Movements such as the Russian kettlebell windmill offer athletes stability and mobility training benefits in most joints and tissues of the human body. Strength, power and fitness athletes can use this exercise to improve hip mobility, increase shoulder strength and stabilization, and develop movement patterns in the non-sagittal plane.
How to do the Windmill correctly?
Front Top
Start with your right foot directly below your hip and your left leg slightly angled, with a sustained load on your right hand above your head.
As you can see, the toes should be turned to the left and the lifter should put the weight on the right hip.
Back Top
Once in the starting position, take your left hand and place it along the thigh, palm up.
It is important that you keep the back of your hand in contact with the left leg throughout the movement, as if the hand were a "train" and the leg were the "tracks".
Side middle
When you're ready, slightly twist your torso to the ground (left shoulder forward) and place the load on your right hip as you descend.
If you have started this step with a slight rotation and have kept your left hand on your left leg, you should feel a stretch in your right buttock, hamstrings and side. Make sure you sit on the hip, placing your weight on those muscles. For best results, be sure to keep your right leg straight (without bending your knee).
Bottom front
At the bottom of the Windmill, you should have your weight on your right hip, feel a stretch in your right leg and hip, and stabilize a load with your right hand. Make sure you feel the stretch and control in your muscles.
Front Middle
To assume the final, upright position, contract the correct gluteus and hip to extend the hips forward while slowly unrolling your body.
Again, be sure to keep the load locked on your head and your left hand on your left leg when climbing.
What are the muscles worked on?
Keep in mind that this exercise also works on the upper body. That said, the muscle groups below are very specific and are used to promote stability (core, triceps, and shoulder) and mobility (hips).
Shoulder stabilizers
The kettlebell windmill demands high levels of stability, mobility and shoulder strength in most ranges of motion. The shoulder muscles and shoulder stabilizers (such as rhomboids, rotator cuff muscles, and even the upper back) are responsible for isometric contractions that help support the load on the head through this movement. .
Obliques and abs
The obliques and crunches work to resist spinal flexion, extension, and lateral flexion under load, which can improve a lifter's response to injury and core strength. Typically lifters will allow slight lateral flexion to occur in bent movements, however the windmill will reinforce proper hip joint mechanics and movement to support the integrity of the spine in the windmill (through better stability / core strength).
Buttocks and hamstrings
The glutes and hamstrings focus heavily on this exercise (as well as other hip / leg muscles like the piriformis). As the lifter descends into position, he places a great stretch on his glutes and hamstrings, which can improve hip function. To return to the starting position, the glutes work exclusively to extend the hips, causing the athlete to return to the vertical position.
3 benefits of the Windmill with Kettlebell
Stretch + Force Movement
This exercise is a movement that has the ability to stretch certain muscles in the body (such as the hips, obliques, and hamstrings) while increasing shoulder, gluteal, and core strength.
Central stability
The core muscles, specifically the obliques, are responsible for stabilizing the hips and spine through the movement of the windmill. Like most dynamically loaded, rotational exercises, core muscles must be engaged and programs must contract statically to resist rotational forces on the spine. By doing so, the lifter can improve hip function and improve core stability to improve resistance to injury in movements that can be subject to sudden movements and flexion positions.
Improves shoulder stability
Like the Turkish lift, the windmill is an exercise that can increase shoulder stability, strength, and even increase muscle control / coordination of the small fibers responsible for shoulder capsule stability. By performing this dynamic loaded exercise, you can simultaneously increase shoulder stability over wide ranges of motion and improve scapular control and coordination.
Who should do this exercise?
It can be very beneficial for all athletes of strength, power and fitness. The following groups can benefit from learning and performing this move for the various reasons listed below.
For strength and power athletes
The kettlebell mill is a complex exercise that requires stability and mobility in most joints of the body. Like the Turkish lift, the kettlebell windmill can be used within training programs to help strength and power athletes increase joint stabilization, muscle coordination and improve mobility. Seeing that most strength and power sports have a lifting motion at the sagittal site, a little rotational and non-sagittal training through the kettlebell mill (and its variations and alternatives) could help expose any movement problems and improve general physical condition.
For general fitness, hypertrophy and strength
The windmill is a good move to improve shoulder stability, hip function, and allow progress towards more complex exercises like Turkish lifts, etc. Lifting requires a lifter to be mobile, strong, and able to establish great control over their movements, all of which are building blocks necessary for more advanced training and protection from injury.
Windmill Variations
Dumbbell
This dumbbell exercise is performed identically to the kettlebell windmill, however it may be more accessible to people who may not have access to kettlebells (or heavy enough weights), and places the load slightly differently due to to placing the weight on the wrist.
Kettlebell Windmill to Side Press
This variant also includes the so-called lateral press, while at the bottom, it bends over the windmill position. By adding the side press, you can challenge core stability and increase the need for a stabilizing lifter and shoulder strength. The pressure movement challenges the ability of a lifter to retract the shoulder blades and provide stability for the pressure movement.
Windmill with breaks
Working with breaks is a great way to increase a lifter's control, understanding, and confidence with kettlebell mill positions, transitions, and movement. This can be done with a wide variety of pause points, each determined by the athlete. Try adding a pause at the top and bottom of each repetition, learning how to maintain body tension and control as you descend into the movement.
What alternative exercises are there?
Arm bar
The arm bar is a movement performed in the supine position on the floor, with a weight held in the support position. To do this, the lifter rotates his torso while holding the load directly on the shoulder joint; increasing shoulder stability, mobility and muscle control of scapular stabilizers. This exercise can be done to increase isometric shoulder strength and increase neural feedback between the shoulders and upper back muscles.
Turkish uprising
The Turkish lift is a complex exercise that can be done to increase the length, stability and total mobility of the body. By performing this exercise correctly, athletes often consider their movement to be good, have the ability to establish body control, and have a basic level of mobility in the hips, shoulders, and knees.
Side Press / Bent
Arthur Saxon made this lift legendary, as he once recorded a 167-pound folded press! The folded press is not just for display, but can be used to increase overall strength, muscle mass, and movement. The bent press requires a lifter to perform a windmill under heavy loads, making it the next best move to add to your functional strength training routine.
