The medicine ball offers great strength training benefits not only for your core muscles, but also for your legs, back, shoulders and arms. The functional workout these tools provide will enhance both standard weight workouts as well as your endurance in the ring. Here are some great medicine ball drills for the upper and lower body:

Upper Body

Off-set Pushups: (Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps) Here’s a new twist on a great exercise. In the push up position, put the ball under one hand, with your other hand on the ground. Do a series of controlled push-ups. The medicine ball provides an unstable surface, which makes these pushups much more difficult than regular pushups. Switch the ball to the other hand and repeat. Try 8-10 push-ups with ball under one hand, switch hands and repeat. (This counts as one set.) Start with two sets working your way up to three sets The Boxer’s Push-Up: (Triceps, Chest, Back) With both hands on the medicine ball, and body in a push-up position, lower the body towards the ground. Keep your elbows pointing back toward your feet and your abdominals held tight.

Legs

Forward Lunges: (Hamstring, Quadriceps) With ball held at chest level, and feet shoulder width apart. Step forward and lower your body onto the forward leg. Push back off your front foot to return to your starting position, and repeat. (8-20 pound ball) Reverse Lunges: (Quadriceps, Hamstring) Start in the same position as forward lunges, but take a step backwards. Keep the shoulders square over the hips and take the leg directly back, landing on the ball of the foot. (8-20 pound ball)

Some people are not suited to eating three large meals a day. If you find you are fatigued a few hours after eating, you may need to be eating smaller meals more often. Mini-meals throughout the day can help keep your blood-sugar level stable. As a general rule, the more colorful the food, the more nutritious it is (M&Ms do not count!). Try to have several different colored fruits and vegetables at every meal. Some healthy choices: Red, orange and pink foods such as tomatoes, squash, strawberries, red peppers, oranges, carrots, dried apricots and pink grapefruit. Dark green vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, spinach and salad greens.

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