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A personal trainer tested 10 medicine balls — the best one for 2025 starts at just $35

Variety is the spice of life, especially for your fitness routine. Whether you're a seasoned gym rat or are just kicking off your fitness journey, it's important to add new things to your routine to maintain the fun and keep yourself engaged. Medicine balls and slam balls are a great addition to any home gym setup. The best medicine balls and slam balls are made of tough, durable materials, so you can grip, throw or bounce them to build strength and power. Both ball types are excellent for fast-paced, circuit-style workouts, are popular with functional fitness groups and add variety and challenge to your exercise balls are ideal for strength training, rehabilitation and coordination exercises and are held, tossed or thrown, but aren't slammed. They come in a wide range of sizes and weights and may include features like handles and grippy textures. Slam balls, as the name suggests, are perfect for slamming. They're filled with gel or sand to absorb impact without bouncing or rolling and can withstand high impact during explosive with possibilities, medicine and slam balls are versatile fitness tools for all ages. "They're designed to build strength and coordination, improve agility and power, improve well-being, as well as a fun way to mix up your training routine," says certified functional strength coach and personal trainer Melissa Kendter. Research shows that training with these balls benefits kids, athletes and older adults, boosting cardiovascular health, strength, power and balance. They can also help improve your prowess in other sports, like baseball and running. We Run coach Amanda Grimm, an England Athletics certified running coach and personal trainer, says these balls can help increase strength, power and cardiovascular endurance and improve performance and distance capabilities. "Medicine and slam balls can be used to develop core strength, which is necessary for maintaining proper form and avoiding injury. They can also be used to improve explosive power, which helps with generating force," she better understand medicine and slam balls' uses and benefits, our team spoke with three fitness and sports experts and researched and tested 10 medicine balls and slam balls in different sizes and weights. I also called on my extensive experience as a personal trainer and strength and conditioning specialist, using medicine and slam balls for all kinds of workouts to help determine which product deserved the title as best medicine ball overall. Here are the results of our sweaty and extensive testing. Best medicine ball overall More medicine balls and slam balls we like in 2025 Factors to consider when buying a medicine ball How we chose the best medicine balls FAQs Other medicine balls we tested Specs comparison chart Meet our experts Update, July 8, 2025: We checked all product prices and availability and added a handy specs comparison chart at the bottom. Our No. 1 pick for best medicine ball remains unchanged. (back to top) (back to top) "When buying a medicine ball, it is important to consider its weight, intended use, material and durability, size and cost," says Grimm. The type of medicine ball you choose depends on the kind of training you're doing. Here's what to look for: There are a variety of medicine ball types. Gallucci explains there's the traditional medicine ball, often made of rubber or leather and filled with sand or gel, and the slam ball, specifically designed for high-impact exercises. "Slam balls are usually constructed from durable, thick rubber and are filled with a dense material that can withstand repeated high-force slams against the ground." There are also wall balls, which are typically larger and softer, designed for exercises where the ball is thrown against a wall. "Medicine balls are generally categorized as 'high-bounce' or 'low-bounce,'" Grimm explains. "High-bounce balls are good for activities such as plyometric exercises and wall throws. Low-bounce balls are better for activities focusing on concentric power output." Medicine balls can be made of rubber, vinyl, nylon or leather, and the filling is usually either air, gel or sand. High-bounce balls are typically filled with air, and low-bounce balls are filled with gel or sand. Rubber tends to be bouncier than vinyl, but vinyl is softer, making it ideal for oversize wall balls. The weight of the ball you choose depends on your fitness level and the types of exercises you want to perform. Generally speaking, you'll want to start with a lower-weight ball if you're performing throws or slams, although as with any form of strength training, you can increase the resistance level as you get stronger and your body adapts to the challenge. If you're using a ball to perform weighted carries or other strength training moves like squats, core work or presses, you may want a heavier ball. Medicine balls and slam balls range in size depending on the weight of the ball or its intended use. Lighter-weight medicine balls tend to be smaller and more compact, while heavier balls are larger. Balls that are best for throwing, catching and slamming are roughly the same size or a little larger than a basketball in diameter (a 10-inch diameter is fairly standard). Oversize balls are more similar in size to a beach ball (a 14-inch diameter is typical) and may be better used for slams, carries, wall ball throws or balance moves. (back to top) I spoke to three experts — a functional strength coach, a personal trainer and run coach, and a doctor of physical therapy — to help fill me in on the uses and benefits of medicine balls and provide insight into what to look for when making a purchase. I then sought out and tested 10 different balls. As a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach who tests fitness products for a living, I know the difference between high- and low-quality gym gear. I performed a series of exercises in both dry and sweaty conditions. Depending on the type of ball, I threw, bounced, slammed, squat-tossed and completed a series of core exercises with each ball. I ranked each based on grip, durability, versatility, weight availability and value, narrowing them down to the seven best ones in various categories. (back to top) Medicine balls are weighted balls often made of natural or synthetic rubber, vinyl or other materials and filled with sand or gel. Traditional medicine balls are slightly bouncy for throwing and catching off the floor or wall, but there are lower-bounce balls and softer slam balls and wall balls that are meant for slamming without the risk of bouncing back and hitting you. Common medicine ball exercises include throws, slams, Russian twists, squats, push-ups and lunges. A slam ball has a heavy-duty rubber shell that doesn't bounce, making it perfect for high-impact throwing exercises like med ball slams. A traditional medicine ball is designed to bounce back, making it ideal for exercises like chest passes and weighted squat-press and toss. You can use a medicine ball daily if you're performing strength exercises, so long as you rest each muscle group for 24 to 48 hours between each training session. Medicine balls are also ideal for cardio or high-intensity workouts, which you can do on days you aren't performing strength training. As always, listen to your body and adjust frequency based on your fitness level and recovery time between workouts. (back to top) Three brands of medicine balls didn't make the final list: Cap's rubber medicine ball is an affordable, well-rounded option that's earned rave reviews. It comes in 2- to 12-pound weights of varying colors. While it performed well, its grip was not as good as that of the top pick, and the ball is quite hard, almost like plastic, making it uncomfortable for some exercises. It also has an unpleasant smell that did not entirely dissipate during testing. The TRX slam ball has an excellent grip and is comfortable to hold, not too big or too small. You can slam it down, and it stays put — it lands relatively softly and doesn't move from where you slam it. That said, the construction that helps keep the slam ball from moving around when it's slammed also makes it feel slightly unbalanced. Some slam balls can do double-duty as medicine balls for core exercises, but this ball isn't suitable for those types of exercises. That said, you could use it for agility work, like tapping the top for quick feet exercises, and it won't roll away. You could probably even stand on it to do some balance exercises. It's a solid ball, and it comes at a reasonable price that can be used exactly for what it's intended to do. The Ethos Wall Ball was a strong contender against the Centr x Hyrox Competition Wall Ball for the "best oversize" category. Even with its larger, 14-inch diameter, it's easy to grip, offers a soft construction that's comfortable to catch and is well-made and durable. It comes in 10-, 14- and 20-pound versions and is a good choice for catching and throwing exercises. The main reason it was beat out? It doesn't offer much bounce back (even for a low-bounce ball) and it costs a little more than the Centr version. (back to top) Weight range Material Type Ziva Chic Medicine Ball 4-12 lbs. Virgin rubber Medicine ball Amazon Basics Weighted Medicine Ball 4-12 lbs. Rubber Medicine ball Centr Slam Ball 6-20 lbs. Rubber, sand Slam ball Balanced Body Weighted Exercise Ball 3 lbs. Synthetic rubber Medicine ball Centr x Hyrox Competition Wall Ball 8.8-19.8 lbs. PVC outer shell Wall ball GoRuck Sand Medicine Ball 10-100 lbs. 1000D Cordura Medicine ball TRX HexGrip Medicine Ball 4-20 lbs. Rubber Medicine ball John Gallucci Jr., doctor of physical therapy, certified athletic trainer, physical therapist and CEO of JAG Physical Therapy Amanda Grimm, BA sports science, England Athletics certified running coach, certified personal trainer and We Run coach Melissa Kendter, certified functional strength coach, UESCA running coach, certified personal trainer (back to top)