Overhead Slam
A beginner compound movement that trains the lats with a medicine ball.
Force Type
Pull
direction of effort
Difficulty
Beginner
training level
Variations
0
equipment swaps
Muscles
1
primary + secondary
The verdict
Overhead Slam has 4-step instructions, documented to a similar depth as most of the 38 lats exercises PlainExercise catalogues.
Ranked against the 38 lats exercises PlainExercise currently catalogues, not the full exercise-science literature.
Catalog lens
Two ways this record sits in the source corpus
These are placement measures for the documented record, not a score for exercise quality, safety, or suitability.
Instruction steps
#510 of 868
Typical documentation depth
Numbered source steps, ranked across every documented exercise.
Instruction text
#716 of 868
Lighter documentation than most
A separate character-length placement prevents step count from standing in for explanatory detail.
Overhead Slam vs every catalogued exercise by instruction-text length
Where this record's instruction-character count sits among all 873 Free Exercise DB exercises with instructions, not a rating of the movement itself.
392 716th of 873 higher than 156 of 873 exercises
All exercises, banded by instruction-text character count
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more exercises. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source Free Exercise DB · 2026-07-10
Overhead Slam is documented from the Free Exercise DB (CC0) extract, last ingested July 2026. Classification, muscle roles and instruction text are source facts; the placement and cohort measures on this page are computed by PlainExercise and are not a rating of the movement.
What the Overhead Slam Data Reveals · DOC · PULL/COMPOUND
Overhead Slam stands out on force direction, the first filter on this record.
A mid-length step list is enough detail to compare form without the longest upstream essays.
Context matters: taxonomy (level, mechanic, force, musculature, equipment) does not account for individual biomechanics, joint history, or recovery. Common-mistake framing below is derived from classification fields, not case-specific coaching. Not medical or personal-training advice. Consult a physician or certified trainer before starting, especially with injuries, cardiovascular conditions, recent surgery, or pregnancy.
Overhead Slam catalog footprint
Among 38 exercises whose primary muscle is lats, Overhead Slam ranks #14 by catalogued variation count. The upstream file attaches 2 images to this slug. See the step-count ranking for lats for peer documentation depth.
Muscles worked
The Free Exercise DB classifies each muscle as primary or secondary. It does not measure activation, so we show involvement, not percentages.
Source: Free Exercise DB primary/secondary muscle classification. Actual recruitment varies by load and form.
Intensity context
For reference, here is where common activities sit on the MET intensity scale. Overhead Slam does not have a measured MET in the source data, its intensity depends on the load and effort you use. Estimate calories for any activity with the calorie calculator.
MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2011). A general reference scale, not a rating of this specific movement.
How to do it
- Hold a medine ball with both hands and stand with your feet at shoulder width. This will be your starting position.
- Initiate the countermovement by raising the ball above your head and fully extending your body.
- Reverse the motion, slamming the ball into the ground directly in front of you as hard as you can.
- Receive the ball with both hands on the bounce and repeat the movement.
Common mistakes
- Rushing through reps before the pattern is grooved - at this stage, a slow, controlled tempo (2-3s down, 1-2s up) on Overhead Slam teaches the nervous system the movement far faster than speed does.
- Cutting the range of motion short - moving the lats through its full safe range on Overhead Slam is what most reliably separates effective reps from wasted ones.
- Treating a compound lift like an isolation movement - Overhead Slam recruits multiple joints; bracing the core and engaging stabilizers matters as much as the prime movers.
- Shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears on pull movements, keep shoulder blades down and back to load the correct muscles.
- Breathing out of sync with the lift on Overhead Slam - brace and inhale during the lowering phase, exhale on the exertion, especially important with a medicine ball where control matters most.
Who this is for
- People new to resistance training who want to build a foundation in the movement pattern
- People who want to train the Lats
- People who have access to a medicine ball
Who this is NOT for
- People hunting equipment swaps, this record has none to offer; browse the peer lats exercises for alternate patterns instead.
- Anyone with acute pain in the joints or muscles involved, pain is a stop signal, not a soreness signal
- People with unresolved injuries in the loaded joints, seek clearance from a physical therapist first
- Anyone with a recent surgery, cardiovascular limitation, or pregnancy complication without physician clearance
Progression path
Once Overhead Slam feels comfortable with your current load, progress by (a) adding reps until you can complete 12+ per set, (b) increasing resistance by 2.5-5%, (c) moving to harder variations such as single-limb or longer lever versions, and eventually (d) stepping up to intermediate-level movements that train the same muscle.
See the Progression guide for a full framework on when to advance, and the Compound vs Isolation guide to decide when to prioritize this movement in your program.
Safety notes · MEDICINE-BAL · PULL/COMPOUND · FLOOR
- On PULL/COMPOUND lats work, warm up 5–10 minutes before loading Overhead Slam; keep first sets light until the path feels automatic.
- Sharp or joint pain is a stop signal. Muscle soreness during sets is normal; pain is not.
- Beginners on MEDICINE-BAL gear: cut volume before cutting form, drop a set rather than rush reps.
- General information only. Consult a physician or certified trainer before starting any new exercise program.
Curated workout appearances
Overhead Slam is not currently featured in one of the 186 curated workout routines on this site.
Nationwide exercises with similar documentation depth
Two Free Exercise DB peer sets for Overhead Slam, drawn across all muscles (not the lats-only related list below). Each metric produces a different neighborhood.
Similar instruction step count
Nearest catalog records by numbered steps.
Similar instruction text length
Nearest catalog records by upstream instruction characters.
Related exercises
Other exercises that target the Lats.
See all Lats exercises.
Using the overhead slam
Three ways to put it to work.
- Train the lats 2–3 times a week with 48+ hours between hard sets; pair this with other lats movements for balanced development. All lats exercises
- Match the load and rep range to your goal, strength, size, or endurance each call for a different scheme. Strength vs hypertrophy
- As a compound lift, this trains several muscles at once, anchor your session around it before isolation work. Compound vs isolation
Form before load. If a movement causes sharp or joint pain, stop and substitute a safer alternative, this is general information, not medical or training advice.