2 Principles *NO ONE* Talks About to Improve Your Press

"How the hell did that happen??"

[Saturday, August 20, 2011]

I was pacing back and forth after pressing a 40kg kettlebell for the first time [EVER] and I remember asking myself, "how the hell did that happen??"

Sup dude, it's Hector.

Before I get into how I pressed my first 40kg kettlebell -- and how you can improve your press.

~10 years ago I was attending my level I RKC (now StrongFirst).

4 days prior I had just received my brand new 40kg kettlebell and... I remember wonder what in the world I was going to do with it? I tried to swing it with one arm and the bell flew out of my hand on the back swing.

(I couldn't believe how WEAK my grip was, I mean, I'd been training Jiu-Jitsu for a decade at this point!)

So I thought I'd see if I could press it?

I cheat cleaned the bell up, then let'er rip.

(Only there was no rippin', LOL)

The dang thing was glued to my shoulder. So I was like, "well, I guess I'm stuck with 2 handed swings."

(I even thought it was "money down the drain..." as I envisioned pressing and snatching it.)

So here I was on a Saturday morning... 100's of kettlebells littered the Jewish Community Center in La Joya, Ca. -- in the dead of summer.

I entered the day a little beat up and licking my wounds after over 1k kettlebell swings on day one of the cert and...

... we just finished drilling, practicing, and breaking down the kettlebell press. And I remember the instructor saying,"who wants to peak their 1 arm military press?"

Naturally everyones -- or almost everyones --  hand shot up.

All I remember thinking is, "I wonder if I can press the 40kg?"

(Even though it wouldn't budge 4 days before)

After a few guys went, I step up to the 40 grabbed it with my tender right hand, cleaned it, and...

... BOOOOOM.

It went up.

Smooth too.

"What the hell just happened?"

How did I press a bell I couldn't move to save my life a few days before? I mean, my muscles didn't get bigger.

But yet I was stronger?

After a few minutes of pacing around.

I step up again.

But this time with my left and... BOOM again it went up.

"This can't be happening!"

I step up again and -- you guessed it -- it went up again on my right. I ended up doing 4 singles with a 40kg bell @ ~180 pounds (more than 1/2 my body weight)

This is when I drank -- shoot I bathed in -- the cool-aid and knew what I learned that day was the TRUTH of fitness. And that's when I set out on a mission to show the world what I learned.

It's how you ended up here on the SAH blog (and why I'm writing you this post today).

So what changed?

2 things:

1. I learned like Jiu-Jitsu... strength is a skill set.
2. I invested in myself to learn what I didn't know from someone who actually KNEW what they were talking about (I couldn't press the dang thing 4 days before!!).

Good news is.

I've taken many of the skills I learned that Saturday morning under the sun when... my mind was blown 10 years ago and expanded on them.

Some deeper nuances if you will to improve your press.

In this post I also reveal 2 principles *NO ONE* talks about to improve (and build) your kettlebell press.

Check it out and let me know how it turns out for you.

See you on the other side.

hec g.