3 Best Medicine Balls For Beginners (All Personally Tested)

I’ve used countless medicine balls over a 20-year career as a college Strength and Conditioning Coach and Sports Scientist.

Recently, I bought and tried out 10 of the most popular medicine balls currently on the market. I bought a variety of different brands and styles and tested them out over the course of a few months.

I understand that, as a beginner, it can be quite overwhelming to even know where to start when it comes to buying a medicine ball. This leads many to simply buy the only available option at the local big box store – only to be disappointed when it doesn’t perform well, or worse, tears up way too soon.

In this article, I’m going to give you the knowledge you need to purchase a medicine ball that is going to be easy to use, work great and last you a really long time.

I’m going to give you my favorite picks straight away and what I liked (and even what I didn’t) about each one. Plus, if you’d like to learn a little more general info about what to look for in a medicine ball (and the different types), scroll down to my Buyer’s Guide toward the bottom of this page.

This article contains affiliate links. If you buy something using these links I may earn a commission. Thanks.

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Why Trust My Reviews? I’ve spent 20 years as a collegiate sports performance coach and have been lifting personally even longer. I’ve bought and used equipment for both 14,000 square foot weight rooms and for my own garage gym. Finally, I only review products I’ve personally tested.

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PB Extreme Medicine Ball

Pros

The ball is packed crazy full. It feels as solid as the rubber medicine balls.

Because it’s packed so tightly, the bounce you get on the ball is amazing. When I slam it off the ground it pops back up to my waist every time. This made it awesome to roll right through a set of slams.

The seams are sewn toward the inside of the ball. This makes the surface smooth which I appreciated the more I used it.

Its durability so far has been amazing. It’s still looking and performing the same as the day it came out of the box.

Cons

My only real grievance with the Perform Better Med Ball is the shipping cost. Including the “temporary fee” that was added to my order, the total to ship my ball was $16.

This brought the total cost of the ball to around $100. This still puts the total cost around the middle of the pack for the wall balls, but it was the most I paid for shipping for any ball.

Overall, the all black look of the PB Extreme ball is solid. However, the 20 Pound lettering on the ball is a little too big in my opinion and it throws off the look of the ball. Maybe that’s being too nitpicky, but it drops it down just a notch in my opinion.

Final Verdict

The PB Extreme has been my favorite ball.

The bounce it gives is ridiculously good and consistent. It’s been a tank thus far from a durability standpoint and it’s priced very competitively.

Once I’m completely done testing all the balls (I’m going to keep using them all evenly until at least one of them completely gives up), this will be the ball I stick with.

See my full PB Extreme Med Ball Review here.

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Dynamax Medicine Ball

Pros

I’m going to admit my personal bias toward Dynamax medicine balls right up front. You have to understand that to me, Dynamax is the OG medicine ball. They’re the first medicine balls I became familiar with when I started coaching at the University of Tennessee and they’ve been in every weight room I’ve worked in since.

They’re extremely durable. I’ve seen Dynamax balls get absolutely abused in weight rooms. Do they tear up occasionally? Sure. But, considering the amount of wear and tear they’re able to withstand with hundreds of athletes day in and day out I have to imagine my personal ball will last me a long time.

I also like the rebound you get off the floor with them. I don’t know if it’s the material used or the way it’s packed, but Dynamax balls seem to have a nice bounce to them. Just enough to make them easy to grab right into the next rep.

Because Dynamax has been around forever and built an amazing reputation, you can purchase them through multiple outlets. They can be bought from Amazon, Rogue and Perform Better. I suggest doing a quick check to find the best price.

Cons

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if you said, “Coach, black and grey really doesn’t make a great-looking medicine ball” I would understand.

However, my personal belief is that this was very intentional to make them easily able to integrate into any college weight room. It didn’t matter what your school colors were (or more importantly your rivals), the Dynamax ball fit in with no issues.

Final Verdict

In my opinion, the only real downside to this ball compared to all the others is the price. At almost $130, it was the most expensive ball that I tested (about even with the Rogue Wall Ball).

But, as the old adage goes, “You get what you pay for.” In this instance, that phrase holds very true. Dynamax has been making medicine balls for a long time and they seem to have pretty much perfected it.

From a performance standpoint, I think the PB Extreme and the Dynamax medicine balls were hands down the two best I tested. The only edge is that the PB Extreme cost me about $30 less than the Dynamax.

My full review of the Dynamax Medicine Ball

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Rogue Rubber Medicine Ball

Pros

The look. It’s very minimalistic. All black with small white lettering and a cool geometric design.

It has a good predictable bounce and hasn’t really shown any signs of wear thus far.

The price is solid. $50 is much less than the higher-quality wall balls that I tested (even when you include shipping costs).

Cons

Came out of the box covered in some kind of grease or oil. Like, a lot.

Did it wear off? Yes. Was it an issue going forward? No. But, it definitely wasn’t pleasant.

Unless this was a rare issue with my ball, be prepared to clean it off immediately after opening.

Final Verdict

If you need a budget-friendly medicine ball, this is the one I recommend.

Why?

At $50, it’s a great price for a great looking medicine that has performed exceptionally well for me so far.

In my experience testing all of these medicine balls, the budget-friendly wall balls just didn’t hold up from a performance and durability standpoint.

By going with this Rogue Hard Rubber Ball, you can still get a really good quality medicine ball at a much lower price point.

My full review of the Rogue Rubber Medicine Ball

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Beginner Buyer’s Guide for Medicine Balls

You could easily take one of the recommendations above, buy a medicine ball with confidence and carry on with your day.

But, I know some people (myself included) like to have a little more information to help them make an informed decision. This section is for you.

I’m going to go over some frequently asked questions when it comes to buying a medicine ball. You’ll be just shy of guru status in just a few minutes.

Medicine Ball vs Wall Ball vs Slam Ball

If you’ve been doing your own research on medicine balls you’ve likely come across not just medicine balls, but also wall balls and maybe even slam balls as well.

So, what’s the difference?

Medicine Ball is really a broad term that covers all the different varieties of medicine ball. It simply refers to any weighted ball that is used to workout with.

Wall Ball

A Wall Ball is a type of medicine ball that has a synthetic leather cover, filled with a soft(ish) material and is larger in diameter (typically 14″). This style of medicine ball has become extremely popular due to its use in CrossFit.

They’re great for doing Wall Balls (the exercise for which they get their name), throws with a partner and core exercises. You have to be careful with doing slams though, as cheap Wall Balls can tear up quickly and the warranty can be voided if they’re being used for slams.

The first two balls I recommend above, the PB Extreme and Dynamax Medicine Ball are both Wall Balls. They, however, are also durable enough to withstand hundreds and even thousands of slams without breaking down.

Rubber Medicine Ball

Rubber Medicine Balls are smaller in diameter than a Wall Ball, have a thick rubber shell and are typically hollow in the middle. They typically have way more of a bounce than other types of medicine balls.

They’re generally cheaper than Wall Balls and their smaller diameter can make them easy to use for some exercises.

On the downside, they’re not as good for throwing with a partner because they don’t have the give that a softer Wall Ball has.

Some people also have the misconception that Rubber Medicine Balls are ‘indestructible’, but this isn’t true. I’ve seen my fair share of rubber medicine balls split open – making them pretty useless.

The Rogue Rubber Medicine Ball that I have listed above is an example of a rubber medicine ball. While it has its drawbacks, at half the price it makes a great budget option to the two Wall Ball choices.

Slam Ball

Slam Balls are the third variation of medicine ball. This type of medicine ball, as the name suggests, is designed to be slammed.

They are made with a thick, but pliable, rubber shell and are generally filled with sand to the desired weight of the ball.

While they are designed to take a beating, they are not designed to have any bounce whatsoever. Throwing a Slam Ball against the ground produces the effect you would expect if you dropped a bag of sand on the ground, because that is essentially exactly what they are.

While Slam Balls can serve a specific function very well, I didn’t include a Slam Ball option in this group of Medicine Balls for Beginners. Why?

Because, my guess is – as a beginner – you don’t want multiple medicine balls for different purposes. You want one medicine ball that can do any task you require from it. Whether it’s throws with a partner or slams on the ground.

I believe the three balls listed above, especially the PB Extreme and Dynamax balls will perform great with whatever you throw at it.

Final Thoughts

Medicine Balls are extremely versatile pieces of equipment. You can do entire workouts with nothing more than a medicine ball and some open space.

Buying a medicine ball though, especially your first medicine ball, can be an overwhelming experience. There are just so many companies out there making medicine balls. On top of that, there are multiple different kinds of medicine balls to choose from as well.

I hope this guide on the best medicine balls for beginners has made it easy for you to pick a great ball and given you enough information to help you make an informed decision.

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