Side Raises - Kettle bells
Category: Supplemental
Muscles Targeted: Shoulders
We know you can do just about everything with kettlebells that you can do with dumbbells. The difference is where the weight is distributed. This slight changes can make a big different on the joint and muscle firing patterns.
The side raise is a great example of this. I know many lifters who can't do side raises with dumbbells because of joint pain but have no problems with kettlebells.
Make sure to keep your back slightly arched and your hips back to allow room for the kettle bells to pass in front of the body. If you are a male you will make this mistake only once! Your arms are acting as levers so keep them slight bent and in the same position during the lift. If you are having joint pain try to add more of a bend to the elbow.
This is not a contest to see who can use body english to hip thrust the weight to the top. This is a shoulder movement not a hip extension movement.
I have seen the best results with this movement when the reps are between 10-15 with multiple sets.