This 3-Part Kettlebell Flow Will Give Your Shoulders a Serious Workout

From Bicycling

While it might not seem that obvious, having strong shoulders and arms is important for cyclists. A weak upper body can lead to poor form on the bike, which can lead to expending more energy during your ride than you need to—taking away from the amount of power in your pedal stroke.

When it comes to building your shoulders, overhead presses are certainly effective, but they rarely feel creative. This kettlebell flow from trainer Eric Leija changes that, moving through three different stances to get your whole body involved and working.

Start by cleaning a single kettlebell to a strong front rack position. Tuck your elbow into your side. Stack your wrist, locked out straight, directly above your elbow. Keep your core tight, pelvis tucked, and non-working arm out to your side as a counterbalance. Engage your shoulders to hold the kettlebell actively.

Press the weight straight up over your shoulder, letting your palm naturally angle forward at lockout. Pause, then lower the kettlebell back down with control.

From here, step one foot behind you and lower to a half-kneeling position. Keeping your torso in the proper position will become increasingly difficult here, as your body weight briefly shifts over a single-leg stance. Brace the balls of your back foot against the floor for stability. Once you're stable, repeat the shoulder press.

Lower your other leg behind you so you’re in a tall, full-kneeling position. Repeat the press again.

You’ve hit all three positions, but you’re not done yet. Reverse the entire series, stepping your opposite leg forward and pressing from half-kneeling, and then step forward into a standing position and pressing. Leija starts the series by kneeling on the same side as he holds the weight, then switches to his non-working side to finish the series.

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When you give the series a shot, don’t worry about with side you lead off with—both will get work. Focus on maintaining a tight, neutral torso and strong core stability. You’ll be tempted to arch your back during this series—avoid that. Before every press upwards, inhale, then exhale strongly, tightening your abs and pulling your ribcage as close to your spine as possible.

Also, you should only perform overhead pressing movements if you can perform them without shoulder pain. If you experience discomfort during overhead pressing movements, you might be able to try this flow pain-free with a landmine attachment instead.

Leija recommends performing the flow three times through on each side for a total of three to five sets, resting for one minute between sets. For an added challenge, he supersets the move with an advanced push-up variation—shown in the second video on his Instagram post—but you can substitute that with regular push-ups as you work on perfecting your form. Then, you can work up to the advanced variation.

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