Quads exercise
Wall BallHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Quads, Front delts
- Also works
- Glutes, Cardio
- Equipment
- Medicine ball
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Wall Ball?
- Stand about two feet from a wall, holding the ball at your chest with your elbows down.
- Squat until your thighs are level with the floor, keeping your chest up.
- Drive up and, as your legs straighten, throw the ball up to the target.
- Catch the ball as it drops and go straight down into the next squat.
Cues
- Legs first, then arms.
- Elbows down, ball at chest.
- Full squat on every rep.
Common mistakes
- Half squats: sit down until your thighs are level.
- Throwing with only your arms: let your legs launch the ball.
- Standing too far back: stay close enough to catch without reaching.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Standard wall-ball shot facing a wall: front squat with a soft wall ball at the chest, drive up and throw to a target about 3 m high, catch and flow straight into the next squat. CrossFit's and Healthline's pattern; side throws and other variations are not shown.
Starting position
Standing facing a wall about 60 cm away (Healthline: about 2 ft). Feet hip- to shoulder-width apart, toes turned out about 15°. Ball (about 3–9 kg; Healthline lists 6–20 lb) held at chest height with the hands under and beside it, elbows pointing down and tucked in. Abs braced, chest up, eyes on the target.
The movement
Squat down, hips back and down, keeping the ball at the chest and the elbows down, until the thighs are level with the floor or just below. Drive up through the whole foot; once the hips and knees are fully straight, push the ball up and slightly forward with both arms so it leaves the hands above the head and touches the target at the top of its flight. Keep the arms up to catch the ball as it falls, bring it back to the chest and go straight down into the next squat.
Breathing
Breathe in on the way down, out hard on the drive and throw.
Tempo
1 s catch and squat down, 0.6 s drive and throw, 1 s ball flight while standing with the arms up (2.6 s).
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- At release: hips and knees fully straight, heels may lift 2–3 cm; shoulder elevation about 160°.
- Target about 2.7–3 m high (CrossFit 9–10 ft); ball rises about 1 m above the release point.
- Knees track over the toes; ball stays within 5 cm of the chest during the squat.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Wall Ball is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
