Medicine ball - wikipedia Medicine ball For Chinese medicine balls, see Baoding Balls. For the American medical drama, see Medicine Ball ( TV series ). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( October 2008 ) Exercising with a medicine ball Medicine Ball Plank A medicine ball ( also known as an exercise ball, a med ball, or a fitness ball ) is a weighted ball roughly the diameter of the shoulders ( approx. 13.7 inches ), often used for rehabilitation and strength training. The medicine ball also serves an important role in the field of sports medicine. However, it should not be confused with the larger, inflated exercise ball. Medicine balls are usually sold as 2 -- 25 lb ( 1 -- 11 kg ) balls and are used effectively in plyometric weight training to increase explosive power in athletes in all sports. Some medicine balls are up to 14 '' wide and up to 14 lbs weight, or in the form of weighted basketballs. Modern exercise balls are larger, up to 36 '' diameter. A med ball is used for children training as the best way to overcome fear of free weights exercises. Hippocrates is said to have stuffed animal skins for patients to toss for `` medicinal '' purposes. Persia in 1705 used similar large balls. The term `` medicine ball '' dates back to at least 1876, in American Gymnasia and Academic Record, by Robert Jenkins Roberts, JR. See also Dumbbell Exercise ball Hooverball Kettlebell Medicine ball cabinet References Jump up ^ `` Merriam Webster - Medicine Ball ''. Retrieved 20 February 2014. Jump up ^ Internicola, Dorene ( 6 October 2014 ). `` Medicine balls are ancient fitness tools that keep bouncing back ''. Reuters. Retrieved 21 April 2015. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Medicine_ball&oldid=789890495 '' Categories : Balls Exercise equipment Rehabilitation medicine Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from October 2008 All articles needing additional references Talk About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Español Français 한국어 Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Српски / srpski Svenska Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 10 July 2017, at 08 : 29. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where did the name medicine ball come from
Answer: American Gymnasia and Academic Record