This week’s WoW is a shoulder popping workout called “Shoulder Poppers”! There are three shoulder exercises that are meant to get your delts POPPIN mixed with a couple of plyo-cardio breaks to burn your fat away. This is a cardio circuit with some nice muscle building work.

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Here’s how you’re going to do it:

1a. Squat and Press – Using a pair of kettlebells, stand with a wider than shoulder width stance, place your kettlebells on the floor in between your feet and squat down to pick them up with a pronated grip (palms back). Keep your back straight and slightly arched, face forward, head up, butt back.

Stand up and lift the kettlebells by raising your elbows out to the sides and rotate your hands outward so that your palms face up, then back at you when your elbows come back in to your ribs (see video, slow motion playback will be helpful). This is done while you curl your arms so that you end up with the kettlebells right in front of your shoulders with your palms now facing back.

Using the same momentum, or if using heavy kettlebells you can do a small squat movement to help “thrust” them upward, PUSH them up while simultaneously rotating your wrists again so that you end up with the kettlebells above your head, behind your arms, palms facing forward. (again, see video)

Then reverse the whole movement to end up back at the beginning. Let the kettlebells rest on the floor after each rep. You are going to be lifting explosively from dead weight. That’s why I say, “Let it rest” after each rep in the video.

12 reps

1b. Mountain Climbers – Pushup position, alternate bringing each foot forward real fast. Bring as close to your hands as possible.

30 seconds  (can use the video as a 30 sec timer)

•• REST 30 SECONDS••

Repeat above for a total of three sets.

2a. Dumbbell Uppercuts – Using dumbbells (or you can use light kettlebells) punch upward across your body so that the weight ends up above your shoulder to the side and higher than your head. Keep arm bent at all times. Exhale with each rep. Count them as Left, Right=one. Left, Right=two, etc.

12 reps

2b. Lunge Jumps with Dumbbells – Hold the dumbbells at your sides and lunge, then hop up, switch legs in the air and lunge with the other leg. Knee goes all the way down almost touching the floor.

30 seconds

•• REST 30 SECONDS••

Repeat above for a total of three sets.

3. Shoulder Poppers –  Hold a  kettlebell behind you in one hand and swing outward, raising it to shoulder height. Keep your arm straight, wrist straight. Let it fall back, but control it slightly  so that it doesn’t just drop.

As it swings behind you again, it will pass your leg, then your butt. Use the momentum to raise it again for another rep. As you raise it, rotate your body slightly by pushing your shoulder back so that the kettlebell ends up slightly in front of your center line at the raised position. Then, as you swing it back down rotate your body back so that the kettlebell swings behind your butt again, pushing your hips forward a bit to get out of the way of the oncoming kettlebell.

Do all twelve reps on one hand, then switch hands, twelve reps on that hand and switch again with no break in between since one arm is resting while the other works.

12 reps each arm x3 sets

AND THAT’S IT, YOU’RE DONE!

Grab yourself some protein and some carbs, yeah?