Metabolic Cost of Medicine Ball Training

Metabolic Cost of Medicine Ball Training

In this study, the investigators will be able to estimate the metabolic cost of several foundational medicine ball training exercises.

Medicine ball training has become a popular cardiovascular training choice in fitness centers and athletic performance enhancement facilities. Despite widespread use and growing popularity, little is known about the metabolic demands of such a training method. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to quantify the cardiovascular and metabolic cost from various foundational medicine ball exercises in order to contribute to a better planning of exercise programs in the real world.

Ten healthy young adults were assigned to execute fourteen bodyweight exercises (acute bout) of which seven exercises will be executed by throwing the medicine ball and seven exercises will be executed without a medicine ball throw. Anthropometric, metabolic, functional capacity and performance measurements were conducted at baseline. The metabolic cost was estimated from heart rate, blood lactate, resting oxygen uptake, exercise oxygen uptake, and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption measurements using a portable gas analyzer.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged between 18 and 35 years
• Physically active individuals
• Free of chronic diseases
• Free of musculoskeletal injuries
• Nonsmokers

Exclusion Criteria:

• Musculoskeletal injuries
• Chronic diseases
• Use of alcohol, caffeine and any type of ergogenic supplements or medication before (≤6 months) and throughout the study.