Kenneth Jay - Perfecting the Press: How to Maximize Your Performance in the Kettlebell Military Press

by Brett Jones

Master RKC, CSCS, CK-FMS

I have to admit that as a child, my favorite comic book character was Thor, the Viking God of Thunder. In fact, I was a bit of mythology buff, and Thor captured my attention. He epitomized strength, and strength was already a fascination of mine. Thor showed the way, as no one could handle his hammer. That was the ultimate demonstration of his strength, and it became a driving force in my own quest for strengthto do what others could not.

Fast forward a few (OK, more than a few) years. I am teaching at an RKC course in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and I have the chance to meet a real-live Viking: Kenneth Jay. Kenneth looks the part of a Norse figure of mythology. And strong is an understatement when you are describing a 6-foot-plus individual with long arms who casually does pull-ups and military presses with the Beast (a 106 lb kettlebell). But combined with that strength is an intelligence to match. Kenneth is a researcher and scientist. In my mind, he is the embodiment of the warrior/poet whose virtues societies extolled in years past.

I am pleased to say that the Viking is now my friend and colleague, and in the book you are now reading, Perfecting the Press, he has laid out what I feel will generate a next-step evolution in strength training. Even if you have no interest in increasing your military press (why, I dont understand, but to each his own), the concepts in this book are powerful and the fatigue index of looking at density and fatigue (and their relationship) is unique and innovative.

Not only does Kenneth break down the essentials to a perfect press, but he also provides 10 innovative drills for shattering plateaus. Whether it is simply stacking two kettlebells in one hand for manipulating the center of gravity or showing how to take advantage of hard-wired reflexes, Kenneths pursuit of strength allows us to stand on his shoulders (pun intended). Breaking down the importance of the latissimus dorsi to pressing is another area where Perfecting the Press succeeds very well.

Combining science and practical application, Kenneth reveals in Perfecting the Press principles and techniques capable of assisting you on a journey of strength. This is an intelligent journey based in science and field tested in the Iron Pit.

Now read, learn, and apply. Strength is waiting for you!

Foreword

by Dr. Eric Cobb

Z-Health Performance Solutions, LLC

I n Perfecting the Press, Kenneth Jay has successfully combined the hard science of elite performance with an immensely practical training protocol that will make your performance soar. Perfecting the Press will take you on a journey into the physiology of strength mastery that leaves you anxious to read and absorb every page, because every concept can and will make you stronger. From world-class technique development to neuroscience to hyperprecise workout programming skills, Perfecting the Press has it all.

Kenneth has written a book that very few people could. Every page demonstrates his understanding of the science of strength as both a researcher and a world-class athlete who has actually applied these methods to his own strength development.

Read this book. Study it. Apply the information, and prepare to blow away every pressing record you have ever set!

Preface

L ong before the invention of plate-loaded barbells and dumbbells, history spoke of men of seemingly superhuman strength. On display at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Greece is a 316 lb sandstone, dating back to early 600 BCE, with the inscription Bybon son of Phola, has lifted me over his head with one hand. Likewise, the exploits of Milo of Crotona, from the early 500s BCE, still echo from across the millennia. Legend has it, however, that Milo actually used a system of progressive loading. Purportedly, in the years he did not compete in the Olympics, he trained daily by carrying a newborn calf on his back. By the time the Olympics were to take place, he was carrying a 4-year-old ox on his back. Whether one believes this legend or not, the fact is that Milo won the wrestling contest at five Olympic games in a row, which would have made him well past his prime in his final competition.

Arthur Saxon, left; Sig Klein, right.

For the past five decades or so, How much do you bench? has probably been the most often asked question when guys got together and talked about the topic of strength training or bodybuilding. In recent years, many guys have rediscovered old-school, functional-type lifting. With this renewed interest, pressing overhead has slowly regained the status as a measure of a mans strength that it so rightly held in the premuscle pumping days of Saxon, Klein, Goerner, and the like.