Power of the medicine ball returns

A FITNESS tool dating back to ancient Greece has bounced, slammed, tossed and twisted its way into today's workouts, say fitness experts both in Port Elizabeth and farther afield.

The medicine ball – also known as a med, fitness or exercise ball – is a heavy, durable sphere which can weigh anything from 1 to 11kg and is versatile enough to fit into today's most intense regimes.

It's seen a resurgence in America and closer to home its use is part of what Port Elizabeth gym owners and trainers say is a return to old-fashioned methods of exercising, such as boot camp, cross-fitness classes, skipping ropes and plain old running around outside on the school playing field.

"They are utterly amazing as you can do so much with them ," said Bay fitness trainer Sharon Jessop, who uses medicine balls extensively in her Extreme Boot Camp sessions.

Profiles Health Club owner Helen Mentzel, whose club uses the equipment fairly extensively, agreed and said "it is about going back to the basics". She described the weighted tool as "an older version of the kettle bells, which have a handle".

NMMU Human Movement Science senior lecturer Vernon Oosthuizen also said med balls were making a comeback although he has been coaching elite athletes with them since the 1980s.

"They certainly are becoming increasingly popular as a training tool by the general population," he said. "Traditionally it was used by athletes – sports men and women – to develop power, strength and endurance. Pretty much you just saw track and field athletes, like discus or javelin throwers, using them.

"But it is a lovely variant to traditional forms of exercise as it's very functional training, exercise that improves your overall ability to do the everyday movements that your body does."

He said, for example, med ball training might help with everyday activities such as bending down to pick up a baby, or lifting groceries out the boot.

"You can also use a medicine ball with a partner, or against a wall, to work on different elements of fitness, so it can help with joint flexibility, strength, balance and agility."

The item's versatility may explain the successful trickle-down from elite athletics to everyday workouts, but Jessop has noted a change in fitness trends.

"It's a bit like the fashion world, it works in a cycle and the equipment also goes in a cycle," she said, adding that keep-fit fans today wanted a social aspect with their workouts.

"People are going back to school halls, or getting together with a group of friends to exercise.

"The trend is moving away from the big health clubs where you put your music into your ear and do your thing. People now want to work out with friends again, to socialise at the same time, and they also want to get outdoors."

Even outdoors, she said, there was a shift: "If you were a road cyclist, now you will be a mountain biker, and if you are a runner, you will go off-road and do trail runs.

"Training is a lot more functional and the focus is more on building a lean, healthy body and less on body-building."

She said Extreme Boot Camp used the medicine ball extensively: "they are fantastic!" - Gillian McAinsh