I realized yesterday that it’s been F.O.R.E.V.E.R since I’ve done one of these. Bad Tony!
Season 2 of House of Cards wasn’t out yet, the Seahawks hadn’t won the SuperBowl, and “EggGate” hadn’t happened, which meant Justin Bieber’s general level of douchiness was a smidge lower than it is now. But just a smidge. That’s not a lot.
LOL – Bieber burn.
Suffice it to say it’s been a while, and since I’m roughly 48 hours from entering vacation mode – think of it as a grown up case of Senioritis – I figured I’d make this one short and to the point today.
3-Month Pose Kettlebell Pullover
Who Did I Steal It From: I have no idea. I know Mike Robertson has discussed this one before, as has some of the peeps over at the Postural Restoration Institute.
Oh, and this is one of Optimus Prime’s favs……;o)
What Does It Do: I know many people reading are wondering what the deal is, so lets address the elephant in the room first. The exercise is called 3-Month Pose because, and I’m kinda speculating on this front, it represents the stage in human development where an infant will begin to place itself in said position (probably without the dumbbell) before learning to roll over.
While it seems rather goofy looking, this is an exercise that does provide a number of benefits.
1. This is a fantastic exercise to train core stability – namely anti-extension – as well as simultaneously learn to “own” one’s breath.
2. It also serves as a great exercise to work on and improve the length of the lats – which tend to get stiff/short in overhead athletes as well as the meathead population.
3. And, of course, there’s a fair amount of pec recruitment. Cause, you know, it’s ALL about the pecs!
Key Coaching Cues
I like to tell people to use the floor as feedback and to not allow their lower back to overarch (ie: it should stay flat against the floor the entire time).
Holding a kettlebell (a DB can be used too) straight above the body, inhale through the nose, taking a deep breath into your belly as well as focusing on more of a 360 degree expansion (breath into the floor) of the rib cage.
While the rib cage is going to expand, it’s important to not allow it to flare up/out too much.
From there you will exhale as you lower the KB/DB towards the ground. Keep it controlled – don’t rush!
Once you’re an inch or two from the floor, pause for a 2-3 second count, and remember to not allow your lower back to leave the floor.
Return back to the starting position, inhaling as you do so, and then repeat the process for the allotted repetitions. I like to perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.
And that’s it. Try it today and let me know what you think. It’s harder than it looks.
ALSO
As was the case earlier in the week, in anticipation of the release of her new project – Lift Weights Faster – my pal Jen Sinkler released another killer FREE video today which covers bodyweight training. In particular four exercise she feels should be part of every routine.
OMG – what are they?
Click HERE to find out
