Kettlebell Modifying S&S?

[NormanOsborn]

Yes, I can imaging the response to this Thread,

"Blasphemy! Kill the Heretic - KILL HIM WITH FIRE!!"

Look, I love me some S&S. It's one of the best GPP programs out there. I ran it for about five months last year, when all the gyms were closed. But I believe my enthusiasm for a new training modality - I'd never trained with Kettlebells before - blinded me to some problems.

Swings are awesome. One of the best Bang For Your Buck exercises there is. So are Turkish Get Ups, of course...if one can perform them correctly and safely. And therein lies my problem. I lack the shoulder and upper back mobility to finish in the correct position, with my arm, torso and legs in a straight line. No matter how hard I try, I end up with my arm, and therefor the kettlebell, in front of my head instead of parallel to it. I'm working on my shoulder and upper back mobility every day. But, reluctantly, I've concluded that until I can perform a TGU without the risk of injury, I'm probably better not doing it at all.

So if I want to continue doing 10 x 10 Swings, what is a second, shoulder-friendly movement I could use as my secondary exercise? Bodyweight - I can do Press Ups without hurting my shoulders - Burpees etc? Or is there another type of Kettlebell exercise I should be looking at?

All suggestions and comments gratefully received. Thanks.

 

[rwleonard]

One Arm One Leg push up progressions are never the wrong answer.

 

[John K]

Yes, I can imaging the response to this Thread,

"Blasphemy! Kill the Heretic - KILL HIM WITH FIRE!!"

Look, I love me some S&S. It's one of the best GPP programs out there. I ran it for about five months last year, when all the gyms were closed. But I believe my enthusiasm for a new training modality - I'd never trained with Kettlebells before - blinded me to some problems.

Swings are awesome. One of the best Bang For Your Buck exercises there is. So are Turkish Get Ups, of course...if one can perform them correctly and safely. And therein lies my problem. I lack the shoulder and upper back mobility to finish in the correct position, with my arm, torso and legs in a straight line. No matter how hard I try, I end up with my arm, and therefor the kettlebell, in front of my head instead of parallel to it. I'm working on my shoulder and upper back mobility every day. But, reluctantly, I've concluded that until I can perform a TGU without the risk of injury, I'm probably better not doing it at all.

So if I want to continue doing 10 x 10 Swings, what is a second, shoulder-friendly movement I could use as my secondary exercise? Bodyweight - I can do Press Ups without hurting my shoulders - Burpees etc? Or is there another type of Kettlebell exercise I should be looking at?

All suggestions and comments gratefully received. Thanks.

To quote Grey Cook - don’t build strength on top of dysfunction. Fix your shoulder/upper back issues. It’s asking for pain and injury if you don’t.

 

[lais817]

"The obstacle is the way" comes to mind. I was always of the impression that TGU helped improve shoulder mobility, but I could be wrong?

 

[Steve Freides]

So if I want to continue doing 10 x 10 Swings, what is a second, shoulder-friendly movement I could use as my secondary exercise?

I am a huge fan of the one-arm kettlebell military press. You can lean your shoulder forward at the lockout position to help with mobility. Please note - you don't let the bell pull your arm back, you just gently lean forward, from the shoulder and not anywhere else, at the lockout. When pressing more than singles, I recommend waiting until the final rep of each set to do this.

Another good choice is to put a light-to-moderate bell overhead and walk, which can help you find the good support position you're looking for. You can also combine things, waiting until the last rep of your session to go for an overhead walk, or perhaps the last rep of each set if you're taking sufficient rest between sets.

-S-

 

[NormanOsborn]

To quote Grey Cook - don’t build strength on top of dysfunction. Fix your shoulder/upper back issues. It’s asking for pain and injury if you don’t.

Agreed. That's why I'm not doing TGU's until I develop the necessary mobility.

 

[SteveR]

I am a huge fan of the one-arm kettlebell military press. You can lean your shoulder forward at the lockout position to help with mobility. Please note - you don't let the bell pull your arm back, you just gently lean forward, from the shoulder and not anywhere else, at the lockout. When pressing more than singles, I recommend waiting until the final rep of each set to do this.

Another good choice is to put a light-to-moderate bell overhead and walk, which can help you find the good support position you're looking for. You can also combine things, waiting until the last rep of your session to go for an overhead walk, or perhaps the last rep of each set if you're taking sufficient rest between sets.

-S-

+1 on the overhead carry. I suspect some lack of shoulder mobility is me instinctively limiting the range to protect from shoulder weakness.

The O/H carry seems to fire every shoulder muscle especially when making turns. I'm also using the TGU press from floor with a light weight and holding that position while slightly rotating the bell to help strengthen shoulders.

It may take a while but doing unloaded TGU's seems to be helping me with shoulder and thoracic mobility. Also hanging from a pull up bar.

As you have indicated, shoulders and TGU's are not to be trifled with. Proceed with caution.

 

[John K]

Agreed. That's why I'm not doing TGU's until I develop the necessary mobility.

Depending on exactly what your limitation is with the TGU, that will also change how you press or bench. If you cannot lock your arm out correctly for a TGU, you most likely cannot lock it out correctly for a press. Depending on why, this could also effect your horizontal pressing patterns (push ups, burpees, bench press, etc.), and even if it currently feels pain-free doing a press up, you are strengthening your shoulder in that position. There are a lot of assessments that can be done to identify where the issues are... Have you been evaluated by some type of professional?

 

[NormanOsborn]

Depending on exactly what your limitation is with the TGU, that will also change how you press or bench. If you cannot lock your arm out correctly for a TGU, you most likely cannot lock it out correctly for a press. Depending on why, this could also effect your horizontal pressing patterns (push ups, burpees, bench press, etc.), and even if it currently feels pain-free doing a press up, you are strengthening your shoulder in that position. There are a lot of assessments that can be done to identify where the issues are... Have you been evaluated by some type of professional?

Yeah, I've already modified my benching; I use use exercises that allow me to press with a neutral grip, such as Hex Press.