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August 21, 2006
Troubleshooting the kettlebell bent press
The kettlebell bent press is hard to beat as a one-stop upper body exercise. The shoulders, the triceps, the lats, all are taken care of. Boxing coach and kettlebell mad scientist Steve Baccari, RKC finds that if he can easily bent press the 88lb. kettlebell he has no trouble military pressing or windmilling the bulldog either. Master the bent press and see for yourself. The following subtlety added to the detailed bent press technique description in The Russian Kettlebell Challenge book or DVD will accelerate your learning of this difficult exercise.
The number one technical mistake comrades make when they take on the bent press is leaning WITH the kettlebell instead of AWAY from it. To fix it keep your biceps loaded throughout the press.
After cleaning the kettlebell and placing it on your hip start a slow biceps curl negative. To the side, in the bent press stance. Be careful, if the kettlebell overpowers you in this position you could get seriously hurt. When in doubt, get a spotter.
When you have pushed the kettlebell away far enough to feel your biceps more than your triceps start the bent press. Aim to keep the tension on your biceps until you have almost straightened out your elbow in the low position of the bent press. Almost let the kettlebell fall away. Almost.
Russian kettlebell power to you!
Posted by james at August 21, 2006 6:50 AM