7 Tactics to boost your stalled Kettlebell Military Press

Over on the StrongFirst forum, @mightstone2k “bat signaled” me for some ideas of how to take his 7RM Double Clean + Press up to a 10RM, using ‘THE GIANT 3.0,’ which is based off your 5RM.

So, here’s what I suggested:

You can either:

1. Do more volume, or...

2. Focus on squeezing every drop of technique out of your press - finding "strength leaks" and plugging them, or...

3. Pause in the rack for 5 seconds between the Clean and the Press to kill the "force wave" you get between the two (plus, this increases TUT in the rack itself, making the whole body stronger, while forcing you to press from a "dead start"), or...

4. Pause overhead at the top of the Press, for 2-3 seconds, actively pushing up on the bells, while keeping your shoulders packed, or...

5. Add in an isometric hold (approx. 3-6 seconds) at your sticking point on your last rep, of your last 3 to 6 sets, or...

6. Make your Clean as explosive as possible on every... single... rep... which as you know, sets up the Press, or...

7. Some combination of 3 out of the 6 throughout the week

Most people automatically default to "more volume" but miss out on the benefits of the other 6, so I recommend playing around with them.

Personally, I recommend people start at #2, because that’s what they mostly ignore:

“Focus on squeezing every drop of technique out of your press - finding "strength leaks" and plugging them”

What are “strength leaks?”

They’re areas of your body where you’re not able to maintain tension, so force “leaks” out of those areas.

Some examples are:

Hips

Lower back

Abs

Lats

Shoulders

Legs

Hands

Neck

Eyes

Most people who are aware of strength leaks think they just apply to the “grinds” - slow lifts like the Press.

However, they also apply to the ballistics - the explosive lifts like the Clean.

If you’re serious about gaining “next level” strength from your kettlebell lifting, including your Press, you’re hamstringing yourself if you don’t know and practice these techniques .

I’ve put them in a video series here which people rave about if you’re interested.

👉 https://cart.chasingstrength.com/strong3 (Opens in a new window)

Stay Strong,

Geoff