Muscles worked
What the wall ball trains
Tap a muscle to see just that one and what it does in the lift.
Before the first rep
How to set up
- 01
Pick the right ball. Use a soft wall ball made to be thrown and caught, not a hard bouncing medicine ball or a sand-filled slam ball. Start lighter than you think; the reps add up fast.
- 02
Find your distance. Stand facing the wall with your toes roughly an arm's length from it. Too close and the ball hits your face on the way down; too far and you throw forward instead of up.
- 03
Set your feet. Feet about shoulder width or a little wider, toes turned out slightly, the same stance you would use for a bodyweight squat.
- 04
Hold the ball. Hold the ball at your chest with your hands under and slightly behind it, palms facing up and in, elbows pointing down under the ball.
- 05
Find the target. Look up at the target before the first rep and keep your eyes on it. Your chest stays tall with the ball close to your body.
Step by step
How to do the wall ball
- 01
Squat down. Sit your hips back and down with your chest up and the ball held at your chest. Go to full depth, hip crease below the top of your knees, with your heels flat and knees out over your toes.
- 02
Drive up. Push the floor away and stand up fast, extending your hips and knees together. Keep the ball close; your legs do the work here.
- 03
Throw. As your legs reach full extension, carry that drive straight into your arms and push the ball up toward the target in one smooth motion, finishing with your arms extended overhead.
- 04
Catch high. Keep your arms up as the ball comes down and catch it above your head, then let it settle back to your chest as you start to bend your knees.
- 05
Ride it down. Absorb the catch straight into the next squat with no pause at the top, then repeat. At the end of the set, catch the ball, stand tall, then set it down.
Cues to say in your head
- Eyes on the target
- Chest up, elbows under
- Hips below knees
- Legs throw the ball
- Catch high, ride down
Fix these first
Common mistakes
Squatting too shallow
Sink until your hip crease is below your knees on every rep. Shallow reps are a common no rep in competition and leave the legs out of the throw.
Throwing with the arms after you stand
Time the throw so your arms extend as your legs finish. If you stand, pause, then push, you are doing a squat plus a front raise and your shoulders tire early.
Throwing forward instead of up
Stand closer and aim straight up at the target. If you have to chase the ball off the wall, your distance or your throw angle is off.
Catching low and pausing
Catch with your arms up and go straight into the squat. Catching at your chest and stopping throws away the momentum that carries you into the next rep.
Chest dropping in the squat
Keep your elbows under the ball and your eyes up. A forward lean pulls the ball away from your body and shifts more of the work onto your lower back.
Heels lifting or knees caving
Push your knees out over your toes and keep your weight through the whole foot. Widen your stance a little if your heels still come up.
Stay safe
Use a soft wall ball and a solid wall with clear space around you, since a missed throw can come off the wall at an odd angle. To end a rep you can't finish, step back and let the ball drop to the floor rather than trying to catch it at an awkward angle. Keep your eyes on the ball so it never comes down on your face, and stop if you feel sharp pain in your shoulders, knees or lower back. In long sets, rest before your form breaks down, and stop if you get dizzy or lightheaded.
Programming
Sets, reps and how much weight
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Load | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endurance | 3 to 5 | 15 to 30 | 40–55% 1RM | 1 to 2 min |
| Power | 4 to 6 | 5 to 8 | 55–70% 1RM | 1.5 to 2 min |
| Technique | 3 to 4 | 8 to 12 | 30–45% 1RM | 1 min |
Plan your next session
Put in a recent set. You get working weights for your goal, a warm-up and the plates to load.
Estimated 1RM 216 lb
Power sets
119–151lb
4 to 6 sets of 5 to 8 reps, 1.5 to 2 min rest. Throw each rep as high and fast as you can with full rest. Quality over fatigue.
Estimates use the Epley formula and work best from sets of 3 to 8 reps. Treat them as a starting point and adjust by how the first working set moves.
Questions
Wall Ball questions
What muscles do wall balls work?
Mainly the quads and glutes, which drive you out of the squat, with the front shoulders and triceps finishing the throw. Your core and upper back keep your torso upright, and high rep sets also push your heart rate and breathing hard.
What are wall ball shots?
Wall ball shots are the same exercise: a squat with a medicine ball at your chest, then a throw to a target on the wall as you stand. The name is common in CrossFit and Hyrox workouts.
What weight wall ball should I use?
Common choices range from about 4 to 9 kg (roughly 9 to 20 lb), and events set their own standards, so check yours if you are training for one. Start with a ball you can throw for 15 or more clean reps and move up once your depth and throw stay consistent.
How high is a wall ball target?
Many gyms and events use a target around 9 to 10 feet (about 2.7 to 3 m), but the exact height depends on the standard you follow. When learning, a lower target is fine; aim to hit or pass the line on every rep.
Are wall balls cardio or strength?
Mostly conditioning. The ball is light compared with a barbell squat, so wall balls build leg and shoulder endurance and work capacity rather than maximal strength.
How many wall balls should I do?
Most workouts use sets of 15 to 30 reps, or a fixed total broken into chunks. If you are new, start with 3 sets of 10 to 15 and add reps as your squat depth and throw stay solid.
Train in Protocol
Log your wall ball by voice. Protocol tracks the rest.
Your last session shows up before every set, warm-ups and plates are worked out for you, and your coach sees every lift next to your sleep and recovery.