The Overhead Throw Exercise is a great way to build power and speed in your upper back and triceps while developing core stability.
The Overhead Throw Exercise forms part of the Golf Power series of innovative and dynamic exercises that are designed to efficiently build explosive power in your golf swing, increasing club head speed and shot distance.
Equipment
This exercise requires a medicine ball and a wall to throw it against. Alternatively, you could throw the ball to a partner.
This is a power training exercise, so use a moderate weight that enables you to move fast, in an explosive (plyometric) movement, while always maintaining control and proper form.
Quality of movement is much more important than how heavy a ball you are throwing.
For power exercises, the end of the set shouldn’t necessarily feel harder. Your effort level should remain relatively high throughout the set.
See How Much Weight Should I Lift? for more information.
Figure 1. Overhead Throw Exercise Video.
Steps
- Start by standing in an athletic position, facing a wall about 12 inches (30cm) away, holding a medicine ball above your head.
- In one explosive movement, take the ball back behind your head and then throw the ball as hard as you can against the wall.
- Catch the ball with both hands and return to the starting position.
- Continue for the desired number of repetitions.
When you first work on this exercise, stand close enough to the wall so that the ball never fully leaves your hands but you are still able to explosively “hammer” the ball into the wall.
Keep your torso as stable as you can, trying to limit the movement to your arms.
Keep your abdominal muscles engaged, chest up, back flat, and your shoulder blades back and down.
You should feel it working your arms and core.
Variation
When you first perform this exercise, make one throw at a time, resetting your position and balance each time, and concentrating on throwing as explosively as you can while maintaining perfect form. As you become more proficient, try to link the throws together into one continuous movement, storing the energy as you catch the ball and exploding it back into each throw.
As your strength increases and the exercise gets easier, either move a little further from the wall and throw the ball harder, or progress to a heavier ball.
There are a number of other throw exercises in the Golf Loopy Train like a Champion System that offer a variety of challenges, you can see them all by clicking here.
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