Our shoulder is a miraculous joint capable of massive ranges of motion, but this mobility comes at a cost. Because the shoulder is like a ball on a dolphin’s nose, to allow this motion, shoulder pain and injury come with the territory. The stability part of the shoulder equation is on you to keep the shoulder happy.
Strengthening the delts and the soft tissues surrounding the shoulder is vital if you want to keep doing fun stuff. Overhead presses and shoulder raise variations are great, but if you want to spice up your shoulder stability game, the half-kneeling kettlebell bottoms-up alternating press will take it to the next level. This diabolical shoulder exercise is the brainchild of Justin Farnsworth, DPT and certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS). You will benefit from Farnsworth’s 20 years of clinical experience treating shoulder injuries; his client’s pain is now your gain.
Why the Overhead Press and Kettlebells Make a Good Pair?
If your mobility allows you to go overhead, you know overhead pressing is the go-to for bolder shoulders. But here, Farnsworth explains why KB is a good option for overhead pressing.
“It’s great to help center the shoulder joint (the KB weight stays closer to the center of mass than a DB) and feed in more rotation. In my opinion, the KB is more challenging to “cheat” overhead on and a good option if overall loading is the goal.” says Farnsworth.
Benefits of 1/2 Kneeling KB Bottoms-Up Alternating Press
Pressing with kettlebells is great, but turning them bottoms up and changing your body position will take your shoulder stability to new heights, explains Farnsworth.
“This bottoms-up version really places the brakes on the loading ability in the name of stability. With stability, I’m referring to the ability to avoid unwanted motion. This bottoms-up allows higher recruitment of the local shoulder stabilizers like the rotator cuff and, when done in the 1/2 kneeling position, emphasizes core and hip strength.
Lastly, the bottoms-up position will challenge grip strength (because no one likes being slammed in the face by a KB), improving the ability to irradiate and generate tension up the arm and into the shoulder.” explains Farnsworth.
Form Tips
Farnsworth says to take time with your setup to ensure a solid half-kneeling position before your press. The KB bottoms-up instability forces you to recruit additional muscle fibers to control the unstable load, which will take some getting used to, so use a lighter weight than usual until you build more strength. Squeeze the handles HARD to irradiate and generate stability: slow pacing and a firm grip create lots of time under tension for delt gains.
Set and Rep Suggestions
Farnsworth suggests you will burn yourself out quickly, so go light on the weight and shoot for between 12 and 15 reps supersetted with another shoulder stability exercise. You can also go for time (20-30s or so) to avoid having to count reps.