If you’re thinking about the Perform Better medicine balls, you’re probably looking to build core strength. The brand is known for its variety of medicine balls, with specialized designs mainly made for different exercises and fitness levels.
Bouncing and rebound medicine balls are offered by Perform Better. The manufacturer also offers medicine balls with rope, highly suitable for creative workouts. Before deciding upon the right Perform Better medicine ball for you, let’s have a look at how you can integrate them into your workouts.
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Why train with medicine balls?
If you’re tired of bodyweight training, you don’t necessarily need to head to the dumbbells rack. You can simply choose a medicine ball and integrate it into a vast range of exercises.
- Medicine balls are used in full-body workouts
Even the smallest medicine balls can be used in full-body calorie-burning workouts. For example, you can perform squats while holding a ball. Progression in this exercise includes raising the ball above your head before squatting down. One of the most popular exercises for medicine balls is the twisting core movement. This is one of the best exercises to incorporate in your functional training routine for better abs definition.
- Medicine balls are excellent for buildings abs and core strength
Most of the time medicine balls are left unused at the gym as not many people know how to integrate them in daily training. But if you’re smart in your approach, your medicine balls can be used to build core strength. You can perform crunches while holding the medicine ball. You may even consider them for your stability muscles as you can do planks with medicine balls. Twisting core movements with medicine balls can also help, especially when you’re targeting muscular development in the abdominals.
What you need to know about Perform Better
Perform Better is an international brand that specialized in fitness equipment. Expert staff is hired around the world so that customers can find the best fitness solutions for their needs.
The brand offers both residential use fitness equipment and commercial use fitness equipment. You can purchase a single medicine ball or you can purchase hundreds for your new gym. One of the unique services the company offers is facility design. This is where specialized staff offers advice on how to plan your own gym.
Perform Better medicine balls ranked
If these exercises appeal to you, Perform Better medicine balls are great tools to get you started. The following section of the article looks at the most important releases from the manufacturer in detail.
PB Extreme Soft Toss Elite Medicine Balls
A simple toss medicine ball can go far. As its name suggests, it’s specifically designed for tossing. Perform Better makes it in all weights starting at 4lbs. The heaviest medicine ball for tossing weighs 30lbs.
This medicine ball is used for tossing, catching, and throwing. You can rely on in for most full-body workouts as well as for partner workouts. Since it comes with a soft shell, this means you can easily throw and catch the ball when training with your partner or your trainer. At the same time, this is the type of ball you can use while training at home as it doesn’t make too much noise when thrown around.
We like its tacky grip the most. Almost all medicine ball exercises are intense and your sweaty hands will slip around the wrong ball. This is why the grip surface of the medicine ball has been made to simulate anti-slip materials.
The quality of the ball isn’t bad either. Even after the most intense tossing session, it still maintains its shape properly. This means it has the capacity of becoming the go-to fitness accessory for everyday workouts.
Perform Better Ballistic Ball
Almost every workout is driven by data in the fitness world. This is where the Perform Better Ballistic Ball comes in. Made with a power measurement sensor, it’s the type of medicine ball you use to keep track of your fitness progress.
Right inside the ball, the manufacturer placed a sensor that measures power in watts. Every time you throw the ball, you know the exact throwing power which is shown on your smartphone. Fitness trainers can use this medicine ball to keep track of their clients’ fitness levels.
The brute force measured by the sensor inside the ball also shows the throwing speed. If you’re training your reflexes, this can be a handy feature. You don’t need to rely on subjective speed measurements as you can rely on the sensor to learn if you are throwing the ball faster or slower than you did before.
Furthermore, the ball also measures the throwing angle. This characteristic alone is used in the training of athletes. A lower throwing angle indicates the time when your muscles fatigue and it can be used as an indication of the time under effort your muscles perform.
However, even this ball doesn’t have a standard weight. You can choose between 6lbs, 8lbs, 10lbs, and 12lbs medicine balls, depending on your fitness experience. Some users consider different weight balls for different exercises as well.
Do you need the Ballistic Ball if you want to train to stay healthy? If you’re not the type of person who writes down the number of sets and repetitions during each workout, this medicine ball can be too much. You may simply choose the Soft Toss Elite for a bit more versatile and stress-free training.
PB Extreme Converta-Ball
Made with a removable rope, this unique medicine ball is excellent for chopping, twisting, and throwing. It represents a top choice for mobility drills but it can be used in any cardiovascular training routine.
You can use the ball from a standing position or while sitting. Rotational movements are where this type of medicine ball is at its best. It stands out as a unique training tool that could potentially replace battle ropes or which can mimic its movements.
Most importantly, the novelty element it brings to training can be used by fitness professionals to motivate clients and keep them going. If you train on your own, you need to know the Converta-Ball doesn’t replace the traditional medicine ball but it complements it with its various training methods.
Another advantage of this medicine ball is that it allows you to train outdoors. Most medicine balls can’t be used outdoors as the scuffs they get from the ground eventually destroy them. But since there’s a rope holding the medicine ball in the air, it rarely comes in contact with the ground.
As a result, you can take your Converta-Ball to the park or in the backyard and train freely without having to replace it after a couple of months. There are multiple exercises you can perform outdoors without the ball touching the ground such as side twists.
Since the rope is removable, you can also use the medicine ball for regular exercises. You can hold it between your legs while you do planks outside. It can be said that it’s the best Perform Better medicine ball for the exercise variety it comes with, especially outdoors.
Which Perform Medicine ball to get?
For most fitness enthusiasts, the PB Extreme Soft Toss Elite Medicine Balls are the best choice. These softballs can be used both at the gym and at home and benefiting from an anti-slip surface, they can be used for all types of exercises.
You can even perform push-ups on these balls since they don’t allow your hands to slip. At the same time, being available in different weights, these medicine balls are among the best choices for core strength drills which you can do either at the end of your workout or on dedicated abs training days.
If you’re an experienced fitness enthusiast and you find it hard to find the motivation to do the same old exercises, your best bet is the PB Extreme Converta-Ball. This exercise ball is going to open new training opportunities.
For athletes or anyone seeking performance training, the Perform Better Ballistic Ball is the right choice. Its built-in sensors are going to act as a personal coach, telling you just the amount of effort you put in during every exercise.
How the Perform Better Medicine Balls compare with their competitors
While the medicine balls from Perform Better are known for their reliability (backed by a 2-year warranty) there are other options to consider if you like this style of training.
Rogue Medicine Balls
CrossFit fans can turn to Rogue’s medicine balls. With weights from 4lbs to 30lbs, you can choose just the right one for you. These balls are a bit larger as they’re specifically designed for wall balls which are basic drills in CrossFit where you have to throw the ball up a wall and squatting down after each attempt. This is why the balls are larger so that they’re easier to catch. If you’re not into CrossFit, these are not the medicine balls for you as both Perform Better and AmazonBasics’ medicine balls are a bit more versatile.
AmazonBasics Medicine Ball
AmazonBasics is Amazon’s budget fitness brand that makes its medicine ball. You can have one yourself at 6lbs, 10lbs, and 12lbs. This ball is just as good as others, if not better due to its rubber construction. It may look like you’re about to play basketball when you have it in your hands due to its design, but this medicine ball is a good alternative to those from Perform Better if you’re on a budget or if you want to purchase a few of them for your gym.
Final considerations
All medicine balls made by Perform Better seem to specialize in a certain type of workout. Your best choice should a medicine ball with an appropriate weight for your strength. You can start with the lightest medicine balls and move up to the heaviest from the brand as your core strength increases.
There are a few training videos you can watch for general medicine ball workouts. Most importantly, you will need to test each exercise to see what works for you. Highly beneficial in functional training which incorporates movements you do day in and day out, these medicine balls can be used both to build muscle and to lose weight. It’s the number of repetitions and the actual weight of the ball that’s going to be the main differentiating factors between these 2 fitness objectives.
Chris Jordan
Hey there, I'm Chris Jordan! I'm a certified personal trainer and dietician with over 11 years of experience in the fitness industry. I've helped thousands of people achieve better physical and mental health. When I'm not working, I love spending time with my dog.