The windmill is a fantastic exercise to build oblique strength and flexibility; it’s regarded more as a support exercise. In order to learn it, it’s best if you practice without any weight to begin with. Begin by standing shoulder widths apart, and toes pointing slightly out.
- Raise the left hand vertical (overhead) and locked out, and kick the left hip out slightly (important to do this to balance the weight), your right hand should be loose and dangling freely.
- Breathe in, look up at the kettlebell/hand, and bend at the hips towards the right, glide your right hand down your thigh, to act as a guide. Towards the bottom of the movement the right leg may bend a little, this is absolutely fine
- The left leg should always be locked out
- You should continue to bend at the hips until your right hand touches ground, if you do not have the flexibility yet, go only as far as you comfortably can.
- Squeeze your glutes (buttocks) and breath out on the way up
After a few runs without any weight, you are ready to start using a kettlebell, remember start of super light, using aerobics weights and increase to a challenging weight gradually.
You can do the windmill with kettlebells on the lower arm or high arm, when you become experience you can hold kettlebells in both hands.
Note: It’s important to work your way up to this, many people have pulled their oblique muscles during the lift, and then jerked and dropped the overhead kettlebell on their head. Practice caution with this exercise.
Additional notes
*Breathe in and hold your abdominals tight during the lift, it protects your back by giving it a brace, do not let go of the brace during the life.
*When performing the exercise you bend to the side and slightly forward, never backward.
