Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Medicine Ball Chest Push Single Response: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The medicine ball chest push single response is an exercise that targets the pectoral muscles by pushing a medicine ball away from the chest, engaging the triceps and shoulders as secondary muscles. It is performed standing and requires coordination and strength to execute the movement effectively.

Primary muscles
Chest
Secondary muscles
Shoulders , Triceps
Equipment
Medicine Ball
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the medicine ball chest push single response
Front view: muscles worked by the medicine ball chest push single response. Primary: chest. Secondary: shoulders and triceps.
Back view: muscles worked by the medicine ball chest push single response. Primary: chest. Secondary: shoulders and triceps.
Primary Secondary

How to do the medicine ball chest push single response

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the medicine ball at chest level.
  2. Step 2: Extend your arms forward, pushing the medicine ball away from your chest.
  3. Step 3: Pause for a moment, then slowly bring the medicine ball back to your chest.
  4. Step 4: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the medicine ball chest push single response by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

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