4 Amazing Wall Ball Alternatives for CrossFit: Tips & Videos

We cannot deny that the wall ball is one impressive exercise. It is practically a combination of cardiovascular exercise and resistance training. You are working so many muscles of the upper and lower body, as well as burning dozens on top of dozens of calories per set. 

The wall ball is a great exercise and all, but what happens when you get bored after a while and your muscles get used to the movement? Chances are that you will hit an exercise plateau and no longer get better. 

This is where we need to bring in alternative exercise. The question on your mind may be why do we need them and what makes a good alternative? 

Quick Answer

Substituting the wall ball for different and perhaps more intense exercises can keep your workouts interesting and overload the muscle fibers. In turn, this could help break through these exercise plateaus and have you on your way to reaching your fitness goals. A wall ball substitute would share the same movement pattern and work similar muscles. 

The wall ball alternatives include:

1. The Barbell Thruster 
2. Clean & Jerk 
3. Dumbbell Thruster  
4. Medicine Ball Slams 

Reasons To Consider Wall Ball Alternatives

The first reason for considering some wall ball alternatives would be to hit the muscle in a different way. Although an alternative may look the same, it may be more intense as a result of the resistance that is applied. For example, a barbell thruster may work slightly different muscles and may be heavier to provide a different stimulus (1). 

Over the long halt, the working muscles may get stronger, which may even translate back into your wall ball performance, if done properly. 

Secondly, doing the same exercise week in, week out can get boring. You may get to the stage where you are no longer enjoying your workouts where you will begin to either apply less effort or stop working out altogether. 

The wall ball alternatives included into a well varied workout program can keep your workouts interesting and motivation levels high. 

What Makes A Good Wall Ball Alternative?

Ideally, when seeking for a wall ball alternative, you should make sure that the movement patterns are similar. This should recruit similar muscle groups by default. 

Although not absolutes, other variables may include movements that are explosive using both muscles/tendons of the body and work the cardiovascular system. 

So in general, we should consider exercises that draw a squat position, followed by a chain of extension movements at the ankles, knees, hips, lower back, and arms. 

The main muscle groups that should come into action are the calves, quadriceps, glutes, erector spinae, shoulders, and triceps. 

You can clearly see these movements in real time from this wall ball demonstration. 

4 Best Wall Ball Alternatives

1. Barbell Thruster

The barbell thruster is basically a front squat, which is immediately followed by an explosive barbell. Just like the wall ball, the barbell thruster taps into the muscles of the lower and upper body with a near identical movement pattern. 

Equipment needed 

• Olympic Barbell 
• Weight plates 
• Safety clips

How to do the Barbell thruster 

1. Place a barbell onto a squat rack, making sure that it is positioned just below the collar bones 

2. Load up the sleeves with suitable weight plates, then secure them using safety clips

3. In slight crouched position, grasp the bar with a shoulder width overhand grip, with the barbell pinned against the shoulder/upper chest

4. Rotate the shoulder outwards to point the elbows forwards

5. Position the feet hip-shoulder width apart and draw the bar off the squat rack by pressing from the lower body

6. Take 3-4 steps back, reset your stance and brace the core to keep the spine from curving 

7. Take a deep breath and squat down, while slowly releasing the breath 

8. Squat up and thrust the barbell above the head using your shoulder/arms

9. Release the breath and slowly lower the barbell back 

10. Repeat this movement depending on your training goals i.e, 10 reps x 3 sets @75% intensity for muscle gains. 

Expert coaching tips

1. To place the bar back on the squat take simply do the reverse of the initial walk out
2. Do NOT round the back
3. Optionally wear a belt for better core stability and lower the risk of spinal loading and injury 
4. Make sure the surface is clean and flat 

Pros:

• Targets the same movement pattern and muscles as the wall ball 
• Burns lots of calories 
• More specific to the front squat than the wall ball
• May improve sporting performance 

Cons:  

• May not be as explosive as the wall ball

2. Clean & Jerk 

The start up differs from wall ball. But from the catch position, all of the movements are almost identical. Why so? You squat up and then explosively jerk the weight up. 

Equipment needed 

• Olympic Barbell 
• Weight plates 
• Safety clips

How to do the clean & jerk 

1. Place a barbell on the ground in an empty space

2. Load up the sleeves of the barbell and secure the weight with safety clips

3. Get into the deadlift position and grasp the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

4. Take a deep breath, then deadlift the bar up to the mid thigh position

5. Immediately kick the barbell up with the thighs by gaining momentum from pressing at the ankle, knees and hip joint (jump motion)

6. Shrug and upright row the bar up, then rotated the shoulders inwards to catch the bar on your shoulders

7. While the bar is coming up, squat down to catch the bar 

8. Squat up, while releasing the breath, then pause

9. Bend at the knees and hips, then bounce up to generate some elastic energy/power

10.  immediately jerk the weight up 

Expert coaching tips

1. If the steps are difficult to understand, watch this demonstration 
2. Always engage the core 
3. Focus on using the legs instead of the upper body 

Pros:

1. Targets the same movement pattern and muscles as the wall ball 
2. Building explosive power 
3. May improve sporting performance 
4. Burn a lot of calories 

Cons:  

• May not be begging friendly 
• Injury risk is higher with improper form

3. Dumbbell Thruster

This exercise is basically the dumbbell variation of the barbell thruster. As we already know, these thruster exercises share almost identical movement patterns and muscle activity. 

Equipment needed 

• Suitable dumbbells 

How to do the Dumbbell thruster 

1. Place the dumbbells on the floor around half a meter apart 

2. Stand between the dumbbells and grasp them by getting into a squat position 

3. Take a deep breath and deadlift the dumbbells up

4. Immediately flip the dumbbells onto the shoulders, similar to a shoulder press 

5. Position the feet shoulder width apart and breath in 

6. Brace the core and squat down, while releasing the breath

7. Take a deep breath and squat down, while slowly releasing the breath 

8. Squat up and thrust the dumbbells above the head using your shoulder/arms

9. Release the breath and slowly lower the dumbbells back 

10. Repeat this movement depending on your training goals i.e, 10 reps x 3 sets @75% intensity for muscle gains. 

Expert coaching tips

1. Do NOT round the back
2. Optionally wear a belt for better core stability and lower the risk of spinal loading and injury 
3. In the reverse motion place the dumbbells back on the ground

Pros:

• Targets the same movement pattern and muscles as the wall ball 
• Burns lots of calories 
• May improve sporting performance 

Cons:  

• May not be as explosive as the wall ball

4. Medicine Ball Slams 

The medicine ball slam shares some similarities to the wall ball as you are squatting up and pressing the ball above the head. The difference is that you would not not release the ball upwards. Instead you would pause in the shoulder press position then slam the medicine ball onto the ground. 

Equipment needed 

• A Suitable Medicine Ball 

How to do medicine ball slams 

1. Place a medicine ball on the ground

2. Position the feet hip width apart and squat down to grasp the medicine ball 

3. Squat up and pin the medicine ball against the chest

4. Take a deep breath, press the medicine ball above the head and immediately stand onto the balls of your feet 

5. Explosively throw the medicine ball onto the ground, while shifting your weight onto your heels and driving the hips slightly backwards

6. Release the breath and set yourself up for the next rep 

7. Repeat this movement depending on your training goals

Expert coaching tips

1. Do not round the spine at any time of the movement
2. Keep the core engaged at all times 
3. Use the whole body to thrown the ball down 

Pros:

• May improve power 
• May improve core stability 

Cons:  

• The squat up movement does not provide as much stimulus as other exercises 
• Injury risk is higher due to explosive movements 

Muscles Worked With Wall Ball Substitutes

1. Calves 

The Calves are the muscles found at the lower leg. During any wall ball substitute, the calves start off the movement by pressing the mid-foot against the ground. 

Parts of the calve will be activated when you catch the ball and come down into the squat position. 

2. Quadriceps

The quadriceps are the four muscles that make up the thigh. For the most part, the quadriceps straighten the leg from a bent knee position. You can see this while squatting up during the wall ball and substitutes. 

One of the four muscles is called the rectus femoris (deep center thigh). This muscle is unique in that it helps to drive the hips backwards. You would expect to see this movement during the downwards phase of the wall ball and substitutes. 

3. Glutes 

The glutes are the muscles on the back of the upper leg, or more commonly known as the butt. The glutes main movement is to straighten the hip joint from a bent position. The kind of movement you would see while squatting up during the wall ball or substitutes. 

4. Core 

The core will be activated throughout the wall ball or any alternatives. Your abs are responsible for stabilizing the spine to make sure that it does not curve. The core also helps keep you balanced and stops you from falling over. 

The erector spinae helps extend the lower back immediately after the glute/hip movement. 

5. Triceps 

The triceps are three small muscles located at the back of the upper arm. They work by straightening the lower arm. You would typically see this movement while pressing upwards during the wall ball or most substitutes. 

6. Shoulders 

There are three shoulder heads found at the top of the upper arm. These shoulder heads include the middle, side and back. 

The shoulder comes into action to bring the upper arm away from the body either forwards, side or back. 

During the wall ball and its substitutes, the shoulders (mostly front shoulders) work with the triceps to bring the ball or weight above the head. 

7. Hip Flexors 

Remember that there is a downwards phase of the wall ball and its substitutes. During this downward movement, the hips are driven backwards to get into a somewhat squat position. 

There are a bunch of muscles that come together to conduct this movement, known as the hip flexors. 

Do You Need To Do Wall Ball Alternative Exercises?

In all honesty, the wall ball or alternatives are not necessary. They may be useful if the movement pattern is specific to your sport or activity. If so, you would ideally periodize these exercises for speed-strength phases of a strength and conditioning program. 

While you could observe them or gym gains, there are other exercises that work the same muscles from other exercises like barbell squats and overhead presses. So once again, the wall ball alternatives can be used, but are far from necessary. 

Final Thoughts

All in all, wall ball is a great whole body exercise. Including alternatives can keep the workouts interesting and effective by tapping into new muscle fibers. 

Any movement that shares a similar movement pattern and/or works similar muscle groups can be considered as an alternative. 

So essentially alternatives should be working the muscles of the legs, glutes, core, triceps and shoulders. This should be in squat and press manor. 

You do not NEED wall ball or its alternatives unless your sport or activity can benefit from the movement pattern. 

This is not to say that something is stopping you from using them for some gym gains and a good calorie burning workout. However conventional gym exercises also do the trick.  

We have included 4 effective alternatives that you might want to try out? 

Frequently Asked Questions 

References

1. Witalo, K., Pedro, N.J., Bruno, C., et al. “Does Varying Resistance Exercises Promote Superior Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains? A Systematic Review” Journal Of Strength & Conditioning Researches, 36(6): 1753–1762, 2022

2. Case Belcher (2014) “How to do Wall Ball”  Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryJoFCMNIr8 (Accessed: 23/05/2023) 

3. Oleksy TOROKTHTIY (2017) “Clean and Jerk / Olympic weightlifting and crossfit” Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HyWjAk7fhY (Accessed: 23/05/2023)