Medicine Ball Overhead Slam

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

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Slamming the ball downward runs the overhead pattern in reverse: you reach full extension, then your lats, abs, and shoulders accelerate the ball into the floor. Use a dead-bounce slam ball so it cannot rebound into you, and reach tall before each rep - a longer path gives you more room to build speed.

How to do the Medicine Ball Overhead Slam

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball with both hands above your head.
  2. Engage your core and keep your back straight.
  3. Bend your knees slightly and forcefully slam the medicine ball down to the ground in front of you.
  4. As you slam the ball down, use your entire body to generate power, including your shoulders and core.
  5. Catch the ball on the bounce 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

Upper Back · Back

The upper back loads as the arms go overhead and drives the throw forward.

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.