How many reps of the medicine ball granny toss should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Do 3 to 4 sets of 4 to 5 throws, resting close to a minute between sets so every throw is a fresh maximal hip snap rather than a tired repeat. Add a set before adding reps, and chase distance, not fatigue, as your marker of progress.

What can I use instead of a medicine ball for the granny toss?

A kettlebell swing trains the identical hip-hinge-to-extension pattern, though the weight stays in your hands instead of releasing. Without any implement, a bodyweight jump from a hip hinge rehearses the same triple-extension timing the throw depends on.

What is the medicine ball granny toss good for, and when should I skip it?

It trains explosive hip and leg power in a pattern coaches often use as a field test, making it useful for anyone chasing lower-body power output. Skip it, or swap in the kettlebell swing instead, if you have a low-back issue that flares with a fast, loaded hip hinge, since the throw asks for real speed through that same position.

Intermediate

Medicine Ball Granny Toss

The granny toss is a hip-hinge power throw: you load the hamstrings and glutes, then snap the hips through to sling the ball forward and overhead, much like the finish of a kettlebell swing released into the air. It trains explosive triple extension and is a favorite field test for lower-body power. Chase distance with maximal hip snap on every rep.

Equipment: Medicine Ball
Body part: Glutes, Shoulder
Type: Functional, Plyometric
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Maximus, Deltoid Anterior
Browse by movement: Hinge

How to do it

1
Stand tall holding the ball with both hands, feet shoulder-width, in an open space.
2
Hinge at the hips and let the ball swing down between your thighs, keeping the back flat.
3
Reverse hard by snapping the hips forward and extending the knees.
4
Let the momentum carry your arms up and release the ball forward and overhead.
5
Follow through fully, retrieve the ball, and reset for the next throw.

Tips

Power the throw with a violent hip snap, not by pulling with the arms.
Keep the spine long as the ball swings between your legs.
Release the ball as your hips reach full extension for the best trajectory.
Use maximal effort on low reps and reset fully between throws.

Variations

Common mistakes

The arms pull the ball forward at the top instead of the hip snap carrying it up on its own momentum, turning a hip-power throw into a shoulder throw.
The low back rounds as the ball swings down between the thighs instead of staying long, loading the spine right at the bottom of the swing.
The knees stay locked straight during the backswing instead of bending to let the hips load, cutting off the very hinge the throw needs.
Releasing the ball before the hips reach full extension sends it on a lower, weaker arc than the throw is capable of.
Chasing more reps back to back instead of resetting fully between throws turns a maximal-power drill into a tired, half-effort toss by the end.
The ball swings out away from the body on the backswing instead of staying close between the thighs, adding a wide, awkward arc before the throw even starts.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the medicine ball granny toss should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Do 3 to 4 sets of 4 to 5 throws, resting close to a minute between sets so every throw is a fresh maximal hip snap rather than a tired repeat. Add a set before adding reps, and chase distance, not fatigue, as your marker of progress.
What can I use instead of a medicine ball for the granny toss?: A kettlebell swing trains the identical hip-hinge-to-extension pattern, though the weight stays in your hands instead of releasing. Without any implement, a bodyweight jump from a hip hinge rehearses the same triple-extension timing the throw depends on.
What is the medicine ball granny toss good for, and when should I skip it?: It trains explosive hip and leg power in a pattern coaches often use as a field test, making it useful for anyone chasing lower-body power output. Skip it, or swap in the kettlebell swing instead, if you have a low-back issue that flares with a fast, loaded hip hinge, since the throw asks for real speed through that same position.

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