Overhead Medicine Ball Throw

How to perform the Overhead Medicine Ball Throw

1. Stand tall with the feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball overhead with both hands and the core braced.
2. Take the ball back behind the head, loading the shoulders and lats without over-arching the lower back.
3. Throw the ball forward and down (or up to a partner/wall) by explosively flexing the trunk and driving the arms through.
4. Retrieve the ball, reset the overhead position under control, and repeat, treating each throw as a maximal-speed effort.

Suggested working range: 3–6 reps. Default progression: manual.

Common mistakes

• •Over-arching and straining the lower back to load overhead instead of bracing the core hard.
• •Throwing softly from the shoulders alone rather than snapping the trunk through to power the throw.
• •Losing balance forward on the release instead of staying stacked and controlled over the feet.
• •Letting the overhead reset get sloppy under fatigue, so the setup drifts and the throws lose intent.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in one of these when the equipment is taken or the main lift has stalled.

Face Pull

Shoulders · Cable

Overhead Press

Shoulders · Barbell

Dumbbell Overhead Press

Shoulders · Dumbbell

Lateral Raise

Shoulders · Dumbbell

Cable Lateral Raise

Shoulders · Cable