Garage Gym: Make Your Own Medicine Ball
The medicine ball is the simplest and most versatile piece of functional equipment you can own. The best medicine balls are the size of a large pumpkin, are equally weighted and cost about $100. “$100 for flippin heavy ball?” you say? I agree.
I made my own beloved med-ball and I wouldn’t trade it for any other. It weighs 44 lbs when it’s dry but because I often toss it in dewy grass, it is rarely dry and weighs as much as 52 lbs.
Materials
For Every Ball you make you will need:
One Old Ball
One Roll of Gorilla Tape
One Old Towel
1)
It is great to have a couple different weights and sizes so get over to your local Goodwill and get a basketball and a soccer ball of different sizes. My ball is HEEYUGE and heavy because I used my son’s old rubbery ball from Target- you know those cheap marbled looking balls?
2)
Now cut a flap in each ball large enough to easily scoop sand into it.
3)
Get a bag of pea gravel from Home Depot ($3) or do as I did and take those balls down to your local beach and fill them with sand. I did this on a hot day last summer at Alki Beach where I received a lot of quizzicle looks. That’s just not fair. I’m doing something awesome that is great for me and there they are doing the typical Alki Beach Posturing:
Two pit-bulls on one leash, Check.
Ridiculously over-sized shades, Check.
Heinous new Batman tattoo prominently displayed across your back, Check (I actually saw that one.)
Give humble local chiropractor who is making incredible homemade medicine balls the stink eye, Check.
4)
Seal the hole in the ball. Some people recommend sewing it shut. Some people say to use hot glue or a bike flat repair kit. I’m not that crafty so I duct taped it shut. It holds up well.
5)
Wrap the towel around the ball.
6)
Wrap the entire roll of duct tape around the ball and towel. DONE.
I call my medicine ball workouts Pet Rock sessions. I take the thing to the football field across the street from my home and do stuff like:
See how FEW throws it can take me to get from one end of the field to the other.
See how many times I can throw the ball over the field goal post in a row before I miss one- look out for that falling ball when you chunk one against the post.
Run one lap without the ball, run one with the ball for x miles.
You can always use it as a weight for normal lifts in a Tabata format too: Push Press, Wall Balls, Thrusters etc.
Post your Pet Rock WOD ideas to comments.
I love the medicine ball"Pet Rock" workouts. There are endless creative ways to incorporate the medicine ball and no explanation needed; everyone has played with a ball at some point in there life. The medicine ball also travels well so there is never an excuse that you didn't have access to workout gear.
Competition anyone? Over 2 decades ago as a young buck the wrestling team I was on would periodically have a day of "fun" conditioning. One of our favorites was a medicine ball workout. Rules were stand 10 feet from your opponent. Heave the ball as hard as possible in any way, with any form at your opponent trying to force him to drop the ball. Opponent must catch the ball any way possible (falling to the ground was likely and expected). Dropping the ball resulted in 10 burpees. Great Fun!
I like your med-ball better than mine! I started with 2 old dumbbells my wife was no longer using, 6 and 5 lbs. Then I went to value village and bought a comforter for $5, went home and washed it 6 times. I duct taped the dumbbells together, then I taped 2 small, round pillows around the dumbbells, then taped the comforter around the whole mess. Its 24 lbs total, and is more oblong than round, but hey, it wasn't $100!
That thing sounds like a functional object.