Exercises You Should Be Doing: 3-Month Pose KB Pullover
I realized yesterday that it’s been F.O.R.E.V.E.R since I’ve done one of these. Bad Tony!
Season 2 of House of Cards wasn’t out yet, the Seahawks hadn’t won the SuperBowl, and “EggGate” hadn’t happened, which meant Justin Bieber’s general level of douchiness was a smidge lower than it is now. But just a smidge. That’s not a lot.
LOL – Bieber burn.
Suffice it to say it’s been a while, and since I’m roughly 48 hours from entering vacation mode – think of it as a grown up case of Senioritis – I figured I’d make this one short and to the point today.
3-Month Pose Kettlebell Pullover
Who Did I Steal It From: I have no idea. I know Mike Robertson has discussed this one before, as has some of the peeps over at the Postural Restoration Institute.
Oh, and this is one of Optimus Prime’s favs……;o)
What Does It Do: I know many people reading are wondering what the deal is, so lets address the elephant in the room first. The exercise is called 3-Month Pose because, and I’m kinda speculating on this front, it represents the stage in human development where an infant will begin to place itself in said position (probably without the dumbbell) before learning to roll over.
While it seems rather goofy looking, this is an exercise that does provide a number of benefits.
1. This is a fantastic exercise to train core stability – namely anti-extension – as well as simultaneously learn to “own” one’s breath.
2. It also serves as a great exercise to work on and improve the length of the lats – which tend to get stiff/short in overhead athletes as well as the meathead population.
3. And, of course, there’s a fair amount of pec recruitment. Cause, you know, it’s ALL about the pecs!
Key Coaching Cues
I like to tell people to use the floor as feedback and to not allow their lower back to overarch (ie: it should stay flat against the floor the entire time).
Holding a kettlebell (a DB can be used too) straight above the body, inhale through the nose, taking a deep breath into your belly as well as focusing on more of a 360 degree expansion (breath into the floor) of the rib cage.
While the rib cage is going to expand, it’s important to not allow it to flare up/out too much.
From there you will exhale as you lower the KB/DB towards the ground. Keep it controlled – don’t rush!
Once you’re an inch or two from the floor, pause for a 2-3 second count, and remember to not allow your lower back to leave the floor.
Return back to the starting position, inhaling as you do so, and then repeat the process for the allotted repetitions. I like to perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.
And that’s it. Try it today and let me know what you think. It’s harder than it looks.
ALSO
As was the case earlier in the week, in anticipation of the release of her new project – Lift Weights Faster – my pal Jen Sinkler released another killer FREE video today which covers bodyweight training. In particular four exercise she feels should be part of every routine.
OMG – what are they?
Click HERE to find out
Comments for This Entry
Barath
Meh, babies these days have it easy. When I was in my mom's womb, I regularly used to do one-finger push ups.March 13, 2014 at 9:16 am |
TonyGentilcore
I could do push-ups with NO fingers. So, there.March 22, 2014 at 8:48 am |
Aaron
Love this exercise! Provides a great reset and has helped myself and my athletes with shoulder stability OH. I do get a few looks around the gym, might be due to my diaper though ;)March 13, 2014 at 9:29 am |
TonyGentilcore
Excellent point there Aaron! Couldn't agree more.March 22, 2014 at 8:48 am |
Worth reading or watching mid-March | Anthony Dexmier
[…] The pullover done with crazy weights without any purpose is one of my biggest pet peeves. This is why I am glad to give you a link of an interesting way of using the pullover. That’s Tony Gentilcore for you. […]March 13, 2014 at 7:01 pm |
Womens Health
Great exercise, but it takes time to master it. Most of people doing just something like this, but not as they should be doing it.March 15, 2014 at 10:46 am |
TonyGentilcore
Absolutely. Hopefully the coaching cues I provided help to "clean up" everyone's technique.March 22, 2014 at 8:49 am |
Shane Mclean
Love this exercise. Done this in the past with myself and clients. To make this more awesome I cue knees apart and feet not touching. This provide less stability. Thoughts?March 16, 2014 at 9:32 am |
TonyGentilcore
Yep! I agree.March 22, 2014 at 8:49 am |
MendMeShop
I agree - great exercise as long as your back is properly positioned. Need to work on the shoulders and will use my Shoulder Inferno Wrap as the warm up tool and post work-out as well.April 30, 2015 at 11:28 am |