The Medicine Ball Chest Press is a late phase Strength / Plyometrics exercise that places emphasis on the Horizontal Push Muscles through an explosive concentric Muscle Contraction . Given the involved Muscle s, movement pattern and explosive nature this exercise is suitable for the later stages of rehabilitation for pathologies such as Rotator Cuff Tear / Tendinopathy , Pectoralis Major Tear or Scapular Dyskinesis .
Anterior Deltoid
Starting Position:
Patient is standing upright with either a split stance or feet side-by-side
A medicine or other weighted ball is held in both hands with arms in Elbow - Flexion so that the ball is roughly at the height of the Chest
The Medicine Ball Chest Press is then performed through an explosive Horizontal Push ing motion as the arms are straightened with a combination of Elbow - Extension and Scapulothoracic Joint - Protraction . If desired, the patient can step forward with one foot to catch the bodies momentum as the ball is launched forwards.
Bent Over - ball is pressed towards ground and bounces back
Supine - ball is pressed towards sky and gravity returns it
Wall - ball is pressed towards wall and bounces back
Kneeling - ball is pressed from a unilateral or bilateral kneeling position
Thruster - ball is pressed overhead, towards sky
The following exercises can be used to regress a patient if the Medicine Ball Chest Press is beyond their physical circumstances:
Banded Horizontal Adduction - early phase, low load isotonic chest exercise
Isometric Chest Squeezes - early phase isometric chest exercise
Scapular Punches - isotonic low load Scapulothoracic Joint - Protraction exercise
Push-Up - bodyweight isotonic horizontal push exercise
Push-Up Plus - push-up variation with additional Scapulothoracic Joint - Protraction
Chest Press Machine - rudimentary horizontal push machine
Pallof Press - low load horizontal push exercise that emphasises anti-rotation of Core
Incline DB Bench Press - unilaterally loaded Bench variation on variable incline
Dips - bodyweight isotonic push exercise with large GH Joint - Extension range
Overhead Press - isotonic vertical push exercise with large overhead range
The following exercises can be used as a progression from the Medicine Ball Chest Press:
Half DB Bench Press - unilateral unstable pressing exercise that emphasises the Anterior Sling and Gluteal’s
Kneeling Landmine Press - wholebody, explosive vertical pressing exercise with large overhead range
Split Stance Landmine Press - crossbody, standing variation of the Kneeling Landmine Press