Top 10 Slam Ball Exercises That Can Help Build Strength And Power

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Slam ball exercises are some of the best ways to add power and intensity to your strength training.
They can help boost strength, burn calories, and improve your cardiovascular system.

While many think slam balls are just for slamming, having one in your gym can open a whole world of possibilities for you and help take your bodyweight exercises to new levels.

One of our previous articles discussed some of the best slam balls on the market.

Read on to find out some of the top slam ball exercises that can help boost your fitness levels and help you build explosive power, in case you are wondering what you can do with these weighted balls.

Best Slam Ball Exercises For Building Strength And Explosive Power

Many of us tend to associate strength building with dumbbells and barbells. But these free weights are not the only options available to you. You can replace these free weights with a slam ball and achieve similar goals.

Below are some of the best slam ball exercises to include in your strength training regimen.

You will need a slam ball for all the exercises discussed here. Check here for our best slam balls if you need one for your home gym.

Overhead Slams

The overhead slam ball exercises are upper body plyometric training for building power and strength.

They are some of the best movements for boosting athletic performance, core strength, and cardiovascular health.

The slam ball exercises will work your upper and lower body, including your spine, and also help burn calories.

Targeted Muscles: hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps, shoulders, abdominals, upper back

Steps to follow

• Stand tall, holding the slam ball in both hands at your chest. Keep your feet at hip-width. Ensure you grasp the ball with palms facing each other.
• Bend your elbows and ensure they point to the floor.
• Push your hips backward and downward, and bend your knees.
• Pull your shoulders down and backward, and engage your ab and core muscles.
• Stand on your toes and raise the slam ball overhead
• Exhale and powerfully slam the ball into the floor.
• Repeat

Slam Ball Situps

Slam ball sit-ups are some of the best slam ball exercises for working and tightening your core and boosting your heart rate.

Muscles Targeted: abs, shoulders

Steps to follow

• Lie on your back on a bench or exercise mat, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor.
• Hold the ball in both hands above your chest.
• Do the traditional sit-ups by contracting your abs and raising your torso into a sitting position.
• Pause and lower slowly down to your starting position
• Repeat

Front Squat

You can use front squats to build lower body muscles, especially your quads. Holding a slam ball while squatting will make the movement more challenging and help target your muscles much better.

The front squat with a slam ball helps train you for the more challenging variation with a barbell.

Include the front squat slam ball exercises in your leg and whole body workouts

Muscles Targeted: Quads, abs, calves, hamstrings, adductors, hip flexors, glutes, upper back

Steps to follow

• Get into the squat position holding a slam ball at chest height.
• Breathe in, push your hips back, and bend your knees to go into a squat.
• Stop the downward movement when your thighs and the floor are parallel.
• Breathe out, push your feet down, reverse the movement and return to your starting position.
• Repeat

Overhead Figure 8 Slam

The overhead figure 8 slam is one of the best slam ball exercises for developing explosive power. The exercise will target and work the lats, core, and legs.

It is a popular exercise for training athletes to help improve their on-field performance.

Muscles Targeted: Lats, triceps, abs, upper back

Steps to follow

• Stand upright, holding a slam ball at chest level in both hands, and bend your knees slightly.
• Stand on your toes, extend your arms and bring the ball overhead.
• Breathe out, pull your arms toward your toes, move your hands in a semi-circular motion, and powerfully slam the ball into the floor on your side.
• Pick up the ball, stand on your toes again, and repeat on the other side of your body.
• Repeat for your desired number of reps.

Jumping Squats

The jumping squats are also some of the best slam ball exercises for building leg muscles.

They can help train you for power and explosiveness and can also help burn calories. The jump squats are a good way to incorporate some cardio into your workout

The slam ball exercises will also challenge your core to keep your body stable

Muscles Targeted: Quads, calves, hamstrings, adductors, hip flexors, glutes

Steps to follow

• Stand upright, holding the slam ball at chest height and with feet at shoulder width.
• Lower quickly into a squat position and bring the slam ball to the floor as you squat
• Push your feet down, extend your hips and knees, and forcefully jump straight up and simultaneously lift the ball, extend your arms and bring it overhead at the top of the movement.
• Descend into a squat, bringing the ball down to slam it into the floor at the bottom of the movement.
• Pick the ball up and repeat

Decline Push Up

The decline push-up is a challenging variation of traditional push-ups. It can help build the push muscles of the upper body, such as the chest, triceps, and shoulders.

The decline push-up slam ball exercises can also help build shoulder and core stability.

Muscles Targeted: chest, triceps, abs, shoulders

Steps to follow

• Get on all fours, body fully stretched, with your hands on the slam ball and toes on the floor or an elevated surface like a weight bench.
• Lock your elbows and ensure your body, from head to knees, are in a straight line.
• Bend your elbows and descend until your chest touches the slam ball.
• Push your arms into the floor, extend your elbows, and push back up to return to your starting position.
• Repeat

Overhead Triceps Extension

You can replace the dumbbell with a slam ball for the overhead triceps extension exercises to help you build the muscles in your triceps.

The slam ball exercises can help target the long head of the triceps and prepare your body for such movements as the bench and shoulder presses.

You can incorporate the overhead triceps extension exercises with a slam ball in your triceps, push, upper body, or whole body workouts.

Muscles Targeted: triceps, abs

Steps to follow

• Stand upright, holding a slam ball overhead in both hands.
• Bend your elbows and lower the ball as far as possible behind your head.
• Contract your triceps and return the ball to your starting position

Overhead Squat

The overhead squat with a slam ball targets and builds the lower body muscles. It can also boost core strength, shoulder mobility, and balance.

Muscles Targeted: Quads, calves, hamstrings, adductors, glutes

Steps to follow

• Stand upright, holding a slamball in both hands.
• Extend your arms and lift the ball overhead, ensuring you lock your arms
• Tighten your core, push back your hips, bend your knees, and lower your body into a squat position
• Push down your feet and explosively lift your hips to return to your starting position, still holding the ball overhead.
• Repeat

Lunge With Overhead Press

The lunge to overhead press with a slam ball is a whole-body compound exercise that works the lower body muscles, including your quads, core, and glutes. It also works the shoulders, triceps, and upper back muscles.

The slam ball exercises also increase your heart rate to help burn more calories and boost cardio health.

Steps to follow

• Stand upright with your together, holding a slam ball in both hands at chest height. Keep your back straight.
• Step forward, bend both knees and at the same time lift the ball overhead with your arms fully locked.
• Keep bending your knees until your front thigh is parallel with the floor.
• Extend your knees, return your front leg to its starting position, and at the same time, lower the ball to the front of your chest.
• Switch legs and repeat the motions with the other leg to complete a rep.
• Repeat for your desired number of reps

Russian Twist

The Russian twist is one of the best exercises for building core and shoulder muscles. It is a popular rotational movement training for athletes and other sports personnel.
Holding a slam ball while doing the movement challenges your muscles and adds intensity to the exercises.

Steps to follow

• Sit on the floor or one end of a weight bench, holding a slam ball with both hands.
• Bend your knees and rest your feet on your heels.
• Keep your spine neutral, lean backward slightly, and lift your heels off the floor to balance your body on your tailbone. You can keep your heels on the floor if you are a beginner.
• Engage your abs and back muscles and ensure you keep your spine straight throughout the movement.
• Rotate through your core, and tap the ball on the floor on each side of your body. Ensure you keep your legs still throughout the movement.
• Exhale when you twist to the side and inhale as you return to the center.
• Follow the movement of your hands with your gaze throughout.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps

Final words from LiveLIfe

Slam ball exercises can help build power and strength. They can add variety to your training regime, help your body to burn more calories, and help improve cardiovascular health.

Include these in your training regimen to help boost your fitness levels.