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Kettlebell exercises

Kettlebell High Pull: The Swing That Finishes With Your Elbow

Swing the bell with one hand, and as your hips float it up, pull your elbow high and back so it arrives at chest height. Hips launch it, the arm only steers.

2 min read · In Power · Forward

Why it works: Chapter 13, Why stretching your hamstrings will not loosen them

Demonstration · High Pull

How to do it

  1. 1

    Hike it back

    Set up as for a swing, one hand in the middle of the handle, thumb pointing behind you, free arm out of the way. Hike the bell high between your legs, forearm meeting your inner thigh. First time? Do a few one-hand swings before you add the pull.

  2. 2

    Snap the hips

    Stand up hard and fast. Everything that follows depends on the bell arriving weightless, so the hips do all the lifting.

  3. 3

    Pull the elbow high and back

    As the bell floats, pull your elbow up and behind you, elbow above your hand. The handle leads, the bell hangs close to your forearm, and it arrives at about chest height, beside your body.

  4. 4

    Keep it close

    Wrist straight, shoulder down, away from your ear. The bell stays near your body. Let it swing wide and it will drag you forward onto your toes.

  5. 5

    Push it into the next swing

    Don't wait at the top. Straighten your arm forward so the bell rejoins the swing path, then let it fall between your legs into the next backswing.

  6. 6

    The test

    The pull itself should cost you almost nothing. If your shoulder is straining, the bell was not weightless when you pulled: the hips came up short and you are rowing it.

  7. 7

    Park it from a swing

    To finish, make the last rep a plain swing, let it die to about waist height, hinge, and set the bell down in front of you.

Watch for

  • Rowing it. The arm pulls before the hips have finished, the bell feels heavy, and your shoulder and neck do the work your glutes should.
  • Letting it drift. The bell swings out away from your body and drags you forward onto your toes.
  • Shrugging. Your shoulder rides up to your ear, and the top of the shoulder takes the strain.
  • Dropping it from the top. The bell falls straight down instead of being pushed forward, jolts your arm and pulls you into the hinge too early.

Questions

What muscles do kettlebell high pulls work?

Your glutes and hamstrings launch the bell, as in a swing. Your upper back and the back of your shoulder steer it up and stop it at the top, while your trunk and grip hold everything in line.

Kettlebell high pull or upright row?

An upright row lifts the weight with your shoulders from a standing start. A high pull gets its height from your hips, and the arm only steers a bell that is already floating. If it feels like a row, the hip snap came up short.

Kettlebell high pull vs swing?

A swing ends with your arm straight and the bell out in front at chest height. A high pull starts as the same swing, then your elbow brings the bell up and back, close to your body. It is the step between the swing and the snatch, which takes the same pull all the way overhead.

How many high pulls, and how heavy?

High pulls come straight after two-hand swings in the Power · Forward routine: 5 with each hand, alternating with sets of swings for two to four rounds, resting until you feel fresh. Use the heaviest bell you can pull 5 times a side with no strain in your shoulder. Usually that is your swing bell; while you learn the timing, use a lighter one if you have it, or make the pulls smaller.