Movement Category: Upper Body Pressing

Implement: kettlebell(s)

Difficulty Level: beginner to advanced

• Establishes a basic Vertical Upper Body Pressing movement pattern
• Strengthens and conditions the pressing musculature and the entire body
• improves the core’s overhead strength and stability
• balances out the pulling movements for overall shoulder health and stability

Muscles worked:

Prime movers: Triceps, delts..

Stabilizers: Upper back, lats, spinal erectors, glutes, hamstrings, abs, quads, calves.

Military Press – Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Start out by Cleaning the bell(s) to the rack position. Your Press will be as good as your Clean, so perform the Clean sharp, exhale and generate “base” tension upon receiving the bell(s). Military Press uses the entire body as the stabilizer, so when in the rack position get firm and solid from the floor up: grip the ground with your toes, flex your thighs, anterior tilt (tuck) you pelvis and flex your butt, flex your core and lats. Make sure that your shoulders are in the sockets by pulling them in with your lats. The elbows in the “ready to press rack” are positioned slightly away from the body. The wrists are straight and solid throughout the entire lift.

Step 2: Inhale and begin the pressing the bell(s) away from your body. A good visualization clue here is to imagine that the bell(s) stay in place and your body is going through the floor – that will help to keep the shoulders in the strong pressing position. Make sure to keep your forearms vertical for optimum leverage and keep the bell(s) close to you. The trajectory of the lift resembles that of the “Arnold’s Press” – out and up in one motion, while pronating the hands (starting with palms to you and finishing with palms looking forward). Keep opening your chest up as you push the bell(s) up. The finishing top position is with your arms locked slightly behind or in line with your ears. Wrists are straight at all times and knuckles look at the ceiling. Your can hold your breath when pressing the bell(s) up or “hiss” the air out in order to maintain your intra-abdominal pressure (power breathing).
Step 3: Pause on top, exhale and inhale into your stomach.

Step 4: Reverse the motion by pulling the bells down with your lats reversing the trajectory on the way up. Keep your core tight and pull until the bells finish in the rack position. At this point you could re-Clean the bell(s) or Press again. On the way down, you could again either hold your breath or “hiss” the air out in order to maintain your intra-abdominal pressure.

Caution: make sure to clear “power breathing” and holding your breath with your doctor. Make sure to get the form down with lighter weights first and patiently build a solid base before progressing to max weights.

Variations:

A) One Arm Military Press

B) Double Military Press

C) SplitSots Press

D) Sots Press