Exercise guide · Intermediate · Compound

One Arm Slam (With Medicine Ball): How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The one arm slam with a medicine ball is a dynamic exercise targeting the abs, shoulders, and back. It involves forcefully slamming a medicine ball to the ground with one arm, requiring core strength, power, and coordination.

Primary muscles
Abs
Secondary muscles
Shoulders , Lats
Equipment
Medicine Ball
Level · type
Intermediate · Compound
Demonstration of the one arm slam (with medicine ball)
Front view: muscles worked by the one arm slam (with medicine ball). Primary: abs. Secondary: shoulders and lats.
Back view: muscles worked by the one arm slam (with medicine ball). Primary: abs. Secondary: shoulders and lats.
Primary Secondary

How to do the one arm slam (with medicine ball)

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the medicine ball with one hand in front of your waist.
  2. Step 2: Bend your knees slightly and engage your core.
  3. Step 3: Raise the medicine ball above your head, fully extending your arm.
  4. Step 4: Forcefully slam the medicine ball down to the ground, using your core and shoulders to generate power.
  5. Step 5: Catch the medicine ball on the bounce and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the one arm slam (with medicine ball) 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.

One Arm Slam (With Medicine Ball) alternatives

More exercises that train the abs as their main target:

More abs exercises

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.