The kettlebell lunge windmill is one of my favourite exercise to use at the end of a hard workout.
Major benefits
- Thoracic mobility
- Thoracic rotation
- Shoulder stability
- Shoulder strength
- Core strength
- Isometrics
Isometric, meaning you keep the muscles contracted during the exercise:
- latissimus dorsi
- triceps
- gluteals
- pectorals
- abdominals
- obliques
Pretty much full-body contraction.
Key points:
- Keep pressing into the ground
- Keep the lats active to protect the shoulders and provide better support
- Keep the abdominals contracted
- Keep the quads on the straight leg contracted to keep the knee locked out
How to do it:
- place the kettlebell in-front of the right foot
- lunge forward with the left foot so it’s inline with the kettlebell
- with the left hand grab the handle
- pull the kettlebell through the legs diagonally and clean the weight up
- keep the back straight while cleaning
- press the kettlebell up
- start rotating to your left
- rotation is created in the thoracic, from shoulders to mid torso, not the hips or lumbar
- gently place the right hand on the ground
- press into the ground
- activate the lats
- contract the abs
- straighten the back leg
- lock the knee out with the quads, keep them contracted
- everything aligned properly
- hold for x seconds
- lower the knee first
- press the knee into the ground, let it assist for balance and coming back to neutral lunge position
- rotate back to neutral position
- rack the kettlebell
- lower the kettlebell
- all the weight on the front leg and press up
- pull the back leg into position
- stand in neutral position
- repeat on the other side
Tip: once you’ve mastered all finer points of this exercise, increase weight and range, open the chest up more by letting the kettlebell pull the arm back more, in turn opening up the chest more. This has to be done in a controlled manner and never to the point of pain. In other words, normally the kettlebell is directly aligned with your shoulders and hand that’s on the ground, for this added stretch you’re going to let the kettlebell fall slightly back and pull your arm.
