Around The World Med Ball Slams (How To & Benefits)

Around The World Med Ball Slams are a great dynamic core exercise that can add some nice variety to any workout in place of more ‘traditional’ (but sometimes boring) core exercises.

In this guide, I’m going to teach you how to properly do Around The World Med Ball Slams, explain the benefits of this movement and provide a few alternatives in case you need them.

How To Do Around The World Med Ball Slams

Equipment Needed

Medicine Ball (Ideally a Slam Ball)

Muscles Worked

Abdominals
Serratus Anterior
Latissimus Dorsi
Teres Major
Deltoids

Step-by-Step Instructions

Grab a medicine ball and stand tall with feet roughly shoulder-width apart.
Rotate to the side and bring the ball up and behind the head.
As the ball begins to be lifted over the head, aggressively rotate the body forward and slam the ball to the ground in front of the feet.
Let the ball slam into the ground, catch it off the bounce and repeat going to the opposite direction.
Continue to alternate back and forth until all reps are completed.

Coaching Points

First and foremost, test how ‘bouncy’ your medicine ball is before starting. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen athletes almost have their face smashed by a medicine ball bouncing much harder and rebounding much faster off the ground than they were anticipating.

The biggest mistake I see with Med Ball Slams is athletes not utilizing the core and simply throwing the ball down with their arms. The bulk of the force should be generated by aggressively using the core to hinge forward. If done correctly, it should almost (and actually might) lift your feet up off the floor.

Benefits of Around The World Med Ball Slams

Although there are countless core exercises, Around the World Med Ball Slams is one of the best dynamic movements that works the core through all planes of motion – and does so powerfully. Think of them as an Olympic lift for the core. Dynamic and explosive.

Great for athletes and really anyone that wants to add more functionality to their core training.

Around The World Medicine Ball Slam Alternatives

If you’re not able to do Med Ball Slams, for whatever reason, or you’re just wanting to change up your routine a bit – here are a few alternatives you can try.

Med Ball Side Slams

Side Slams are a slight variation to Around The World Med Ball Slams and I’ll often incorporate both into my programming, many times one right after the other.

Instead of slamming the ball directly in front of you, twist to one side as you hinge and slam the ball into the ground beside you. Alternate from one side to the other until all reps are completed.

Medicine Ball Situp and Throw

If you have a partner, Med Ball Situp and Throws are a great alternative to Med Ball Slams. (If you don’t have a partner you can use a solid wall instead)

Lay on your back as you would for situps. Reach the ball overhead, sit up with as much force as you can and then launch the ball to your partner. When timed up correctly you can put some good distance on the throw.

Seated Twists

If you don’t have a medicine ball, Seated Twists are about the closest core exercise that mimics the dynamic effort involved in an Around The World Med Ball Slam.

Sit on your butt with your knees slightly bent and your feet off the ground. Rotate the body to one side and try to take the opposite shoulder toward the opposite knee. Alternate to the other side and continue back and forth.