Gunnar Peterson's 3 Favorite Medicine Ball Ab Exercises

Medicine Balls are most often used to increase upper body power and performance for sports like baseball, football, and tennis. They’re great for building strong, attractive abs too. You just need to know the exercises that work. In this article Gunnar Peterson lists his 3 favorite medicine ball ab exercises. Add them to your workout and you’ll be on your way to having the abs you desire. Start with a light weight medicine ball and increase as you become stronger.

1. Lying Woodchops To A Full Sitting Position. Lie on a bench and move a medicine ball from over your head to one side of your body, and repeat on other side. Progress to a seated position as your strength improves.

2. Standing Rotations With Lower Body Static Movement. Start this exercise holding a medicine ball in both hands and rotate from your hips. Only your upper body should move. Build speed as the set progresses.

3. Angled Reaches With Legs Up. Start by lying on your back with your legs straight up and soles of the feet towards the ceiling. Perform the exercise by holding the medicine ball over your forehead and reaching towards the outside if your right foot, then return and reach towards the outside of your left foot.

The abs are a complex muscle group. Take a look at an anatomy chart and it looks like a road map of Gotham city. The abs have to be challenged from multiple angles to ensure strength and balance. Crunches alone were great in Cub Scouts but we’ve come a long way since then!

About Gunnar Peterson
Gunnar is a Beverly Hills-based personal trainer whose clients include celebrities, professional athletes, and everyday people. Gunnar works with each client on an individual basis, focusing on achieving long-term results through challenging and constantly varied workouts. He has worked with athletes from the NBA, NHL, NFL, USTA, professional boxing and various NCAA sports. Many film and television celebrities have also sought Gunnar’s guidance in preparing for their roles. Gunnar is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is a graduate of Duke University. Gunnar is regularly featured in Allure, Elle, In Style, In Touch, US Weekly, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self and other magazines. You can learn more about Gunnar and his work by visiting his website at gunnarpeterson.com or following him his Twitter feed @Gunnar.

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Curt Pedersen

I’ve been fascinated with human performance and striving to help myself and others perform our best since I was a skinny and weak 90 lb high school freshman. This led to studying exercise science and biochemistry in college and graduate school and working with countless men and women to get leaner, stronger, and fitter. I’ve also published more than 1,000 articles on physical fitness and performance for dozens of publications including: Stayfitcentral, Business Insider, Lifehack, and Breaking Muscle.