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Kettlebell Do the Press vs. Jerk have different Side Delt involvement and thus hypertrophy implications?

Adachi

Adachi

Level 7 Valued Member
So, yesterday, I was doing some long cycle clean and jerk with a light bell, and I saw something, this morning, that I'm not used to seeing. My Side Delts look like they got a little inflated.

I have a few thoughts about it.

Maybe it has to do with energy substrate, if I understand that stored glycogen, comes with a good bit of water, that can inflate the cells.​
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Maybe it has to do with the speed of the movement, I do like to think of moving the bell at max speed, and sometimes my catch timing is a bit off and I get a little bump of the kettlebell coming off my forearm and landing again.​
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Maybe it has to do with the pressing volume I've embarked upon (prior to the jerk yesterday(presses were last Friday)) I'm not sure of what the expected timelines of acute hypertrophy or other physiological adjustments are after the fact.​

I speculate a bit because I don't remember any pump or congestion in the side delts from my strict presses. and, after practicing the jerk with a light bell I didn't really recognize any pump/congestion in the entire shoulder girdle. But, I consider it a possibility insofar as I'm not currently convinced that pump=hypertrophy.

But, in my mind, the question persists:
Does anyone else observe a difference in edit: side delt activation/involvement between practicing the press versus the jerk, given the same weight bell?​
 
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HarryBergers said:
Given the weight is the same, but the speed of the lift is different, the jerk could possibly be involving more type II muscle fibers. Aren't type II fibers larger than type I?
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I wonder about this . also the hips back motion makes me think about the shoulder joint angle w/respect to the upper torso.
 
watchnerd said:
If you're not observing a difference, you're jerking wrong.

Jerk should be mostly legs, triceps to hold lockout.
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Yeah, you're right.

The way in think about it, my cue is pop & stab.
Pop the bell up, and stab the sky.
I do also lower my hips down and back for the catch.

Maybe the size change in my shoulder I see today belongs to the pressing volume I incurred last Friday. And, maybe the jerk practice yesterday isn't to blame.
 
Not an expert on Jerks here but you are supposed to jerk way more than you can press (Reps and weight as well) Doesn’t that mean more time under tension? Even if your trying to be as relaxed as possible aren’t the arms are still carrying the weight either in the rack or in the top fixation?
 
Kettlebellguy said:
Not an expert on Jerks here but you are supposed to jerk way more than you can press (Reps and weight as well) Doesn’t that mean more time under tension? Even if your trying to be as relaxed as possible aren’t the arms are still carrying the weight either in the rack or in the top fixation?
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I agree. I've been doing jerks for a couple of months and seem like I'm getting a more well rounded (pun intended) shoulder development than I've noticed before with pressing. I do try to make sure I hold them briefly in the fully extended position. I am guessing that the heavier weights are contributing to this development.
 
Kettlebellguy said:
Not an expert on Jerks here but you are supposed to jerk way more than you can press (Reps and weight as well) Doesn’t that mean more time under tension? Even if your trying to be as relaxed as possible aren’t the arms are still carrying the weight either in the rack or in the top fixation?
Click to expand...
With KBs I notice a bit more arm involvement in the jerk simply because I don't go down that low in the second dip. Then again, I may have crappy form. Barbell jerks are different because you are going for max weight, not reps. The idea is to use your legs to get the bar as high as possible, then use your arms to push yourself down and under the bar.

The above was a preface to the actual answer to your question, which is as follows: Jerking KBs allows for more reps than pressing KBs of the same weight, so there is a bit more time under tension. However, the tension is spread out among more muscle groups. In a press, the legs are there to stabilize you while in a jerk they are actively involved in the lift. The shoulders work less because they get a boost from the legs. So while the time is longer, the tension on the muscle groups is less. KB jerks require endurance and "cardio." I'm always sucking air after a set of high rep jerks. One time I was doing jerks outside and I was breathing so hard I accidentally sucked in a butterfly. (Adachi will get the reference.)

The one exercise that really strengthens and grows my shoulders is the push press. Your mileage may vary.
 
MikeTheBear said:
With KBs I notice a bit more arm involvement in the jerk simply because I don't go down that low in the second dip. Then again, I may have crappy form. Barbell jerks are different because you are going for max weight, not reps. The idea is to use your legs to get the bar as high as possible, then use your arms to push yourself down and under the bar.

The above was a preface to the actual answer to your question, which is as follows: Jerking KBs allows for more reps than pressing KBs of the same weight, so there is a bit more time under tension. However, the tension is spread out among more muscle groups. In a press, the legs are there to stabilize you while in a jerk they are actively involved in the lift. The shoulders work less because they get a boost from the legs. So while the time is longer, the tension on the muscle groups is less. KB jerks require endurance and "cardio." I'm always sucking air after a set of high rep jerks. One time I was doing jerks outside and I was breathing so hard I accidentally sucked in a butterfly. (Adachi will get the reference.)

The one exercise that really strengthens and grows my shoulders is the push press. Your mileage may vary.
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That was very informative. Thanks for sharing your experience.
 
watchnerd said:
Right idea, wrong muscles.

Lower body is where jerk power should come from.
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What's that got to do with the price of cabbage?

Still moving the arm in an extremely similar movement pattern extremely fast. Also, a lot more of the shoulder girdle is used in the KB jerk than KB press. Perhaps some of the underlying meat involved is making the delts pop more at the same time, not to mention the added range of motion of the arm in extension stabilizing a load overhead for longer.

Regardless of the power source, still a lot of work for those delts/local tissues.
Adachi said:
Yeah, you're right.

The way in think about it, my cue is pop & stab.
Pop the bell up, and stab the sky.
I do also lower my hips down and back for the catch.

Maybe the size change in my shoulder I see today belongs to the pressing volume I incurred last Friday. And, maybe the jerk practice yesterday isn't to blame.
Click to expand...
Look at basketball player shoulders, they're pretty big for moving a light weight really fast. Switching from pressing to jerks, my shoulders stayed about the same, but my triceps have shrunk a little.
 
MikeTheBear said:
The one exercise that really strengthens and grows my shoulders is the push press.
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I will say, there was a time I was practicing heavy push press singles, and I was playing with minimizing the kipping in the movement. there was one rep in particular where I could feel everything from my shoulder to my grip light up like a Christmas tree in December. it stands out as a peak moment of tension, in my experience.
MikeTheBear said:
I accidentally sucked in a butterfly. (Adachi will get the reference.)
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I unfortunately am not getting this... :(
 
@Adachi The post was over a year ago. Someone asked if snatches were dangerous to the wrist and forearm, probably because they were banging up their forearm. You responded as follows:

"after getting the timing down even the 32kg bell lilts onto the forearm like a curious butterfly."

That was some good writing!
 
MikeTheBear said:
@Adachi The post was over a year ago. Someone asked if snatches were dangerous to the wrist and forearm, probably because they were banging up their forearm. You responded as follows:

"after getting the timing down even the 32kg bell lilts onto the forearm like a curious butterfly."

That was some good writing!
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color my recollection refreshed (y)
 
HarryBergers said:
What's that got to do with the price of cabbage?

Still moving the arm in an extremely similar movement pattern extremely fast. Also, a lot more of the shoulder girdle is used in the KB jerk than KB press. Perhaps some of the underlying meat involved is making the delts pop more at the same time, not to mention the added range of motion of the arm in extension stabilizing a load overhead for longer.

Regardless of the power source, still a lot of work for those delts/local tissues.

Look at basketball player shoulders, they're pretty big for moving a light weight really fast. Switching from pressing to jerks, my shoulders stayed about the same, but my triceps have shrunk a little.
Click to expand...

What you’re describing better suits a push press
 
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