Kettlebell Pirate Ships
Trains the Shoulders.
- Equipment
- Kettlebells
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Clean one kettlebell to the rack position and stand tall.
- Press it overhead until the arm is straight.
- Keeping the arm locked, lean the torso sideways away from the bell, then back past upright toward it.
- Let the bell travel in an arc over your head as the trunk tips one way and the other.
- Keep the eyes on the bell and the elbow locked throughout.
- Return to upright, lower to the rack, and finish the side before swapping.
Common mistakes
- Letting the elbow bend. The arm stays locked for the whole movement; a bending elbow is the bell about to travel somewhere you cannot follow.
- Bending forward rather than sideways. The lean is in the frontal plane; folding forward puts a bell overhead in front of a flexing spine.
- Going heavy. The bell is overhead on a straight arm while the trunk moves under it, which is the least controllable arrangement a kettlebell offers.
- Doing it before an overhead hold is comfortable. The static position comes first; this adds movement to a position that has to already be solid.