How to do wall balls, plus benefits, tips and workouts to build performance
Walls balls in your workout usually guarantee internal (and external, audible) groaning, dips in motivation, and a whole load of wheezing as you strain to complete those last few reps and hit that target. Here, though, the juice is worth the squeeze. Combining two classic exercises - the squat and the push press - it's a highly functional, explosive movement that will definitely build cardiovascular fitness and spike your heart rate, too.
Popularised by CrossFit, the exercise has been in the spotlight in recent years for being the last workout station in the HYROX fitness race. By that point, you'll have run a total of 8km and completed all the other workouts from the ski to the sled push, so you'll be seriously fatigued. Your wall ball technique therefore needs to be rock solid to save you from being caught out.
Here's how to perfect your wall ball form, plus workouts to increase your capacity and tips on improving your performance before the big day, so you'll never miss that 8.8-foot target (2.7m), from HYROX Master Trainer, Jake Dearden.
Meet the expert: Jake Dearden is a HYROX master trainer and fashion label Represent 247 head coach.
What is the wall ball exercise?
'A wall ball is a functional fitness exercise that involves launching a weighted ball from a full squat against a wall and catching it as it rebounds', explains Dearden. It combines elements of strength, power, and endurance, making it a popular choice in high-intensity workouts like HYROX. It's also a compound movement, meaning that they engage multiple muscle groups and joint simultaneously.
Wall balls usually come in a range of weights, from 3kg - 15kg. For HYROX, if you're a solo female standard (open) competitor or in a female open pair, you're looking at 100 reps with a 4kg ball (balls marked in white). If you're in a mixed pair or a pro female (single or pair), it's 100 reps with a 6kg ball (balls marked in grey).
Which muscles do wall balls work?
Wall balls are a full-body exercise requiring synchronised work from every major muscle group in the body, says Dearden. 'Well executed, they should be a primarily leg-dominant exercise, especially if your technique is strong and you are being maximally efficient during your extension phase when you stand up from the squat', he assures.
Quadriceps: These muscles at the front of your thigh are engaged during the squat portion of the movement
Hamstrings: Activated during the squat and stabilisation phases
Glutes: Work to support the squat and thrust motion
Core: Essential for maintaining stability and control during the throw and catch
Shoulders: Engaged during the overhead squat and while catching the ball
Arms: Used to control the ball during the throw and catch phases
How to do wall balls
A well-executed wall ball involves a perfect air squat technique combined with a perfect push press to launch the ball, says Dearden. Here's his step-by-step guide.
A) Starting position: Stand facing a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a medicine ball at chest level with both hands
B) Squat: Initiate a squat by bending your knees and lowering your hips back, keeping your chest up and the ball close to your body. Your weight should stay evenly distributed across your foot with your heels staying in contact with the floor at all times.
C) From the bottom of your squat, explosively drive your legs, hips and knees to bring you back to a fully extended position with your glutes squeezed and where you're completely stood up.
D) As you reach full extension, keep the momentum that is transferred to the ball and drive the ball over you head with you arms, throwing the ball upward towards the specified target height (8.8 feet, or 2.7m for women).
E) Catch the ball again as it drops to you. Absorb the impact by lowering back into a squat position.
Aim to catch the ball above your eyes, not below them, as this will leave you in a better position.
F) Now start the movement cycle again without putting the ball down. Perform the desired number of reps, maintaining a steady rhythm.
Specifically designed for the rigour of HYROX competitions and training, CENTR x HYROX wall balls are engineered for durability and performance. With multiple weight options, they'll help you build power and endurance while preparing for race day.
HYROX wall ball tips
Here are Dearden's top tips for nailing that infamous last station.
1. Focus on breathing
Exhale during the throw and inhale during the catch to maintain a steady breathing pattern, which is crucial for maintaining endurance in HYROX events.
2. Maintain a strong core
Keep your core engaged throughout the movement to stabilise your body and protect your body, a vital aspect for performing well in HYROX.
3. Use your legs
Generate power from your legs and hips rather than relying solely on your arms, which can enhance your overall performance in wall ball rounds during HYROX
4. Train for a target height of 9 feet
In HYROX, the wall ball height is set - for women this is 8.8 feet or 2.7m according to the HYROX rulebook - so practise consistently hitting this target to ensure you can perform efficiently during competition. Use tape or markers on the wall to help you aim accurately and develop muscle memory for hitting the required height.
5 benefits of wall balls
Dearden suggests that doing wall balls will reap the following benefits:
1. Full-body workout
Wall balls engage multiple muscle groups as they are a compound exercise - movements that work multiple joints and muscle groups simultaneously - promoting overall strength and endurance, which is essential for tackling the varied challenges in HYROX, says Dearden.
One paper highlights that exercises using medicine balls (another type of weighted ball, but smaller and heavier than a wall ball) often involve full-body movements like twisting, turning and bending. Another study shows that barbell squats primarily activated the quads and hamstrings, while research shows that the shoulder press engages the anterior deltoid (front shoulder) upper trap (back), making the wall ball a move that works both the lower and upper body.
2. Improves cardiovascular fitness
The dynamic nature of wall balls elevates heart rate, enhancing cardiovascular endurance - key for HYROX competitors, Dearden notes. A study done on 14 participants found that interval training performed using medicine balls exercises, such as slams and chest passes, significantly increased mean heart rate and oxygen consumption, thus improving cardiovascular fitness and the efficiency at which the heart, lungs and blood vessels deliver oxygen to muscles.
3. Builds explosiveness
'The explosive throwing motion of wall balls helps develop power, beneficial for the various high-intensity movements required in HYROX,' explains Dearden. Research supports this, as a 12-week study done on 21 female participants found that throwing medicine balls while standing and sitting resulted in significant improvements in bench and shoulder press power. Another study showed that training with med balls improved explosive leg power in female athletes.
4. Enhances co-ordination
'Wall balls require timing and coordination between throwing and catching', Dearden clarifies. One study found that the 18 adult participants who completed med ball exercises including a lunge with a twist and a squat with a ball between their legs increased their static and dynamic balance. Another study cited previous research that had found med-ball exercises suitable for children to improve balance and co-ordination.
5. Functional strength
Dearden emphasises that wall balls mimic real-life movements, contributing to improved functional fitness, a core focus of the HYROX training philosophy. One study supports this, showing that 69 students who performed med-ball exercises made greater improvements in a variety of fitness tests that had real-world applicability, including a shuttle run, long jump, sit-and-reach flexibility and abdominal curl.
Wall ball preparation workouts
To build capacity for wall balls, consider incorporating the following workouts into your routine, especially if you’re preparing for HYROX:
1. Strength - squats and overhead press
Perform squats followed by a push press with a medium weight. This breaks the wall ball into its two component parts - the squat and overhead press - and builds strength in both.
Do 5 sets of 10-15 reps each, as a ladder i.e. complete one set of squats followed by one set of push presses, then two reps of each until you reach 10-15 reps.
2. Work capacity - 30s on, 30s off
Do as many wall balls with good form for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of rest. Repeat for 10 minutes. Record the number of wall balls you complete each round, and at the end your total is a target for the next time you do the workout.
You can increase the difficulty by using a heavier wall ball or increasing the workout duration.
3. Conditioning - running and wall balls
Run 200m, then complete 10 wall balls, for 5 sets.
This combines two of the major movements in HYROX - running and wall balls - to get used to the feeling of performing wall balls under fatigue and to build endurance.
Increase the intensity by adding more distance, sets and reps. Decrease the intensity by reducing the load with a lighter wall ball or swapping the move for air squats.
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