Overhead Medicine Ball Throw

Also known as: medicine ball catch and overhead throw, med ball overhead throw, overhead med ball throw

In SetGrip: Medicine Ball Catch and Overhead Throw

Secondary muscles
Delts, Abs
Body part
Back
Position
Standing
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Plyometrics

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Catching the ball before each throw loads your lats and core eccentrically for a split second, then reverses it - a stretch-shortening demand the plain Medicine Ball Overhead Throw skips entirely. You will need a partner or a rebounding surface, plus a ball light enough that the catch never stalls your rhythm.

How to do the Overhead Medicine Ball Throw

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball in both hands at chest level.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and engage your core.
  3. Lower your body into a squat position, keeping your back straight and chest up.
  4. Explosively extend your hips and legs, while simultaneously throwing the medicine ball overhead.
  5. Release the ball at the top of the movement and catch it on the way down.
  6. Lower your body back into the squat position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Breathe out sharply on the release and throw the whole body into it, not just the arms.

Muscles worked

Primary

Lats · Back

The lats pull the arms down from overhead on a slam and should be felt on the sides of the back.

Secondary

  • Delts
  • Abs — The abs whip the torso forward on slams and should feel like a hard crunch at the moment of release.

Common mistakes

  • Throwing with the arms only — the throw starts with the legs and hips, then travels through the torso and out the arms; if the legs stay still, the power is gone.
  • Folding at the waist — keep the back flat as you follow through and let the hips hinge so you do not fold at the waist.
  • Rushing reps as conditioning — a throw is a power exercise, so reset between reps and throw each one hard.
  • Wrong ball weight — a ball that is too heavy turns a throw into a push; use something light enough to move fast.

Where it fits in a workout

Throws go at the start of a session after the warm-up, before heavy lifting, while you are fresh. Pair overhead throws with broad jumps for a power block.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Alternatives

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.