Medicine Ball HIIT Workout

Medicine Ball HIIT Workout is another excellent and fun workout by trainer Yvette Backman. For the majority of the workout you use a medicine ball for everything–you never put it down. I love workouts that let me use all the equipment I accumulate but don’t use that frequently and this gave me the opportunity to use almost all of my medicine balls. Yvette and class only use a 6 pound medicine ball but I had 4 of my balls set out (6, 8, 10 and 14 pounds) and I used all of them at some point. I did use the 6 and 8 pound medicine balls for the majority of the moves, but there were several moves where a 10 or a 14 pound ball worked best. Also, now that I have done the workout, there are exercises that once I began them, I realized I could have used a heavier ball. So this is definitely a workout that can grow with you–if you have all of the medicine balls I do, that is!

You start the workout with just the medicine ball. You do pull out a mat at one point because you start alternating cardio moves with core moves (again, everything, including the core work, uses the medicine ball) then a little more than halfway through the workout you pull out your step @ 8 inches and situate it vertically. You do more cardio and core moves on the step using the medicine ball. The last 10 minutes of the class alternates bicep strength work w/ cardio and most of that cardio uses 5 pound dumbbells and does fast bicep moves to continue burning out that muscle group.

Just like all of Yvette’s workouts I’ve done so far, I loved this workout. I did find it intense but not HIIT level intense. That is absolutely fine with me btw. I can work hard w/out having to swallow my heart. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting an excellent workout and not being completely wrung out afterward. I feel good after Yvette’s workouts–energized and ready for my day.

Medicine Ball HIIT Workout is 60 minutes long; 8:30 minute warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. The work is structured in intervals: 40 seconds of work w/ 10 second recovery. Equipment: 6 pound medicine ball and 5, 12, 15, 20 and 25 pound dumbbells. I didn’t use that wide of a variety. Everyone needs the 5 pound dumbbells, but the heavier dumbbells are in relation to what you need for bicep work. I used 12, 15, and 17.5 pound dumbbells. I also used a much wider variety of medicine balls–6, 8, 10 and 14 pounds. You also need a step w/ 4 risers at the end of the workout.

1. Shuffle, shuffle, squat, swinging ball down between legs
2. Start in plank w/ hands on ball, jump feet in wide, jump feet together while bringing ball overhead then return to plank on ball (jumping feet back)
3. Side lunge bringing ball to floor + 2 jacks pushing ball overhead, alternate sides
4. Deep squat and when you stand, toss ball overhead
5. In wide plie squat, swing ball between legs like a kettlebell–do one stationary plie squat/swing + one plie squat swing with a jack when bringing ball overhead
6. Fast jog and on Yvette’s cue, drop into deep squat bringing ball down to one foot or center
7. Step together step touch (with a hop) while pushing ball overhead
8. Deep squat jump to side bringing ball to floor + 2 jacks in center pushing ball overhead, alternate sides
9. Straight arm plank hold w/ hands on ball
10. Alternating reverse lunge w/ overhead tricep extension using ball
11. Squat jump forward, squat jump back while squeezing ball between hands at chest level
12. Squat w/ alternating knee raise while pressing ball overhead
13. Straight arm plank w/ hands on ball–step feet out and in
14. Alternating knee raises while bring ball down to outside of thigh then pushing ball overhead
15. Sit on floor, knees bent and heels on floor, twist to side and bounce ball on floor once, alternate sides
16. Sumo squat jump swinging ball between legs, jump in and push ball overhead
17. Squat jump forward and pulse squat 3x w/ ball close to floor the jump back; ends w/ pulsing squats
18. Ball jacks (pushing ball overhead)
19. Side lunge tapping ball to floor and when you stand push ball overhead, alternate sides; ends w/ just ball overhead presses
20. Sit on floor, torso leaned back, legs bent and feet raised off floor, twist ball to one side then push ball overhead in center, alternate sides; ends w/ all overhead presses while in same position (feet raised, torso leaned back)
21. Squat and swing ball between legs and when you stand, raise ball overhead but to one side, repeat and raise ball overhead at center, repeat again and raise ball overhead other side–keep going through this circuit; ends with just squat and raise overhead in center
22. Fast feet while pushing ball overhead
23. Full sit ups and toss ball overhead at top of sit up
24. Squat jump, pushing ball overhead at top of jump
25. Lay flat on back, legs straight, holding ball overhead w/ straight arms, crunch up, bringing one knee into to chest and tapping shin w/ ball, alternate legs
26. Overhead tricep extensions using ball (and standing on one leg)
27. 4 lateral jumps + 4 ball jacks
28. Lay flat on back, legs raised straight to ceiling, holding ball overhead w/ straight arms, crunch up while opening straight legs and pressing ball between legs
29. Start in plank w/ hands on ball, jump feet in to wide squat and pulse squat 4x holding ball in front of you; ends w/ plank hold
30. Full straight leg sit up, bringing ball overhead then touching toes w/ ball
31. One lateral jump, jump to center, squat jump forward and squat pulse 3x, alternate sides

Bring out step @ 8 inches and in vertical position. Make sure your ball and 5 pound dumbbells are nearby. This takes approx 1 minute and 15 seconds–so you also get a water break since it didn’t take me or the class that long to set everything up.

1. Step up and over step and do 2 ball jacks
2. Shuffle forward from back of step along one side to the front of the step and tap ball to ground then shuffle back, alternate sides
3. Basic step on back of step + 2 ball jacks
4. Russian twists using ball, sitting on step w/ feet raised
5. Step up and over step while pushing ball over head, then step back into plank (hands on ball) and step back to standing, alternate sides; ends w/ plank hold
6. Side to side squats tapping ball to ground when squatting and sort of hopping between squats
7. Sit on step, knees bent and feet raised off floor so shins are in a straight line, holding ball at chest–alternate tapping foot to ground while holding this position
8. Pulse squat 3x w/ one foot on step then jump up and over while pushing ball overhead, alternate sides
9. Alternating step knee and while knee is raised, twist ball toward raised thigh
10. Straddle squat step on step while holding ball at chest; ends w/ pulse squat straddling step
11. Sit on step (no ball for this exercise) and push feet in and out, hands on step behind you
12. Repeat #10 starting w/ other foot first

Set ball aside for bicep work (plus she gives you about 30 seconds to get a drink of water and towel off).

1. Seated supination curls, 8-12 reps (17.5# DBs)
2. Scissor/shuffle job w/ running arms (5# DBs)
3. Concentration curls, (8-12 reps) (one 17.5# DB)
4. Upper cuts (5# DBs)
5. Burpee + 2 hammer curls (place DBs on step when doing burpee) (15# DBs)
6. In deep and wide plie squat do fast bicep curls (5# DBs)
7. Get into crab while holding DBs, while keeping hips raised, curl one DB then press to ceiling, alternate arms (12# DBs)
8. Straddle step plus knee raise
9. Alternating overhead press (5# DBs)

For more info on Yvette Bachman and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.