This is a fun exercise to learn after you’ve learned how to do two-handed swings, single handed swings, and then the kettlebell single arm high pull. This total body exercise does a great job, like many kettlebell exercises do, of linking the lower body and the upper body into one incredibly functional movement.
Watch Head Coach Brandon’s technique on the Kettlebell Single Arm High Pull from all angles and then go light and do it right on your own before progressing to more challenging workloads.
Depending upon the exercise, usually learning the two-handed version is the first place to start, but with the kettlebell double high pull, we recommend starting with the single high pull first to master this new movement. The good thing is, once you’ve mastered kettlebell swings, many kettlebell movements use that foundational hip hinge and posture to perform many other exercises. As with the kettlebell double high pull, everything stays the same as the swing with the hips and trunk, the only difference is when the kettlebells clear your hips on the way up, they don’t continue to follow the swing pattern, which is like a drawing a half circle. In high pulls, snatches, and cleans, you must re-direct the path of the kettlebell upwards so the pattern looks more like a parentheses. The elbow punch backwards must happen fast and then you return the kettlebells into the path back into your hips. Do not cast the kettlebells too far forward upon descending into your subsequent repetitions.
Watch this demonstration from all the angles, then grab some light kettlebells and begin practicing this new skill. Don’t expect to be perfect right away when learning new skills. Remember, you didn’t walk the first time you tried.
