How to Burn Fat and Tone Your Upper Body Without Weights

Lifting weights (dumbbells, barbells, etc) is not the only effective way to burn fat and tone your upper body. Medicine ball throws and passes are great exercises for toning your upper body.

To get better fat burning results, mix up your training with weights, resistance tubing, medicine balls and bodyweight exercises.

Here are 3 medicine ball exercises to do more often:

Note: Use a medicine ball about 10% of your bodyweight for these exercises if you can control and throw it explosively. Use a lighter ball if needed and progress from there. Perfect your form for these exercises before progressing to full speed.

MB Chest Pass

The 2-handed medicine ball chest pass is a great exercise to burn fat, improve your power and core strength. This is an advanced power exercise that is performed at full speed.



1. Stand with your feet straight and in a staggered-stance. Generate power from your legs (then to your core) to pass the medicine ball.

2. Hold the medicine ball with both hands at chest level and your elbows flexed.

3. Push and pass the ball as explosively as possible. Don't let your shoulders shrug.

4. Repeat the pass as soon as possible with control and power.

MB Soccer Throw

The soccer throw with medicine ball is a great sports power exercise to improve your core strength and arm speed.

The soccer throw works the muscles that you use to throw a ball or swing a racquet overhead. The soccer throw is also an advanced core exercise.



Be sure to also use your legs as you throw the medicine ball. If you don't use your legs, you won't be able to throw at full speed. Don't stand straight up as you throw. Keep your back leg straight and your front leg bent.

MB Rotational Throw

Medicine ball rotational throw - Many everyday movements require coordination while rotating your body. This exercise is also very difficult to do correctly. When you get good at it, you will burn upper and lower body fat at a faster rate.



1. Start with your stance a little wider than shoulder width, standing sideways. Hold the medicine ball with your arms extended but elbows not locked.

2. Swing the ball back and rotate your torso, shoulders, arms and head to throw the ball straight ahead (similar to swinging a baseball bat).

3. Transfer power from your lower body through your core and explode with the throw. Don't just use your arms to throw the ball.

4. Do all repetitions for one side and repeat with the opposite side of your body.

Use throwing more often to burn more fat!

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About Mark

Hi, I'm Mark Dilworth, Nutritionist, Dietary Strategies Specialist, Nutrition for Metabolic Health Specialist and Lifestyle Weight Management Specialist. Since 2006, I have helped thousands of clients and readers make lifestyle habit changes which includes body transformation and ideal body weight.