The Best Slam Balls for Working Out at Home

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Slam balls are a unique piece of exercise equipment that can be used for strength training, cardio, power and HIIT exercises. These weighted balls are typically constructed from a thick rubber outer shell and are filled with sand or some sort of gel to prevent significant bouncing, and they feature an air valve to release pressure and ensure that the ball does not burst when it is slammed. The specific construction of slam balls is designed to withstand thousands of slams and drops for individual or partner exercises for athletes of all fitness levels.

Although buying a slam ball for your home gym seems like a fairly straightforward process, there are actually quite a few varieties of slam balls with different features. In this slam ball buying guide, we'll offer you tips and pointers on how to choose the best slam balls for your home gym, along with our picks for the best slam balls for athletes at different fitness levels and pursuing a variety of training goals.

Our Picks for the Best Slam Balls for Home Workouts:

• Best Slam Ball for CrossFit: Rep Fitness V2 Slam Balls
• Best Slam Ball Sets: Titan Fitness Slam Balls
• Best Versatile Slam Ball: Rogue Fitness The Ballista Ball
• Best Quality Slam Ball: Rogue Echo Slam Ball
• Best Weight Variety Slam Ball: Titan Fitness Rubber Tread Slam Balls
• Best Slam Ball for Endurance Training: TRX Kevlar Medicine Ball
• Best Slam Ball for Grip: Crown Sporting Goods Slam Ball

Best Slam Ball for CrossFit: Rep Fitness V2 Slam Balls

Key Features:

• Material: Sand-filled with a grippy textured rubber outer shell
• Weight options: Five to 70 pounds in five-pound increments
• Diameter: Nine to 12 inches, depending on weight
• Warranty: One-year warranty for home use and six-month warranty for commercial use

CrossFit requires a variety of strength training equipment. Even if you don't have the budget to outfit your home gym or garage gym with the necessary exercise equipment to do full CrossFit workouts, you can add to your CrossFit workouts by investing in a few essential strength training pieces. At-home CrossFit workouts with slam balls are great—especially if they come from an industry leader.

Featuring a double-thick shell and reinforced air valve, the Rep Fitness V2 Slam Ball is extra-durable to withstand heavy impacts. It is well-textured due to the thick rubber material and grippy, making catching and releasing the ball easy without risking it slipping. The sand-filled balls are considered dead bounce, which means that they bounce little to none after hitting the ground.

The Rep Fitness V2 Slam Balls come in 12 different available weights, ranging from five pounds to 70 pounds, in five-pound increments up until 50 pounds, after which you can purchase a 50-, 60- or 70-pound slam ball. The diameters of the slam ball vary according to the slam ball weight, ranging from 9 to 10 inches for slam balls up to 30 pounds, 11 to 12 inches for balls that weigh 35 to 50 pounds and 13 to 14 inches for the 60-70-pound slam balls.

Rep Fitness provides a one-year warranty for home gym use and a six-month warranty for commercial gym use.

Pros:

• Grippy outer shell to prevent slipping
• Wide variety of weights offered
• Dead bounce

Cons:

• Sand bag can clunk around inside on some of the smaller balls

Best Slam Ball Sets: Titan Fitness Slam Balls

Key Features:

• Material: Sand-filled with a hard rubber outer shell
• Weight options: 10-60 pounds in five-pound increments
• Diameter: Nine to 11 inches, depending on weight
• Warranty: One-year warranty

Buying individual slam balls can quickly add up, so if you want to outfit your home gym with slam balls of several different weights, it’s usually a better value to get a slam ball set. The Titan Fitness Slam Balls are our top pick for slam ball sets. In increments of five pounds, these durable slam balls range from 10-60 pounds and range in diameter from nine to 11 inches.

The Titan Fitness slam balls are built to last for thousands of slams, tosses and throws. They feature a textured rubberized exterior shell to enhance grip even when your hands are sweaty. To help you keep track of the weight you are using in the slam ball set, each ball features the weight clearly printed on the outer surface of the ball in white numbering as well as the Titan Fitness logo molded into the textured surface.

Pros:

• Hard rubber shell prevents blowouts
• Wide variety of weights offered
• Dead bounce

Cons:

• Larger diameter on lighter balls can make it hard to perform some functional exercises
• Less grippy that some slam balls

Best Versatile Slam Ball: Rogue Fitness The Ballista Ball

Key Features:

• Material: Sand-filled with a super grippy tire-tread textured surface
• Weight options: 10-150 pounds
• Diameter: 10-14 inches, depending on weight
• Warranty: One-year warranty

The Rogue Fitness Ballista™ Ball is rather unique in that the design allows you to transform a medicine ball or slam ball into a functional kettlebell. Rather than being an actual slam ball, the Ballista™ is a nylon webbing sling that can be attached around your existing medicine balls or slam balls to convert them into functional kettlebells for dynamic strength training and metabolic exercises like kettlebell swings, snatches and farmer’s carries. The design is intended to improve the ergonomics and prevent wrist pain when doing traditional snatches; plus, it increases the versatility and functionality of your existing medicine balls and slam balls without needing to purchase expensive kettlebells.

The Rogue Fitness Ballista™ comes in two different sizes: small and large. The small slam ball sling is designed for slam balls or medicine balls that have a nine-inch or 10-inch diameter, while the large Ballista accommodates slam balls with a 14-inch diameter.

In keeping with Rogue Fitness' standard of quality, the Ballistas are constructed with high-quality materials that are designed to withstand heavy use. They feature 1.5-inch wide black nylon webbing with a durable 500D cordura handle, which wraps securely around the webbing using a sturdy Velcro closure.

User reviews note that the handle is easy to grip. Once you have secured it around the ball with the Velcro, the handle measures six-inches wide. The harness that surrounds the slam ball or medicine ball is reinforced with x-box stitching to ensure that the ball remains secure and stable inside the harness even during vigorous, HIIT workouts.

Pros:

• Comes in two sizes for different sizes of slam balls or medicine balls
• Allows for functional training exercises
• Increases the versatility of your slam balls
• Affordable product
• Transforms the weighted balls into kettlebells

Cons:

• Requires already having a slam ball or medicine ball

Best Quality Slam Ball: Rogue Echo Slam Ball

Key Features:

• Material: Sand-filled with a shiny red outer shell
• Weight options: 10-50 pounds
• Diameter: Nine to 10 inches, depending on weight
• Warranty: two-year warranty

If you are going to be performing aggressive or vigorous slam ball exercises and really putting your implement through the paces, you need to get a super high-quality slam ball designed for maximum durability.

The Rogue Echo Slam Ball is specifically designed and intensively tested to withstand heavy-duty use and maximum-velocity slams. The rugged red slam balls are available in five-pound weight increments from 10-50 pounds. The slam balls that weigh up to 30 pounds have a nine-inch diameter, whereas those weighing 35 pounds or more have a 10-inch diameter.

Although the Rogue Echo Slam Balls are certainly designed to take on any aggression you might need to release during your workouts, they can also be used for traditional medicine ball exercises. They are dead-bounce to maximize safety and feature a durable rubber outer shell. A good indication of the durability and quality of these slam balls is the fact that they come back with a two-year warranty.

Pros:

• Two-year warranty
• Heavy-duty design and tested to maximize durability
• Textured shell for better grip
• Red color is attractive and more unique than most slam balls

Cons:

• Reviewers say that the rubberized balls can have a bit of an initial odor
• Options for weight are fewer

Best Weight Variety Slam Ball: Titan Fitness Rubber Tread Slam Balls

Key Features:

• Material: Sand-filled with a super grippy tire tread textured surface
• Weight options: 10-150 pounds
• Diameter: 10-14 inches, depending on weight
• Warranty: One-year warranty

If you are a serious athlete, it can be challenging to find heavy slam balls that provide enough weight to challenge you for all of your potential slam ball exercises. Even the premium slam balls from the top manufacturers of strength training equipment usually max out around 60 or 70 pounds. Therefore, if you are looking for the best slam balls that come in heavy weights, consider the Titan Fitness Rubber Tread Slam Balls.

Not only are these heavy-duty slam balls designed with a grippy tire tread rubberized outer shell to enhance grip and durability, but the rugged-weighted balls come in an impressive variety of weights, ranging from 10 to 150 pounds. The diameter of the weighted balls range from 10 to 14 inches depending on the weight of the slam ball. This ball has a thick rubber outer shell to enhance durability, and even though there’s a textured grippy surface to it, it is constructed from hard rubber to maximize the longevity of the ball.

Like most slam balls, the sand-filled Titan Rubber Tread Slam Balls to ensure zero bounce and to absorb high impact forces. The PVC air valve prevents disastrous blowouts when the balls are slammed into the ground.

Pros:

• Very grippy textured surface
• Comes in the widest variety of weights with heavy weights for advanced athletes
• Non-bouncing construction for functional training

Cons:

• Heavy weights are expensive
• Sand inside can clump together, making an uneven distribution of weight

Best Slam Ball for Endurance Training: TRX Kevlar Medicine Ball

Key Features:

• Material: Sand-filled with durable Kevlar shell
• Weight options: Variety of weights from 4-50 pounds
• Diameter: Available in 10 inches or 14 inches
• Warranty: Three-year warranty

The TRX Kevlar Medicine Ball is built for the highest-impact workouts, able to withstand strength, cardio and endurance training. More along the lines of a med bar than a standard slam bar, this durable weighted ball has a tacky surface for better grip and is considered a low-balance rather than dead bounce ball. The ultra-durable KEVLAR® Is built to last slam after slam, throw after throw. Plus, you can use the TRX training slam balls for indoor or outdoor use and the weights are embroidered into the shell of the ball to prevent peeling or fading over time.

The balls come in a variety of weights from 4-50 pounds in either a 10-inch or 14-inch diameter. Unlike most slam balls, these ultra-durable, versatile weighted balls are backed by a three-year warranty.

Pros:

• Ideal for functional training due to its high durability and versatility
• Tacky exterior surface for better grip and control
• For indoor and outdoor use
• Great warranty

Cons:

• Very expensive
• More of a med ball than slam ball
• Low bounce not dead bounce

Best Slam Ball for Grip: Crown Sporting Goods Slam Ball

Key Features:

• Material: Sand-filled with a textured surface
• Weight options: 5 kilograms, 7 kilograms, 9 kilograms and 10 kilograms
• Diameter: 7.5-10 inches, depending on weight
• Warranty: Not listed on Amazon

The Crown Sporting Goods Slam Ball features a thicker outer shell made from durable rubber and a textured outer surface to enhance durability and grip.

The sand-filled slam balls are intended to be somewhat softer and more malleable than slam balls with a hard exterior, so they will warp and deformed somewhat with high intensity thrusts and slams, but as soon as you pick up the ball for your next repetition, the shape basically returns to its normal form. The slight deformation ability of these slam balls truly makes them dead bounce balls.

Plus, If you're on a tighter budget and just need one or two slam balls to exercise at home, you can get them on Amazon for an affordable and convenient price.

Pros:

• Budget-friendly and great value
• Lower price point and textured grip are great for beginners
• Different weights come in different colors to make it easy to grab the right weight mid-workout

Cons:

• Fewer weight options available
• Balls deform with slamming
• No warranty information provided on Amazon

What Are Slam Balls?

A slam ball is a weighted, usually rubber-coated ball designed to withstand high impact. The ball can be used for a variety of movements and exercises so that it can be thrown against a wall, tossed with a partner or slammed into the ground with no risk of damage. Slam balls are typically constructed with a tough, durable outer shell made of some type of rubber so that it is easy to grip and can withstand the force and direction of being forcefully dropped on any type of surface.

Inside the tough rubber outer shell, the slam ball is usually filled with a sand or gel filling to prevent significant bouncing. Essentially, slam balls should act like a dead weight when they are slammed into the ground or thrust into a wall so that the ball does not forcefully ricochet back into your face, causing injury. Because of the sand or gel filling, they often have sort of a shifting feeling inside of them because the material providing the weight may not completely fill the entire interior surface of the ball.

As the name suggests, slam balls can be used for any exercise that involves slamming the ball into the ground or wall, such as metabolic rotational wall slams or overhead slams in which you use all of your power to explosively slam the weighted ball onto the gym floor directly below you or to either side of your body to work your obliques and rotational muscles.

The versatility of slam balls extends beyond just tossing and throwing exercises. Slam balls can also be used for many traditional barbell and dumbbell strength training exercises such as overhead presses and squats. The spherical shape and dead weight of the slam ball can increase the difficulty and provide a unique challenge to performing exercises such as overhead lunges, torso twists, walking lunges with trunk rotations, medicine ball crunches, weighted v-ups and sit-ups, burpees, thrusters and overhead presses.

Additionally, adding slam ball exercises to your weight training routine can help you improve your muscular endurance, hand-eye coordination, power and overall functional strength.

Slam Balls vs. Medicine Balls

Even though some slam balls and medicine balls resemble one another, they differ significantly in terms of construction materials and intended use. One of the benefits of slam balls is that they can often be used for medicine ball exercises, but medicine balls should not be used for slam ball exercises because they lack the durability and can explode or crack if you use them in place of a slam ball.

Some medicine balls do have a rubber outer shell like slam balls, but many are made from vinyl, leather, PVC or plastic. They are usually softer and the seams on medicine balls are not designed to withstand aggressive dropping onto different surfaces.

Additionally, some inexpensive medicine balls have a rubber exterior but are hollow inside. This makes them prone to significant bouncing. Although this may be ideal for certain exercises, it can be dangerous for slam ball exercises because if you slam the ball into a wall or the ground, it may rebound and hit you as hard as you threw it. Over time, medicine balls that are used as slam balls can deflate, fall apart at the seams, or catastrophically implode or explode.

Medicine balls are best used for partner exercises when tossing the weighted ball between two people because the softer materials make it safer to potentially get hit by the ball if your partner makes a bad throw. Ultimately, when trying to decide whether to use a slam ball vs. medicine ball, if you are going to be performing an exercise that involves forceful or rapid thrusting or propelling of the ball, you should use a slam ball, whereas if you just want a weighted ball for tossing more gently or holding (such as during core exercises like Russian twists), opt for the medicine ball.

How To Use a Slam Ball

There are different ways to incorporate slam balls into your training, depending on your fitness level and fitness goals. You can perform slam ball exercises that target specific muscle groups (such as the core, upper-body muscles or lower-body muscles), or you can perform full body exercises, HIIT workouts, endurance exercises, explosive power exercises, plyometric or more traditional weightlifting exercises.

Do slam balls work your core?

Slam balls are an effective way to target your core. Various slam ball exercises can increase core strength, both by directly slamming the ball or using it as additional resistance as with more traditional med ball exercises. Examples include overhead slams, weighted Russian twists, weighted crunches and sit-ups, or weighted reverse crunches.

You can also do functional exercises that use core muscles while targeting other upper body and lower body muscles as well. For example, you can do walking lunges with trunk rotations holding the slam ball like dead weight with your arms extended. As you lunge forward with each step, you can rotate your core to either side. This works your shoulders, arms and other muscles of the upper body while also the quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves of the lower body. Adding the trunk twists engages the obliques, deep core muscles and spinal stabilizers.

Are slam balls a full body workout?

There are a variety of cardio slam ball exercises you can perform that provide a full body workout. Basic overhead slams will certainly increase your heart rate when performed as rapidly as explosive power exercises. Additionally, you can perform weighted burpees and thrusters, holding onto the ball and tossing it upwards and catching it before lowering back into the squat. Studies have even demonstrated that slam ball exercises can provide a similar cardio workout as traditional aerobic exercises like running and swimming.

Performing plyometric slam ball exercises (or jump training) with the added weight of a heavy weight slam ball helps increase the intensity of the exercise, and makes it a strength training, cardio and explosive power exercise combined. Plyometric training is excellent for athletes of all fitness levels looking to build power and explosiveness.

You can also do slam ball exercises that target the lower body muscles. Examples include weighted squats, lunges, step-ups and hip thrusts. You can target your upper body by performing elevated push-ups with one hand on the slam ball and the other on the floor. This targets one arm at a time while simultaneously activating the core due to the instability of the surface. Alternatively, you can do push-ups with both hands on the ball. The narrow base of support will target your triceps more than a standard push-up and the rolling surface of the ball will require your core to engage to stabilize your body and keep you balanced.

How To Choose the Best Slam Ball for You

Buying a slam ball may seem like one of the more straightforward purchases you may make for your home gym equipment, but there are still several important factors to consider when choosing the best slam balls.

Here are some of the most important factors to consider when choosing the best slam balls:

Weight

Slam balls come in a variety of weights, usually from 10 pounds on the lighter end up to 50-70 pounds are more. There are also some specialty heavy weight balls for advanced athletes accustomed to serious weightlifting. Beginners should start with lighter balls (10 pounds or so) and work up to heavier weights as you build strength, coordination and power.

Diameter

The diameter or size of a slam ball is often determined by the weight, with lighter balls being of a smaller size. However, some manufacturers standardize the size of all of their slam balls regardless of weight. This can be advantageous in some regards, because it increases consistency in the grip when you perform different exercises. However, lighter balls will have less sand inside, which can make the sand filling prone to shift around if the ball still has a large diameter.

Durability

The durability of a slam ball is one of the most important factors and one of the key factors that differentiates a cheap slam ball from a high-quality one. The thicker the hard rubber shell, the more durable the ball will be. Reinforced air valves will also help prevent bursting. A textured tread will help prevent damage and deformation of the outer shell as the ball gets slammed over time. The warranty that comes with a slam ball can also be a good indication of durability.

Functionality

Slam balls are more versatile and functional than medicine balls because they can be used for basic weighted core exercises or for dynamic, high-intensity exercises. Slam balls that have a textured surface will be easier to grip and perform a variety of dynamic functional exercises safely.

Cost

The price of slam balls ranges significantly, typically in proportion to the weight of the ball. Lightweight slam balls may be as cheap as $20-40 dollars, but premium heavyweight slam balls can cost well over $100. High-quality balls with thick rubber and grippy surfaces will generally cost more, but they will last longer and have more dead bounce than low bounce.

Features

Besides being of the proper weight for the exercises you want to perform and your fitness level, one of the most important factors that separates the best slam balls from cheap or poor products is the quality of the textured outer surface. Having a grippy, tire tread-like texture to the outer shell of the slam ball helps make sure that it is easy to grip, throw, catch, slam and release the slam ball. When your hands get sweaty, a slam ball or medicine ball with a smooth exterior will be slippery and difficult to hold onto. This can increase the risk of dropping the ball prematurely during your movement, reducing the effectiveness of the exercise and causing injuries.

For example, if you thrust your arms upward while holding the slam ball to try to do a weighted overhead lunge and the ball slips out of your hands, you will either end up doing the lunge unweighted, or worse, the weighted ball might fall out of your grip and onto your head, neck, shoulders, leg lunging forward or upper back. A textured surface is particularly important for beginners. As your fitness level improves, you can use smoother slam balls to challenge your grip strength.

How We Chose the Best Slam Balls

To choose the best slam balls, we considered the aforementioned factors such as available weights, durability, price and value, materials and quality of construction, diameter, warranty (at least one year), grip and user reviews. We considered important features of slam balls for athletes of different levels and looked for the top products from reputable manufacturers of premium weightlifting and fitness equipment.

FAQs

What size slam ball should I get?

The size slam ball you should get depends not only on your size, but also on your fitness level and strength.

Most slam balls have a diameter of 9-11 inches, though there are also larger slam balls. Typically, the balls of heavier weights have a larger diameter.

What is the best slam ball weight?

There are no rules about what size slam ball you should or shouldn’t use, but you should take into consideration your current fitness level, your fitness goals and the types of exercises that you intend to perform. Beginners should start with a 10 to 15 pound slam ball. It is more common for women to use lighter slam balls in the range of 10 to 25 pounds, whereas men are likely to use heavier balls in the range of 20 to 40 pounds, though there are exceptions to every rule.

Which is better: a slam ball or medicine ball?

There is no "better" ball between medicine balls and slam balls. Both weighted balls are constructed differently, and they serve different purposes in training.

Slam balls are typically more durable due to the thick rubber shell and are designed to withstand high-intensity exercises, tosses, passes and drops. Medicine balls are often hand-stitched and have a softer shell, like leather, vinyl, PVC or other synthetic materials. Medicine balls are designed for tossing or dynamic training but not vigorous thrusting or dropping.

Do you put air in slam balls?

No. Slam balls are sand-filled or gel-filled and pumping air through the air valve can damage the ball.

Can slam balls break?

High-quality slam balls are designed to withstand overhead slams and explosive power exercises, but they can break. Budget slam balls that don’t have a thick rubber shell or that are made with cheap PVC are more prone to breaking.

Can you use a slam ball on concrete?

Not all slam balls are designed to withstand concrete, but most high-end balls are durable enough to be thrown against concrete walls and floors.

Final Thoughts

Slam balls can be a versatile, fun training tool for athletes of all levels. They can be used for a variety of exercises that improve various aspects of your fitness, including cardiovascular endurance, strength, hand-eye coordination, balance and explosive power. Choosing the best slam balls involves considering your budget as well as the features of the ball relative to your current fitness level, fitness goals and training plans.

Prices are accurate and items in stock as of publish time.