When it comes to building your shoulders, overhead presses are certainly effective, but they rarely feel creative. This kettlebell flow from trainer Eric Leija (a.k.a. Primal Swoledier) changes that, moving through three different stances to get your whole body involved and working.
Start by cleaning a single kettlebell to a strong front rack position. Tuck your elbow into your side. Stack your wrist, locked out straight, directly above your elbow. Keep your core tight, pelvis tucked, and non-working arm out to your side as a counterbalance. Engage your shoulders to hold the bell actively as opposed to letting the weight dump into the joint.
Press the weight straight up over your shoulder, letting your palm naturally angle forward at lockout. Pause, then lower the bell back down with control.
From here, step one foot behind you and lower to a half-kneeling position. Keeping your torso in the proper position will become increasingly difficult here, as your body weight briefly shifts over a single-leg stance. Brace the balls of your back foot against the floor for stability. Once you’re stable, repeat the shoulder press.
Lower your other leg behind you so you’re in a tall, full-kneeling position. Repeat the press again.
You’ve hit all three positions, but you’re not done yet. Reverse the entire series, stepping your opposite leg forward and pressing from half-kneeling, and then step forward into a standing position and pressing. Leija starts the series by kneeling on the same side as he holds the weight, then switches to his non-working side to finish the series. When you give the series a shot, don’t worry about with side you lead off with—both will get work. Focus on maintaining a tight, neutral torso and strong core stability. You’ll be tempted to arch your back during this series; avoid that. Before every press upwards, inhale, then exhale strongly, tightening your abs and pulling your ribcage as close to your spine as possible.
Also, remember that we only recommend overhead pressing movements if you can perform them without shoulder pain. If you experience discomfort during overhead pressing movements, you might be able to try this flow pain-free with a landmine attachment instead.
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Leija recommends performing the flow 3 times through on each side for a total of 3 to 5 sets, resting for 1 minute between sets. He supersets the move with an advanced push-up variation—just swipe to see what he does there—but we wouldn’t necessarily recommend that for guys who can’t perform pushups with perfect form. Work your way up to that movement, then think about giving it a shot.
Want more kettlebell workouts from Leija? Check out his Men’s Health Kettlehell program (now available on our All Out Studio app), which is designed to burn fat and build muscle with just one kettlebell.
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