5 Ways to Make Wallballs Suck Less

5 Ways to Make Wallballs Suck Less

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We’ve all been there. You rush in to your favorite fitness class (because there’s NO way you’re going to get caught doing the late penalty) and as soon as you drop off your stuff and take a breath of relief for making it there in time you check the workout and the panic returns. Today’s workout has, dun dun dun dun dunnnn…

Wallballs.

As simplistic as they are they sure have a way of bringing us to hook grip our knees. However there’s no denying that these little bastards are a great move for cardiovascular endurance- and a great way to add a little “spicy”-ness to your workout.

Like everything- there are ways to to ease the pain. I’ve learned some tips and tricks . So here are 5 ways to make wallballs suck less.

  1. You’re entire set-up. Yea it’s a simple move but there’s a right way to do everything. So let’s chat really quick.
    • Pick up your medball and hold your arms out straight. The ball should just touch the wall.
    • Now make sure that you are cupping the ball by bringing the heels of your palms together at the bottom. (This will save your shoulders from just pressing against the sides to hold the medball.)
    • Keep it in front of your face. The moment it drops that pulls you down, rounding your shoulders and bringing your butt up- wasting energy and setting you up for pain.
  2. Breathe. If you’ve ever been to a yoga class you may have noticed that the entire practice is based on breath and awareness. So take a page for their zen books and make sure that you are taking deep inhales and exhales- yes, while you are wallballing.
  3. Give your shoulders some movement. Yes- they’re getting plenty of it. But it can be helpful to get a different motion going. As soon as you toss the medball sweep your arms out to the side before returning them to the catch position. Yes, you may look like you’re trying to take flight but you also may be able to squeeze out a few more reps than if you keep them in the t-rex position the whole time.
  4. Use your legs! Just like a thruster, you want to be patient with your toss. I see lots of athletes doing a little jump as they toss their wallball. You’re actually doing more work when you do that. Now what you have done is create jump wallballs. Which just sound terrible, wastes more energy and equates to those shoulders of fire. Fix this by using full hip extension. Be patient and aggressively squeeze your butt just before you toss that weighted ball to it’s target. That will give you more power. It may feel weird at first but so does anything you’ve never done before. Trust me on this one.
  5. Strategy. One can really only go so fast on wallballs. After all it does have to come back down to you. But if you know that your cardio needs a little help then in a workout like Karen (150 wallballs for time) it would be wise to consider the amount. Take the same consideration in any workout- what movements are next and how long is the workout? Going back to Karen, perhaps instead of trying to do as many reps as you can on set 1 it would be of more benefit to do 6 sets of 25, taking 3 deep breathes in between each set.

So there you have them. My 5 tips to make wallballs suck less. Try them out. If they work keep them, tell your friends! If they don’t then try them a few more times just to make sure that they don’t work for you- and forget I ever suggested them. Haha- just kidding. But if you give them a fair shot and they don’t work then obviously don’t use them. Fitness is a journey and we have to try to supe up our vehicles as best as we can to keep going and give us a little bit of help. But whatever you do, or don’t do, make sure you’re having fun along the way.

 

In sweat we trust!