The hay bailer is a great medicine ball exercise for your back and abs. One of the advantages of this medicine ball exercise is that it targets multiple core muscles, including the transverse abdominis, the rectus abdominis, and the internal and external obliques.
To do the hay bailer, start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, and your knees slightly bent. You should hold the medicine ball in both hands outside your left knee. To begin the exercise, you move the medicine ball to your right shoulder while standing up and twisting your core.
Bring the medicine ball back to the starting position and repeat the movement for 10-20 reps before switching sides. Repeat going from right knee to left shoulder for another 10-20 reps. A complete set of hay bailers exercises both sides of your core.
The hay bailer may be challenging for beginners because of the compound movement. However, it is easy to master with a bit of practice. It may seem easy, but using a weighted medicine ball makes it much more challenging.
Combining hay balers with single-leg hip bridges and wall passes is a great way to build lower body and core strength.