Supine Chest Throw
The supine chest throw has you lying on your back, pressing a medicine ball straight up off your chest, and releasing it into the air before catching it on the way down. It trains the same pressing muscles as a bench press, but asks them to produce force fast enough to send a ball flying instead of just moving a bar. Because you need a partner or a wall to catch the ball, this is best done as a conditioning or power drill rather than a solo strength exercise, and it shows up most often in athletic warm-ups and sport-specific conditioning circuits.
Why it works
Throwing a medicine ball straight up from your chest trains the same triceps, chest, and shoulder muscles as a bench press, but the ball leaving your hands means you cannot slow down at the top the way you naturally would with a barbell. That forces your pressing muscles to produce their peak force as fast as possible, which builds explosive pressing power that a controlled lift does not train on its own.
Set up
- Lie on your back on the floor or a bench with your feet planted and knees bent.
- Hold a medicine ball with both hands against your chest, elbows bent and pointing out to the sides.
- Have a partner stand nearby to catch and return the ball, or set up so you can catch it safely on the way back down.
- Choose a ball weight you can press with real speed, not the heaviest one you can lift slowly and carefully.
How to do it
- Press the ball straight up off your chest as explosively as you can.
- Let go of the ball at full extension so it leaves your hands and travels upward.
- Track the ball with your eyes and get your hands back up to catch it as it comes down.
- Absorb the catch by letting your elbows bend back toward your chest before resetting for the next throw.
Form cues
- Throw straight up, not toward your face or off to one side.
- Fully extend your arms at release instead of pushing from a partial bend.
- Catch softly by bending your elbows on impact rather than catching with stiff arms.
Breathing: Exhale sharply as you throw the ball, and take a full, relaxed breath while you reset before the next rep, so you start each new throw from a calm, controlled state.
Common mistakes
Pushing the ball instead of throwing it, so it barely leaves your hands.
Fix: Commit to a full release at the top of the press so the ball actually travels upward.
Catching the ball with locked elbows.
Fix: Let your elbows bend on the catch to absorb the impact instead of taking the full force through straight arms.
Throwing from a position where the shoulder blades are not in contact with the floor or bench.
Fix: Keep your upper back pinned to the surface beneath you so the throw comes from your arms and chest, not from your shoulders lifting off the pad.
How to program it
- This is a power drill, so keep sets short, 5 to 8 throws, with full recovery between sets rather than grinding through high reps.
- It fits well early in a session as part of a power or plyometric warm-up, before your muscles are fatigued from heavier pressing work.
- Two to three sessions a week is fine, since the load is light and the main demand is on speed and coordination rather than heavy mechanical tension.
- Increase the ball weight only once your current one flies up with real speed and control, rather than chasing a heavier ball before your throwing mechanics are consistent.
Safety notes
- Use a medicine ball with some give to it, not a hard rubber ball that could injure your hands or face on a bad catch.
- Make sure you have clear space above and around you before throwing, especially if you are indoors.
- Warm up your shoulders and chest with a few lighter presses before loading your first explosive set of throws.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Push
- Mechanics
- Compound
- Category
- plyometrics
Frequently asked questions
How many reps should I do for supine chest throws?
Five to eight explosive throws per set is plenty, since the goal is speed and power, not endurance.
Do I need a partner for this exercise?
A partner makes it easier and safer to catch the ball, but you can also do it solo if you can reliably get your hands back up in time to catch it yourself.
What muscles does the supine chest throw work?
It mainly trains your triceps, with your chest and shoulders assisting the same way they do in a bench press.
What can I use instead of a medicine ball?
A standing medicine ball chest pass against a wall trains similar pressing power if lying down is not practical, though it loses the overhead catch element.
Is the supine chest throw the same as a plyometric bench press?
They train the same explosive pressing quality, but the supine chest throw uses a ball you actually release into the air, while a plyometric bench press keeps the bar in your hands and claps or resets quickly after a brief loss of contact.