One-Arm Medicine Ball Slam

A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, using a medicine ball.

One-Arm Medicine Ball Slam — Starting position Starting position
One-Arm Medicine Ball Slam — End position End position
Difficulty Beginner
Type Strength
Equipment Medicine Ball
Primary Muscle Abs
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do One-Arm Medicine Ball Slam

  1. Start in a standing position with a staggered, athletic stance. Hold a medicine ball in one hand, on the same side as your back leg. This will be your starting position.
  2. Begin by winding the arm, raising the medicine ball above your head. As you do so, extend through the hips, knees, and ankles to load up for the slam.
  3. At peak extension, flex the shoulders, spine, and hips to throw the ball hard into the ground directly in front of you.
  4. Catch the ball on the bounce and continue for the desired number of repetitions.

Muscles Worked

Front
Back

Primary

Where One-Arm Medicine Ball Slam does most of its work.

Secondary

Assisting and stabilising muscles.

Alternatives to One-Arm Medicine Ball Slam

10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 One-Arm High-Pulley Cable Side Bends

    One-Arm High-Pulley Cable Side Bends

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  2. 2 Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends

    Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  3. 3 Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball

    Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment
  4. 4 Exercise Ball Crunch

    Exercise Ball Crunch

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using an exercise ball.

    beginner Exercise Ball
  5. 5 Exercise Ball Pull-In

    Exercise Ball Pull-In

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, using an exercise ball.

    beginner Exercise Ball
  6. 6 Crunches

    Crunches

    Crunches are a classic abdominal exercise that isolates the rectus abdominis. When performed correctly, they're an effective way to build core strength and muscular endurance.

    beginner No Equipment AI tracked
  7. 7 Supine One-Arm Overhead Throw

    Supine One-Arm Overhead Throw

    A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the abs, using a medicine ball.

    beginner Medicine Ball
  8. 8 Weighted Ball Side Bend

    Weighted Ball Side Bend

    An intermediate isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using an exercise ball.

    intermediate Exercise Ball
  9. 9 Landmine 180's

    Landmine 180's

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, using a barbell.

    beginner Barbell
  10. 10 Medicine Ball Full Twist

    Medicine Ball Full Twist

    A beginner compound plyometric exercise that works the abs, using a medicine ball.

    beginner Medicine Ball

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do one-arm medicine ball slam work?

One-Arm Medicine Ball Slam primarily works the abs. The upper back and shoulders assist as secondary muscles.

What equipment do I need for one-arm medicine ball slam?

One-Arm Medicine Ball Slam uses medicine ball.

One-Arm Medicine Ball Slam: is it suitable for beginners?

Yes. One-Arm Medicine Ball Slam is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.

What can I do instead of one-arm medicine ball slam?

One-Arm High-Pulley Cable Side Bends, Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends, Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my one-arm medicine ball slam reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; one-arm medicine ball slam can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

Track Your One-Arm Medicine Ball Slam with AI

Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.