Exercise of the Week

Kettlebell Sumo High Pull:

Overview:

High pulls with kettlebell exercises your upper and lower body together, qualifying it as a total-body exercise. Total-body exercises do not exercise every muscle group in your body, but they do challenge your coordination and burn more calories because the heart has to pump blood to two parts of your body, which are not close to one another. The high pulls have several variations using dumbbells, kettlebells and a barbell(based on your preferance). However, this article is focusing on the kettlebell high pull.

Technique:

First place a kettlebell on the ground between your feet. Position your feet in a wide stance, and grasp the kettlebell with two hands. Set your hips back as far as possible, with your knees bent. Keep your chest and head up. This will be your starting position. Always make sure you have knees over toes when in a squating position. Next, begin by extending the hips and knees, simultaneously pulling the kettlebell to your shoulders, raising your elbows as you do so. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position.

Target Muscles:

The high pull targets the trapezoid muscles in the upper back. As well as the quadriceps and glutes, which also work to straighten your legs out of the squat.

Sports Benefits:

The kettlebell high pull helps basketball players to improve their sports performance. The movement of standing and rising onto the toes is similar to a basketball player bringing a basketball up to make a shot. Holding onto the kettlebell also increases grip strength for better ball control.

Variations:

Kettlebell high pulls work the traps just like the barbell and dumbbell versions, but the exact movement you use differs. If you like the high pulls and want to try to do them a different way for a new challenge, variety or because kettlebells are not available, you need to know how the proper form differs so you don't get hurt trying to mimic kettlebell high pulls with different equipment.



To perform a barbell high pull, stand in front of a barbell on the floor. Do a deep squat to grab the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart. Quickly stand up and raise the bar up to your neck, then drop it onto the floor. The elbows bend as you lift the bar just like with the dumbbell version. You also briefly rise onto the balls of your feet when the bar comes up.

To perform a dumbbell high pull exercise requires coordination. It combines a mini squat, standing calf raise, shoulder shrug and upright row. All these movements come together into one, smooth exercise. To perform a dumbbell high pull, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms straight against the front of your torso with a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your knees slightly. Next, straighten your knees and rise onto the balls of your feet as you shrug your shoulders toward your ears. Then, pull the weights up toward your armpits and flair your elbows out toward your shoulders. When you lower the weights, drop your heels back to the floor.