Medicine Ball Drop Throws (How To, Benefits, Muscles Worked)

Medicine Ball Drop Throws are a dynamic exercise for developing upper-body pressing power.

It involves laying on your back and having a partner drop a medicine ball down toward your chest. The goal is to catch the ball, then quickly and powerfully throw the ball back up into the air to your partner.

In this guide, I’m going to teach you how to properly do Medicine Ball Drop Throws including its benefits and a few alternatives as well.

How To Do Medicine Ball Drop Throws

Equipment Needed

Medicine Ball
Partner

Muscles Worked

Chest
Triceps
Shoulders

Step-by-Step Instructions

Lay on your back on the floor and have a partner stand right above your head with a medicine ball*.
Hand your arms up straight above your chest and prepare to catch the ball when dropped to you.
Have your partner drop the ball toward your hands.
When the ball hits your hands allow the arms to bend and absorb the force of the ball as you bring the ball down to just off your chest.
Now, aggressively drive the ball straight back up into the air.
Have your partner catch the ball and prepare for the next rep.

Coaching Points

*Ideally have your partner stand on a box or a bench so you can achieve more height in the drop. If a bench isn’t available to you, standing on the floor can suffice.

Don’t allow the ball to hit you in the chest. You should be able to absorb the force of the medicine ball and redirect it without needing to bang it off your chest.

The goal is to get the ball out of your hands as quickly as possible while also generating as much force as possible.

Benefits of Medicine Ball Drop Throws

Medicine Ball Drop Throws are an excellent exercise for developing upper body power. Plus, you get the added benefit of absorbing the force of the medicine ball and then redirecting it.

This makes Med Ball Drop Throws great for athletes involved in contact sports like football, rugby and hockey.

Med Ball Drop Throw Alternatives

Need an alternative for Medicine Ball Drop Throws? Here are a couple of exercises you might be able to do in their place.

Med Ball Chest Pass

Med Ball Chest Passes are another dynamic pressing exercise. You don’t get the same force absorption, but if you don’t have a partner you can use a sturdy wall to throw your chest passes into instead.

Dumbbell Bench Press

Don’t have a medicine ball? Dumbbell Bench Press could be used as an alternative. Although I don’t suggest you throw the dumbbells into the air (seriously, don’t do this), you can still work power with Dumbbell Bench.

Keep the weight lighter and focus on driving hard and accelerating the dumbbells off the chest. It’s a great way to work upper-body power without the need for a medicine ball.