3 Kettlebell Shoulder Exercises for Strength and Muscle Growth

 

There are a lot of kettlebell shoulder exercises you can do to challenge and build bulletproof shoulders. However, simple is usually the best and most effective approach, which is why we have selected the specific kettlebell shoulder exercises below.

Having strong, powerful shoulders is essential to not only looking great in a tee shirt, but also for maintaining the health of the shoulders.

Even simple things like lifting kids and boxes overhead can cause injuries if your shoulders aren't properly prepared. Doing these kettlebell shoulder exercises will give you the strength and support you need to handle anything.

They'll also help you build shirt splitting size as well.

3 Kettlebell Shoulder Exercises For Bulletproof Shoulders

Kettlebell Shoulder Exercise #1: Clean and Press

The Clean and Press is a great kettlebell shoulder exercise for building power, speed and strength. The Clean and Press uses a combination of upper and lower body muscles giving nearly every muscle in the body a pump.

The Clean and Press is on our list of kettlebell shoulder exercises because they allow for the heaviest weight, which can create some truly incredible results. In our opinion, Clean and Presses are also safer to preform than their barbell cousin due to more freedom of movement throughout the exercise.

In addition to challenging the shoulders, the Clean and Press also challenges the core and is great for building overall endurance if done for high repetitions or for time.

Click here to watch a Clean and Press Tutorial

Kettlebell Shoulder Exercise #2: Strict Press

Similar to the Clean and Press, the Strict Press is a great kettlebell shoulder exercise for building strength and muscle in the shoulder.

Because the Strict Press is performed in a standing position with only one side of the body loaded, the Strict Press requires a lot of core, glute, and lat engagement to keep the body stable.

Tip: When doing any kettlebell shoulder exercise (or any exercise) it is always best to master form first, and to use a weight that you can easily handle. Then progress in weight slowly. Proper progression is key to both safety and growth.

The last thing you want to do is crush your face with the kettlebell because of an inflated ego. We've seen it happen and it ain't pretty.

Kettlebell Shoulder Exercise #3: Bottoms Up Press

The Bottoms Up Press is one of our favorite kettlebell shoulder exercises because of its unique ability to work the grip and forearms.

When performing the Bottoms Up Press you hold the kettlebell with the bottom of the bell facing up toward the ceiling. Because the weight is inverted, the forearm and grip are tasked with keeping the bell balanced.

Additionally, because balance is key to this kettlebell shoulder exercise; the core, lats, glutes, and legs become engaged in the movement.

Safety Tip: Because of the difficulty of the Bottoms Up Press, it is always best to use a weight that is lighter than what you would use for a Strict Press. This is primarily a safety precaution, as the bell is more likely to topple downward toward your skull if performed improperly.

That last point is not designed to scare you away from the lift, but simply to help you use proper precaution.

Conclusion: These kettlebell shoulder exercises can help you build strong, functional shoulders that are also resistant to injury.

Auxiliary kettlebell shoulder exercises like the Iron Cross are fine, but they should only be added in after you have mastered the basics and built a solid foundation