The Kettlebell Armbar is not be confused with the Jiu-Jitsu Armbar 😉
This is one of the best drills to improve your over-head position particularly your kettlebell press movements like:
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- Strict press
- Push-press
- Jerk
- Bent press
This progression is what's known as the "Press Continuum" i.e. the natural progression of strength in the over-head lifts.
This is a concept I learned from some of the best strongmen on the planet like: Bud Jeffries and David "Iron Tamer" Whitley.
But, in order to have a solid press you must...
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Have adequate thoracic mobility of the spine (aka: t-spine mobility). The Kettlebell Armbar address this from a "top down approach."
The "top down approach" means you're mobilizing the t-spine from the upper body down. There's actually a "bottom up approach" that I'll get into later.
A Two For One Special
The Kettlebell Armbar does two REALLY cool things which is what makes it SO powerful.
1. It forces your shoulder to "reflexively" stabilize the kettlebell. This happens because the kettlebell is a "LIVE weight".
Meaning, the center of mass (the bell itself) is offset from the handle. So each time the kettlebell move or the kettlebell gets bigger, the center of mass changes.
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This is what make the kettlebell SO much more effective compared to dumbbells and other "tools."
This leads to...
2. The mobilization of the t-spine. No that the shoulder is engaged "reflexively" the t-spine and freely move from the top down.
Pretty cool, eh?
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Give it a try and let me know how it goes.
Hec G.