"This exercise not only builds strength throughout the entire shoulder, upper back, and core, but it's also highly functional and trains the shoulder muscles to move through a full range of motion," Cervantes says.
- Start standing with your feet hip-width apart. Hold the kettlebell by the handle in your right hand. Rack it in front of your right shoulder with your palm facing your body. Extend your left arm out to the side at shoulder height, and make a fist with your left hand to engage your arm muscles.
- Draw your shoulder blades down your back, pull your rib cage down, and exhale to brace your core as you press the kettlebell toward the ceiling. Your palm should be facing forward, away from your body, and your wrist and elbow should be stacked directly above your shoulder with your bicep next to your ear.
- Inhale and reverse the movement to slowly lower the kettlebell back to your shoulder. That's one rep.
- Do six reps, then repeat on the opposite side.
Lauren Mazzo was the senior fitness editor at PS. She is a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist through the American Council on Exercise. Prior to joining PS, she worked for six years as a writer and editor for Shape Magazine covering health, fitness, nutrition, mental health, sex and relationships, beauty, and astrology.
