a 7- to 8-pound ball. Above all else, you should be able to do all your exercises with good form."

Those tackling medicine ball exercises for the first time should start with a relatively light weight. After all, exercise balls don't exactly feel or move the same as standard dumbbells or barbells.

Because medicine ball exercises may involve rotation, jumping, throwing or other speedy movements you're not used to, take the time to learn those new movements with a lighter ball.

Start with a 4- to 5-pound ball. Once you can do all your exercises with good form with that size, gradually opt for larger options. Below is a chart with general guidelines for medicine ball weights. Remember, always err on the side of lighter to begin with to make sure you don't injure yourself.

For strength-focused exercises, like medicine ball squats or lunges, a heavier ball (around 12 pounds) is probably the best choice, Araujo suggests. But for more explosive, cardio-focused moves, you want a lighter ball that you can throw around (around 7 pounds).

Once you have the perfect size medicine ball, then what? Here are a few exercises to try.

Medicine balls are functional, which means you can use them in a variety of workout styles, including strength and cardio-focused training. Just make sure you choose a weight that you can comfortably handle.

You can add a medicine ball to your existing workouts by swapping a few dumbbell or barbell exercises with a ball. Or, add resistance to a non-weighted exercise, like medicine ball sit-ups.

And there are plenty of challenging, medicine-ball-only exercises out there. On days you want to shake up your workout routine, you can do your entire workout using only a medicine ball.