While there are more effective exercises, throwing a ball is an enjoyable way to increase your level of physical activity. Many sports require throwing, so you have a variety of options for exercises. Typical sports that involve throwing include baseball, softball, football and basketball. If you're not interested in participating in an organized sport, all you need is a friend with whom to play catch. In a pinch, you can throw a ball against a wall to get some exercise.
Function
When you throw a ball, you use muscles in your arms and shoulders. Depending on how hard you throw it, you might also incorporate core muscles in your back and abdomen. Simple throwing exercises don't tax your muscles much, but they are suitable if you need a gentle form of exercise. For young children, throwing a ball is an effective but simple exercise. It helps to stimulate the growth of neural connections and enhances hand-eye coordination.
Intensity
The harder you throw the ball, the more the exercise will tax your muscles and the greater the fitness benefit will be. Increase the intensity of your exercise by trying to throw the ball as fast and far as possible. Throwing a ball is simple, but if you don't use correct form, you risk injuring yourself. Proper throwing technique depends on the type of ball, so ask a fitness expert or sports coach to show you how to extend your arms properly and when to release the ball for maximum distance. An expert can also show you warm-up and cool-down exercises that will minimize your chance of injury.
Medicine Balls
Heavier balls increase the effectiveness of a throwing exercise. Medicine balls, for example, are heavy enough to serve as strength-training equipment. They come in various sizes and weights. Some have handles to improve your grip or special shapes to make them suitable for specific sorts of exercises. For instance, some medicine balls mimic the shape and size of footballs or basketballs to help players develop power and endurance.
Considerations
If you plan to use a weighted ball in your workouts, start with a light model. Focus on performing throwing exercises with correct form. Once you're comfortable, increase the weight of the ball, but not so much that you jeopardize proper form. To learn typical exercises you can perform with a medicine ball, ask a personal trainer, or consult online resources, such as the American Council on Exercise, which provides a list of common medicine ball exercises and descriptions that detail how to perform them correctly.
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