Kettlebell Bottoms Up Press

How to do it

1. Hold a kettlebell by the handle with the bell pointing up, bottom of the bell toward the ceiling.
2. Bring it to shoulder height with the forearm vertical and the elbow tucked in front of the ribs.
3. Squeeze the handle hard and brace your core, feet hip-width.
4. Press the kettlebell straight up, keeping it balanced upside down, until the arm is straight.
5. Lower it slowly back to the shoulder, then switch sides after the set.

Tips

• Crush the handle: a hard grip keeps the bell from tipping.
• Use a light bell and move slowly so you can balance it.

Common mistakes

• Letting the wrist bend back so the bell tips over.
• Leaning the torso away from the working arm.
• Rushing the press and losing balance.

Muscles worked by the Kettlebell Bottoms Up Press

• Front delts Primary27%
• Side delts Secondary15%
• Triceps (lateral head) Secondary8%
• Triceps (long head) Secondary7%
• Rotator cuff Stabilizer7%
• Upper traps Minor6%
• Obliques Minor5%
• Triceps (medial head) Secondary5%
• Forearm flexors Minor5%
• Serratus anterior Minor5%
• Upper chest Minor4%
• Upper abs Stabilizer2%
• Rear delts Stabilizer2%
• Spinal erectors (lower back) Stabilizer2%

Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.

Dumbbells travel wider and need more stabilising (Saeterbakken 2013). An offset load has to be resisted by the trunk. Balancing an upside-down kettlebell loads grip and cuff. Pressing overhead is shoulder flexion and abduction with elbow extension: the front delt leads, the lateral delt and triceps assist, and the upper traps and serratus rotate the shoulder blade up.

Kettlebell Bottoms Up Press alternatives

Same equipment

• Kettlebell Double PressKettlebell

Different equipment

• Single Arm Dumbbell Shoulder PressDumbbell
• Single Arm Overhead PressDumbbell

Easier

• Kettlebell PressKettlebell
• Viking PressMachine

No equipment

• Handstand Push UpBodyweight

Make it easier

• Kettlebell PressKettlebell
• Single Arm Dumbbell Shoulder PressDumbbell
• Single Arm Overhead PressDumbbell
• Viking PressMachine

Similar exercises

• Axle Bar PressBarbell
• Log PressBarbell

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the Kettlebell Bottoms Up Press work?

Mainly the front delts. The side delts, triceps (lateral head), triceps (long head) and triceps (medial head) assist.

Is the Kettlebell Bottoms Up Press good for beginners?

The Kettlebell Bottoms Up Press is rated advanced. If you are new, learn the Kettlebell Press first and build up from there.

What is a good alternative to the Kettlebell Bottoms Up Press?

For example the Kettlebell Press, Viking Press and Single Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Press. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.

Sources

• Saeterbakken and Fimland 2013, JSCR 27(7):1824-1831 (standing, seated, barbell, dumbbell)

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