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Kettlebell Bent Press critique

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J.C.S.

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Just began playing around with this movement. Looking for any helpful tips on technique and/or how you program the bent press into your training. ***I had just finished my workout, showered, and was ready to head out the door with the wife, hence the jeans and boots***

Also, while I am anxious to improve my technique and enjoy the 'badassness(?)' of this olde' timey movement, is there a reason why this lift seems more valued or hallowed in the StrongFirst community versus the various Windmill movements? I can think of the mobility challenge it presents (thoracic spine/hips) and the fact that you are PRESSING your body UNDER the weight rather than having the static weight overhead(greater weight used?). Lots of curiosity here, thanks all.

 
Hi @J.C.S. I am also working on the bent press, so take this with a grain of salt... Looks good, except I would say have more of your weight on the loaded side to start with. The weight will shift to the other leg as you move your arm towards lockout (as you are doing already). Observation: You definitely have a GS swing!
 
Read Iron Tamer Dave Whitley's Book "Taming the Bent Press"

Amazon.com: Taming the Bent Press: A Guide to the King of Lifts Digital eBook: Iron Tamer Dave Whitley: Kindle Store

And find the companion video. He outlines everything you need to know and outlines a few programs that are comparable in method to S&S.

I make the bent press one of my spice lifts and will do it after Simple and Sinister once or twice a week. I will do alternating bent presses with 50% (or less) of my 1 rep max (32kg) and maybe do 3-5 of them. I am doing it more as a mobility and grooving a movement rather than using it as a "Main Dish" lift. My personal reason for not making it a main dish lift is that I don't want to over work myself. Sometimes if I give myself a variety day I will do heavier, but never more than 5 reps and never if I don't feel completely confident.


Your video looked pretty good. There may have been a slight, and I mean slight, push at around 14 seconds, but maybe it wasn't. You also want to try not to touch the floor as it sort of screws around with the weight distribution, even if it is just a few fingers. I will put my hand up on my leg.
 
@J.C.S.

1. Bent Press vs Windmill. The latter is "strength stretch". We use it to open up the T-spine and even more, to stretch the external hip rotators, heavily used during hard style swings. In the Windmill, the leg on the Kettlebell side is straightened, internally rotated, and bears at least 80% of the total (body + KB) weight. The Bent Press, on the other hand, is a strength movement. The one that allows to put the most weight overhead with one hand (Artur Saxon's 385lbs record still stands). Here, the leg on the side opposite to the KB will bear the most of the load (although, by increasing your T-spine mobility you should work on spreading the load more evenly).

2. Your Bent Press looks very good for me. My suggestions for the set-up: put your feet just a little closer (that will give you more ROM through the hips) and set your upper arm firmly on your lat before engaging the hinge (less moving parts, more control).

3. As for the movement itself: even if it's called "Press", the whole reason why it allows to manipulate very heavy weights is that you "eat" as much of the elbow extension as possible with your hinge. When the Bent Press is executed to perfection (in all fairness, that depends a lot on each individual's morphology, the ratio of limbs and torso length etc.), the arm makes the real effort only in the last 30° of extension before the lockout, if that.
What I'm saying is, you start pressing too early. Artur Saxon would post his elbow on his hip and would "push it up" with his buttocks while hinging away (and extending the arm).
Obviously, you must keep an eye on all the other details and make sure you master them before even thinking of attempting heavier weights: no spine flexion, no valgus, antishrug, forearm vertical, wrist neutral (unless you're using a BB or a DB), total control of the weight (KB's not rolling around your wrist, DB or BB's not rolling out of your hand toward biceps) and so on.
 
@J.C.S.

+1 for getting Taming the Bent Press. Great book with very good technical section and programming section.

@Anna C , @Riley O'Neill and @Alexey covered most of the things I saw. One more thing is that your shoulder goes to internal rotation instead of staying in fixed, tight external rotation. Keep your palm facing forward. It will also help with keeping your elbow tighter to your body.

Keep your free hand tight and away from the floor. Two suggestions from Taming... is sliding it on your opposite leg while the elbow is pressing the knee, the second is keeping the elbow on the thigh and hip crease.

While one can lift allot of weight wit the bent press start light and learn the movement. It is not an easy movement but (for me) very rewarding, both physically and mentally.

Again, read Taming...

Bent Power to you!
 
Thanks for the replies everyone, I will check out Taming the Bent Press via hyperlink!

@Anna C @Riley O'Neill @Shahaf Levin The input about keeping the free hand off the ground is great, and will also narrow the feet to emphasize the hips.

The external rotation on my Rt shoulder is a noticeable limitation (SLAP surgery 2009) in this position and feels very tight but will keep working on it.

@Alexey I appreciate your comparison of the two lifts and it now makes better sense in my mind. 'Eating' the elbow extension with the hip hinge is an excellent descriptor!
 
The external rotation on my Rt shoulder is a noticeable limitation (SLAP surgery 2009) in this position and feels very tight but will keep working on it.

My right shoulder have: a torn labrum , dislocated bicep tendon (ski accident) and a full tear supraspinatus tendon (overuse from beach volleyball spiking with crappy technique).

(For me) the external rotation was limited due to compensations in T-spine and scapula, and I assume these are common compensations. I suggest some shoulder capsule mobilizations (with or without the band, with is better), and mobilization and patterning the thoracic spine and scapula. Bretzels will help mobilize, segmental rolling will help to pattern. For me the best fit is doing bent armbars (after rolling), really greases the thoracic mobility and scapular stability.

Taming... has an extensive section about all the preparation drills for bent pressing. I followed it with very good results.

One more thing, when I started re-pattern my right shoulder with bet press and preparation drills things started to feel weird for a few weeks. Breaking the compensation made me feel uncomfortable at first since it made me feel "loose". Working with light weight, doing the prep work with deliberate thought and greasing the movement eventually did it's thing and my shoulder felt great with better ROM in the T-spine and better bent press groove.
 
Just began playing around with this movement. Looking for any helpful tips on technique and/or how you program the bent press into your training. ***I had just finished my workout, showered, and was ready to head out the door with the wife, hence the jeans and boots***

Also, while I am anxious to improve my technique and enjoy the 'badassness(?)' of this olde' timey movement, is there a reason why this lift seems more valued or hallowed in the StrongFirst community versus the various Windmill movements? I can think of the mobility challenge it presents (thoracic spine/hips) and the fact that you are PRESSING your body UNDER the weight rather than having the static weight overhead(greater weight used?). Lots of curiosity here, thanks all.



Nice. Basically nothing to point out because this is a lift that has no correct answer other than standards because people have different postures body type etc and external looks may differ from person to person.

Stance could be improved by narrowing down feet width to shoulder width or slightly wider. Wide stance like yours doesn't work well with a short guy like me but this is one area that you could cultivate.

Pavel once taught us to do bent press before tactical pullups that it pre-stretches the muscles intended for heavy grinds. I don't know whether this is up to date now but I still swallow this.
And the Russian original program minimum for kettlebell were snatch and bent press. Pavel's first DVD (or VHS from my first purchase) presented bent press as if that was the main lift of all kettlebells.
 
@J.C.S. : I was in fortune, as I learned some bent pressing cues from Tamer at my SFG2. The set up is the first rep, open up your chest and "chicken wing" your elbow back behind you (to get the feeling of it, bent armbar is useful)



great instructional photo from @Pavel Macek log Repeat Until Strong:
Today's photo: Dumbbell Bent Press

Sig Klein and his perfect bent press setup - stance, rack, everything. Bent press, "King of all lifts", is easier to learn with a kettlebell, but of course, you can practice it with heavy dumbbell or barbell, because StrongFirst system is principle based, not dependent on the tool you use. "One mind, any weapon".



du-jpg.1875
 
@J.C.S. Ladies and gentlemen above gave you excellent pointers. I will add one one - As Iron Tamer says, try to keep the bent press arm "face the audience", palm forward, i.e. do not allow the arm rotate that much.
 
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