Ever looked at kettlebells and wondered what they could do for you? Despite the odd shape, Kettlebells are one of the most versatile fitness equipment you can own. Not only do they offer a challenging workout, but they also build strength and stability in your shoulders. If you're looking to improve your shoulder health and fitness, try these five kettlebell shoulder workouts. Each one will help you tone and strengthen your shoulders. Let's get started!
Understanding the Shoulders
The human shoulder is an amazingly complex structure. It comprises three bones: the scapula, the clavicle, and the humerus (upper arm bone). These bones are joined together by a network of muscles, ligaments, and tendons. The shoulder joint is a "ball-and-socket" joint, which allows for a wide range of motion.
However, this increased mobility comes at the expense of stability. The shoulder is susceptible to dislocation, which can occur when the joint ball pops out of the socket. To prevent such an injury, the shoulder has several muscles surrounding and supporting the joint.
A rotator cuff is four muscles attaching the humerus to the scapula. These muscles work together to lift the arm and stabilize the shoulder joint. The pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi are two large muscles that attach the arm to the body. These muscles help move the arm forward, backward, and up and down.
The trapezius is a triangular muscle that extends from the skull's base and reaches the middle of the back. This muscle helps move, stabilize, and support the shoulder blade. Together, these muscles allow us to perform many everyday tasks, from brushing our hair to throwing a football.
The complex ball-and-socket architecture of the shoulder allows for a diverse range of movement and function. However, this fragile setup can also become a common area of distress when mistreated.
It's important to develop shoulder stability by conditioning the muscles around the shoulder joint that are more endurance-based and maintain good shoulder alignment.
After you master shoulder stability, then challenge the larger prime mover muscles. If you don't develop shoulders in this order, you'll continuously have shoulder/rotator cuff issues because large prime mover muscles overpower smaller stabilizing muscles.
This blog post focuses on kettlebell workouts because using a kettlebell is the perfect way to promote proper shoulder functioning while also building endurance, size, and strength.
Related Article: What are Deltoid Muscles? 6 Best Shoulder Isolation Exercises for Men to Get Bigger Deltoids
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Why Kettlebells, Not Dumbbells?
While both kettlebells and dumbbells are effective tools for building muscle, there are some advantages to using kettlebells.
First, kettlebells allow you to move more freely than dumbbells. This is because kettlebells are not attached to a fixed-weight plate, which gives you more range of motion. The free movement increases your range of motion and strengthens your muscles more by constantly surprising the muscles with new twists.
Secondly, kettlebells are often used in exercises that involve explosive movements, such as swings and snatches. Explosive exercises increase your strength, power, balance, and coordination. Kettlebells' movement across multiple plains during an exercise makes sure your body learns to balance itself in many different angles and positions.
Thirdly, kettlebells are loved for adding a functional element to our traditional weightlifting exercises. As you lift the weight and move it in a thrusting manner, you imitate activities that we do in our daily lives, conditioning our muscles to get comfortable with those activities.
This simply means that kettlebells enhance our functional fitness.
Finally, kettlebells support various exercises, which allow you to target different muscle groups. In addition, kettlebells involve most major muscle groups in a single exercise, which means you can target more muscles with kettlebell exercises than you'd do with other weightlifting equipment.
In contrast, dumbbell training is typically limited to a few basic movements. For these reasons, kettlebells are often the preferred choice for those looking to build muscle.
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5 Dynamic Kettlebell Shoulder Workouts
Here are some dynamic kettlebell exercises that work wonders for shoulder strength and stability:
1. Single-Arm Kettlebell Swing
The single-arm kettlebell swing is an amazing exercise for your shoulders and the whole body because it activates quite a few of them all over the body. Though it seems like an exercise that activates one's arms, its effects reach the glutes. It increases demands on the shoulder, stabilizing muscles while improving core anti-rotational muscles. It strengthens the upper back and also improves grip strength.
- Start by standing with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders.
- Stand straight without bending the neck or slouching.
- Start by lowering your hips and knees with one arm extended to the side.
- Grip the kettlebell between your feet with the arm you are exercising.
- Keep your back straight and core engaged while the kettlebell is placed slightly behind the knees.
- Now in an explosive style, push your hips backward while simultaneously thrusting the kettlebell forwards and upwards.
- Allow the kettlebell down and behind the knees to return to the starting position.
2. American Kettlebell Swing
The American kettlebell swing is a compound movement that simultaneously works multiple muscle groups. The primary muscle groups involved are the hamstrings, glutes, and core. However, the shoulders, arms, and back also get a workout.
It's an excellent way to build strength and power. It also helps improve your coordination and balance. In addition, the American kettlebell swing is a great cardio workout and an ideal exercise for improving flexibility and range of motion.
- Stand straight with the kettlebell in your grip.
- Keep your arms loose and long while engaging your core muscles and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Bend your knees slightly, put your weight on your heels, and lean your butt back and down toward the wall.
- Then push through your heels to make the weights go up from your quads. Your arms should be extended overhead.
- You must snap your hips through and contract your core while squeezing your glutes to achieve the desired finishing position.
- Let the weight do most of the work as you ready yourself for repetition. You should also shift your weight back into heels while hinging at the hips to load your hamstrings and glutes.
- As the kettlebell returns, let it ride back between legs before transitioning from backward to forward motion, driving through heels and hips repeatedly.
3. Kettlebell Vertical Row
A kettlebell vertical row is a great exercise for building bigger and stronger shoulders. It works on the back muscles well. While the vertical row is a great exercise for engaging a range of muscles with just one move, you can easily get it wrong.
- Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the kettlebell with both hands.
- Next, engage your core and raise the kettlebell by lifting your elbows until they are close to your shoulders.
- Your elbows should be tilted above the wrist level throughout the movement.
- When lowering the kettlebell, take it all the way so that your arms are fully straightened before starting another repetition.
- Continue for the desired number of repetitions.
4. Kettlebell Shoulder Press
The kettlebell shoulder press is a great way to work your shoulders and upper body.
- Start by standing with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
- Holding a kettlebell in each hand, raise your arms so that the weights are at shoulder level.
- From here, press the weights overhead, keeping your elbows close to your ears.
- Return to the starting position and repeat for 10-12 reps.
- As you press the weights overhead, be sure to exhale forcefully.
- This will help stabilize your core and protect your lower back.
If you find that your form starts to suffer, reduce the weight or increase the reps until you can maintain good form throughout the exercise.
5. Single-Arm Kettlebell Z Press
The Single-Arm Kettlebell Z Press is an exercise that works the muscles in your shoulders, chest, and arms. This movement also benefits your core and helps to improve your posture.
- Sit on the floor with your legs straight and slightly apart.
- Pick up a kettlebell with an overhand grip, keeping it close to your body.
- Curl it upwards until your arms are fully extended above your head, and you can see the elbow joint locked out.
- Lower it down slowly to the starting position and repeat for as many reps as assigned.
Related Article: The Shoulder Blaster Workout for Intermediate Fitness Enthusiasts
FAQs
1. Do Kettlebell swings build shoulders?
The advantages of this kettlebell workout are far-reaching, working muscles in the abs, shoulders, pecs, glutes, quads, hips, hamstrings, and lats. And because it also works your grip strength, it's a fantastic all-around exercise.
2. Are kettlebell workouts good for shoulders?
Kettlebells are a great way to build strength in your shoulders. The basic movement of a kettlebell swing uses many of the muscles in your shoulders, including the rotator cuff muscles. These muscles work together to stabilize your shoulder joint, and by training them with kettlebells, you can help reduce your risk of injury.
In addition, kettlebells provide an excellent way to build grip strength. A stronger grip not only helps you perform better in other exercises but can also help prevent injuries. For example, a strong grip can help you generate more power in your shots if you play tennis or golf. In short, kettlebells are an excellent tool for building strength and preventing shoulder injuries.
3. What happens if you do 100 kettlebell swings a day?
Switching up your fitness routine by doing 100 kettlebell swings daily has many benefits, like better posture, reduced back pain, increased testosterone and growth hormone levels, and forming a habit of movement.
4. Are 20 minutes of kettlebell workouts enough?
To see results, your workouts should last at least 20 minutes but no more than 45. Too little time won't allow you to burn enough calories, and too much time could lead to overtraining.
Summary
If you want to build strong, stable shoulders, try these kettlebell workouts. Kettlebells are an ideal weight for shoulder exercises because they create instability, forcing your muscles to work harder. Dumbbells can't provide the same level of challenge. These 5 kettlebell routines target all the different muscles in your shoulders and will help you achieve greater strength and stability.
