This might be one of my favorite exercises of all time, and I use it frequently in programs I write for myself and for my clients.
This exercise is fantastic at building shoulder strength and mobility while also helping to build a stable core.
It can be used post-rehab to restore shoulder mobility after an injury, it can be used in a warm up for shoulder intensive days, and it can be used as assistance work on shoulder days focused on hypertrophy (getting bigger).
But one of my favorite things about this exercise is how well it applies to traditional martial arts as a sport specific assistance exercise.
Here's how it's done.
Martial Arts Relevance
Many traditional martial arts have movements where the arms and core have to be strong in a position with one arm overhead and the other in front of the body.
Some examples are Haiwan Uke in karate, or Fair Lady Works the Shuttles or Fan Back in Sun Style Tai Chi.
Haiwan Uke
Fair Lady Works the Shuttles
These moves have myriad applications that range from breaking someone's guard and entering, to joint locks and more. But they all require strong and mobile shoulders connected to a strong core to connect your structure to your stance.
That's where the kettlebell halo comes in. This exercise builds strength, mobility, and stability through a large and dynamic range of motion at the shoulder. Using a heavy enough weight, it also develops core stability as the abs fight to keep the posture in tact under the influence of a shifting load.
How To Add Kettlebell Halos To Your Program
From a martial arts training perspective, this exercise can be used in two main ways. Use light weights (10-20 lbs) for sets of 10 reps as part of a warm up. The goal here is to avoid taxing they muscles, but to put a little stress on them in preparation for a harder workout. This is great for dynamic mobility type warm ups.
On strength training days that are shoulder focused, this is a good assistance exercise done for heavy sets of 7 to no more than 12 per side. Do this after your main shoulder lift, which is likely shoulder presses.
If you're following a full body split, this can be a main shoulder exercise in a workout, provided you have other workouts with more fundamental exercises like push ups and shoulder presses in your workout. We never want to prioritize cool looking sport-specific exercises at the expense of our fundamentals. Again, use the heaviest weight you can control for 7-12 reps per side.
Extra Benefits of Using Kettlebells
You can use a weight plate for this exercise and get all of the above benefits. But if you have kettlebells handy, use those. Here are some extra benefits from using kettlebells.
- The shape of the handles and offset weight relative to the handles will also strengthen your grip. This is important for martial artists.
- The "bottom's up" position places the weight below then hands in the behind the head position. This helps to pull hands down and, as a result, elbows up. This helps to add an extra element of flexibility work to the movement. Just make sure to keep your abs engaged and your rib cage down. Let the weight pull the elbows up, rather than pull your spine back.