Waiter’s Hold (KB) and Rotate 180 degrees
Upper Body: Vertical Push
Fundamentals
Level: 5
Target Action: Dynamic
Upper Body
Kit: Kettlebell
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The shoulder is a highly mobile joint and is often the victim of poor posture, low levels of strength and poor transfer of energy through the kinetic chain.
The Upper Trapezius muscle plays a critical role in resisting the strong pull of the latissimus dorsi and avoid excessive depression of the glenohumeral joint. This positioning has a knock-on effect on scapula positioning and the ability of the surrounding muscle to stabilise the shoulder. The Vertical Push Exercise Category is designed to refine this subtle coordination strategy under increasingly complex and diverse demands.
Vertical Pushing is often feared by many overhead athletes but I believe it is a critical piece of the shoulder health jigsaw for high performance.
Exercises in the Fundamentals Theme build directly upon the skills learned previously.
We progress to exercises that become the bedrock of effective strength training by challenging the athlete to maintain postural excellence while resisting against poor positions. With greater opportunity for intensification, postural control and strength development occur in parallel. In doing so, the movements that we are strengthening are not at odds with the dynamic and fluid sports skills that we seek to enhance.