Kettlebell Halo with Overhead Extension
- Works
- Shoulders and Triceps, plus traps, upper back and abs
- Equipment
- Kettlebell
- Level
- Intermediate
- Type
- Compound
How to do it
Setup. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a kettlebell upside down by the horns, with the bell above your hands and close to your chest. Brace your abdominals and squeeze your glutes so your ribcage stays down. This is your starting position.
- Keeping your elbows close to your head, move the kettlebell up past one ear and around until it sits behind your head. Pause here.
- From this position, extend your elbows to press the kettlebell up and overhead until your arms are straight, keeping your upper arms alongside your head.
- Bend your elbows to lower the kettlebell back to the pause position behind your head, under control.
- Continue the circle past the opposite ear and back down to the starting position in front of your chest to complete one repetition.
- Alternate the direction of the circle on each repetition. Keep your head, hips and lower back still throughout; if your lower back arches or you cannot reach the overhead position without leaning back, use a lighter weight or perform the halo and the extension as separate exercises.
Cues
- Circle to behind the head, pause.
- Upper arms vertical.
- Press up to lockout.
- Lower and finish the circle.
Common mistakes
- Elbows flaring.
- Arching the low back.
Where to start
Sets3
Reps6-8 each direction
Rest1 min
Tempo2-0-2
A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.
Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a sore shoulder and a sore elbow. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.