Med Ball Overhead Slam
Full-body extension into the ground, and it stays honest under fatigue
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Stand with the feet hip width holding a 6–8 kg slam ball, the kind that dies on the floor rather than bouncing, at the waist. Clear the space in front of you.
The rep
Lift the ball overhead and rise onto the toes, reaching as tall as you can with straight arms. Then pull it down hard, folding at the hips and bending the knees, and throw it into the floor just in front of the feet. Squat down to pick it up with a flat back, and go again.
On the exercise card
- Full reach overhead
- Drive the ball through the floor
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| Slamming with only the arms | The trunk and hips pull the ball down. Reach tall first, then fold hard. |
| Using a ball that bounces | A rebound can come straight back at your face. Use a slam ball. |
| Rounding the back to pick it up | Squat down to the ball with a flat back, every rep. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- A lighter ball, or a slower reset between reps.
- Harder
- A heavier ball, or a small jump at the top of the reach.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
It is full-body extension followed by a violent fold, and with no technique to fall apart, it stays honest when the legs are tired. Rugby union uses it in the power block of the power and contact session, next to the heavy sled drive: power that does not need to be pretty.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby Union | Power & Contact | 4 × 6 | 6–8kg ball |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Region
- Full body
- Classified as
- Power
- Prescribed in
- rugby union
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Med Ball Rotational Throw | Wall-throw rotational power — bat, racquet, cricket, golf |
| Med Ball Scoop Toss | Backward overhead throw — full triple-extension power chain |
| Med Ball Side Slam | Vertical rotational slam — striker/thrower trunk speed |
| Standing Med Ball Chest Pass | Upper-body push power — handball, water polo, MMA |
| Single-Arm Med Ball Throw | Asymmetric throw — shotput / cricket throw / strike-arm |
| Med Ball Rotational Shot Put | Side-on one-arm put from the back hip — the fend, the punch, the throw in |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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