10 Medicine Ball Exercises You Can Do With Handles

Handles change what a medicine ball can do. Unlike a smooth ball you'd throw or catch, a handled medicine ball is built to be gripped, pressed, and carried—turning one ball into a full-body strength and core tool. Here are ten exercises that put the handles to work.

1. Goblet Squat — hold the ball by the handles at your chest and squat; builds legs and core.
2. Overhead Press — press the ball from your chest to overhead for shoulders and triceps.
3. Russian Twist — seated, hold the handles and rotate side to side for the obliques.
4. Woodchopper — grip the handles and chop diagonally from high to low, driving rotation from the core.
5. Walking Lunge — hold the ball at your chest and lunge for legs and stability.
6. Halo — circle the ball around your head with a braced core for shoulder mobility and control.
7. Glute Bridge — hold the ball at your hips and bridge for glutes and hamstrings.
8. Standing Rotation Press — rotate and press for a full-body, anti-rotation challenge.
9. Sit-Up to Press — sit up holding the ball and press overhead at the top for abs and shoulders.
10. Front Carry — grip the handles and carry for grip, core, and posture.

Why the handles matter

Because it's built to be held rather than thrown, the handles give you a secure grip that lets you load these moves with confidence—so a medicine ball can train strength and core like a dumbbell or kettlebell, not just conditioning.

Progress without buying another ball

The right load changes by exercise, so a single fixed weight is limiting. The Adaptive Fitness Adjustable Medicine Ball moves between 8, 12, and 16 lb with patented weight bands. Find full routines in the exercise guide, or size your load with the weight guide.