Medicine Ball Push Up
The Medicine Ball Push Up is an intermediate upper-body exercise that targets the triceps and chest while challenging core stability. By balancing your hands on a medicine ball, you increase muscle activation in the stabilizers and allow for a deeper range of motion than standard floor push-ups.
Because this variation places high demands on your central nervous system for stability, AI coaching monitors your HRV and sleep data to determine if your coordination is sharp enough for this movement or if a stable regression is safer today. The app analyzes your RPE and rep speed to detect fatigue early, preventing form breakdown that often occurs on unstable surfaces. It also tracks your chest and triceps recovery status to adjust volume, ensuring you don't overtrain these specific muscle groups.
Form Cues
- Place both hands directly on top of the medicine ball with fingers spread for grip
- Engage your core and squeeze your glutes to maintain a rigid plank position
- Lower your chest until it lightly touches the ball, keeping elbows tucked close to your ribs
- Press firmly through your palms to extend elbows fully at the top
- Keep your head neutral and eyes looking slightly forward of the ball
- Don't let your hips sag toward the floor or pike upward
- Don't allow your elbows to flare out wide to the sides
- Don't bounce your chest off the ball at the bottom of the movement
- Don't crane your neck upward or let your head drop
- Don't rush the reps; maintain control to manage the instability
Common Mistakes
- Flaring elbows too wide
- Sagging lower back
- Incomplete range of motion
- Poor hand placement causing slippage
- Rushing the tempo
Muscles Worked
This exercise places a heavy emphasis on the triceps and the inner fibers of the pectorals (middle chest) due to the narrow hand positioning. Additionally, the instability of the medicine ball forces the anterior deltoids, rotator cuff, and core musculature to work significantly harder to maintain balance compared to a standard push-up.
Primary
Secondary
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