Run and Release Medicine Ball Chest Pass

In SetGrip: Medicine Ball Chest Pass (Run and Release)

Secondary muscles
Triceps, Delts, Abs
Body part
Chest
Position
Standing
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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Releasing the ball at full arm extension and sprinting to catch it adds a reactive chase no stationary throw has; you create power, then immediately pursue the result. Find an open stretch of floor, keep the ball weight modest, and treat sets as power conditioning with built-in short rests.

How to do the Run and Release Medicine Ball Chest Pass

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball at chest level.
  2. Step forward with your right foot and simultaneously push the medicine ball forward, extending your arms fully.
  3. As you push the ball forward, release it and let it roll forward.
  4. Quickly run forward and catch the ball before it hits the ground.
  5. Once you catch the ball, bring it back to your chest and repeat the movement with your left foot forward.
  6. Continue alternating legs and repeating the exercise for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Breathe out sharply and release the ball as fast as possible on every rep.

Muscles worked

Primary

Pectorals · Chest

The chest drives the ball forward from the chest and should feel like a fast bench press.

Secondary

  • Triceps — The triceps extend the elbows at the moment of release and provide the final snap.
  • Delts — The front delts assist the push and stabilize the shoulder through the release.
  • Abs

Common mistakes

  • Throwing with the arms only — on a standing pass the power comes from the legs and hips first; step into the throw or drive from the stance.
  • Grinding out slow reps — a throw is about speed, so release the ball as fast as you can on every rep and reset fully between throws.
  • Elbows flaring wide — keep the elbows tucked and the hands at chest height so the throw comes straight from the chest.
  • Ball too heavy — if you cannot throw it fast, it is too heavy; pick a lighter ball and throw it hard.

Where it fits in a workout

Throws go at the start of a session after the warm-up and before bench press as a power primer. Pair them with a supine chest throw on the same mat for a power block.

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

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without medicine ball

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.