If you want to sculpt a huge, defined upper-body, you need to lift heavy weights to hammer your muscles. Yet barbell exercises like the bench press or military press can be murder on your shoulders and elbows while exercises with dumbbells can put a lot of pressure on your fragile wrists.
Instead, switch to kettlebell movements to target your muscles without the pain. Kettlebells allow your arms to move and twist freely and independently, unlike with a barbell. Also, because the weight of a kettlebell is below the handle and resting on your forearm, it’s easier on your wrists.
Use these are the eight best kettlebell exercises in your upper-body routine and start getting the results you want without the pain.
A few reminders on kettlebell exercises:
Always keep your wrist straight; avoid letting the wrist bend backward.
Hold the handle deep into your palm, not by the fingers.
1 of 8
eclipse_images / Getty
Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Overhead Press
By kneeling with one knee with the overhead press, you’ll take a lot of pressure off your shoulders because your stabilizer muscles will work harder to keep your body steady. It also prevents you from cheating: once you start to lean backward, extend your lower back, or twist, you’ll lose balance and stop.
Get on one knee with your front foot inline with your back foot. Hold a kettlebell in the rack position on the side with your knee on the ground—hold a kettlebells at your chest with the kettlebell on the outside of your arms and your hands underneath your chin. Keep your chest up, pull shoulders back, and crush your armpits. Keep your wrists straight, tense your body, squeeze your back glute, and drive the kettlebell directly overhead.
2 of 8
Per Bernal
Bottoms-Up Single-Arm Kettlebell Press
By holding a kettlebell upside-down—called “bottoms up”—your body will work hard to keep the weight stable. But this exercise isn’t limited by your grip strength; instead, the instant you lose connection somewhere in your body, the kettlebell will fall. To master this exercise, your entire body needs to my in sync, which builds correct movement mechanics and reduces shoulder pain.
Start with one kettlebell in the “rack position” with the large part of the kettlebell above the handle. Keep your chest up, pull shoulders back, and crush your armpits. Keep your wrists straight, tense your body, squeeze your glutes, and drive the kettlebell directly overhead. Focus on pushing your body into the ground, rather than the kettlebell away from you.
3 of 8
zeljkosantrac / Getty
Renegade Row
The renegade row builds a barrel chest, a wide back, and strong core at the same time. It’s a great upper-body alternative for people with shoulder pain or who find pushups difficult when the ground bends their wrists backwards.
Set two kettlebells about shoulder-width apart. Get into a pushup position with your hands grabbing the handles and your feet very wide. Perform a pushup. At the top, row one kettlebell, set it down, then do the other side. That’s one rep.
4 of 8
Peter Muller / Getty
Kettlebell Rack Walk
Build huge traps and shoulders and widen your neck—without the aches—with heavy rack walks. Because you’re holding the weight for a long period of time and increasing the time under tension, you’ll build your local muscular endurance and improve your cardio.
Hold two heavy kettlebells in the rack position. Keep your chest up, pull shoulders back, and crush your armpits. Don’t let your ribcage flare up. Walk for time and breathe through your nose.
5 of 8
Westend61 / Getty
Kettlebell Farmers Carry
Farmer carries are an old-school, muscle-building staple that builds strong shoulders, thick forearms, and a beastly grip. It’s simple, effective, and pain-free; better still, you’ll see more strength in pulling exercises like deadlifts and rows because of the stronger grip.
Hold two heavy kettlebells at your sides. Keep your chest up, pull shoulders back, and crush your armpits. Don’t let your ribcage flare up. Walk for time and breathe through your nose.
6 of 8
Corey Jenkins / Getty
Single-Arm Kettlebell Bench Press
Unlike dumbbell bench presses, which act like a seesaw at your hand, kettlebells allow for a direct line of pull down the arm and through the shoulder. That means less wrist pain and more control. Also, by doing a single-arm press, you’ll increase your core strength, which can help reduce back pain.
Lie on a flat bench with your feet firmly planted into the ground and your shoulder blades squeezed together. Hold on a kettlebell in on one side with your wrist straight and press above.
7 of 8
Nastasic / Getty
Kettlebell Waiters Walk
A waiter’s walk is a phenomenal exercise to improve shoulder health: it increases stability at the joint and shoulder girdle, which increases your mobility as well. It also teaches you how to correctly “pack” your shoulder—setting your shoulder blade and activating your mid- and lower-traps—so that you have the perfect foundation for overhead exercises.
Hold a kettlebell directly overhead with your wrist flat and your shoulder blade pinned down and back. Don’t let your ribcage flare out. Keep your hips level and walk while breathing through your nose.
8 of 8
Peathegee Inc / Getty
Tall-Kneeling Kettlebell Halos
Rather than twisting and bending your spine with exercises like sit-ups and woodchops, tall-kneeling halos hammer your core from many different angles while keeping your body neutral.
Get on both knees and hold one kettlebell in both hands with the large part over your hands. Keep your lower back neutral and make big circles around your head with the kettlebell. Do all your reps one way and then switch directions.
