Several licensed personal trainers say that swinging kettlebells is a good exercise for the posterior chain that includes the shoulders, back, glutes, and legs. They recommend that fellow exercisers hold the kettlebell bottom up for more balanced and stable exercises. Next, we discuss some kettlebell shoulder press exercises. They help develop shoulder strength and stability.
Those who have not handled kettlebells before are recommended to take the help of an RKC or SFG licensed instructor. He will guide them through the movements and rectify movement patterns.
Bottoms-Up Single-Arm Press
In this kettlebell shoulder press exercise, stand with feet placed apart at shoulder-width apart with the left hand holding the kettlebell.
- Bend the elbow and lift the fist to shoulder level and keep the left elbow near the side during this movement. Spread the right arm out for maintaining balance
- Maintain a still body while pressing the kettlebell up in the direction of the ceiling. Next, gradually bring the kettlebell back to the starting position
Do this 10 to 15 times and repeat the exercise with the right arm.
Stand with feet placed apart at about shoulder-width with both the arms holding a kettlebell, bottoms up. The fists should be at the level of the shoulder, and the elbows should be near the side.
- Push the kettlebell upward in the direction of the ceiling with the left arm and keep the right arm still while doing this
- Gradually lower the left arm with the kettlebell to the shoulders and push the right arm with the kettlebell upward
- Keep on alternating the two hands.
Swing to Hold is a kettlebell shoulder press workout
Stand still and place the feet apart at about shoulder-width. The left hand will hold the kettlebell, and the right arm will spread out for maintaining stability.
- Hinging at the pelvis and bending the knees slightly, swing the kettlebell up between the legs
- Thrust the hip forward and swing the kettlebell up to the left shoulder, keeping the bell bottoms-up as you stand erect
- Do this movement several times and repeat it with the right hand.
Reverse Lunge
Like all the above kettlebell shoulder press workouts stand with feet placed apart at about shoulder width. Balance a kettlebell in both hands bottoms-up at the level of the shoulder.
- Step the right leg backward and bend 90 degrees at the knees and keep the arms still while doing this. At this point, the right hip will be directly above the right knee and the left knee directly above the left ankle
- Stand back up with the left heel
- Do this movement with the other leg.
Side Plank Hold
The starting stance of this kettlebell shoulder press workout is a side forearm plank on the left side. Rest the elbow on the ground or a bench in a straight line with the shoulder. The kettlebell will be in the right hand.
- Bend at the elbow and raise your arm and hold the kettlebell bottoms-up in the palm. At this time, the elbow will be near the side, and the wrist will be straight above the elbow
- Lift the kettlebell upward in the direction of the ceiling with the right arm and keep that position for 30 seconds
- Repeat the movement with a side forearm plank stance on the right side.
Double Floor Press
Be seated and hold a kettlebell with both hands and keep both the hands at shoulder level. Lean back on the ground or a bench. Lie looking up and bending at the knees with the feet resting on the ground.
- Bend the arms at the elbow 90 degrees and balance the kettlebells in both the hands
- Move the arms up with the kettlebells in the direction of the ceiling. Bring the arms down to the resting position with the elbows at 90 degrees
- Repeat this movement.
- Once comfortable with this movement, make this movement harder.
- Lift the hips to a bridge position by pressing at the heels. The glutes and back will not touch the ground. Try doing the whole set in this bridge position.
Side Plank with Corkscrew Press
Take up a side forearm plank position on the left side. Use the right hand to hold the kettlebell with the elbow beneath the shoulder. Bend at the elbow and raise the arm and balance the kettlebell bottoms-up in the palm. The wrist will be straight above the elbow that is near the side.
This is the starting stance.
- Press the kettlebell upward with the right hand twisting the palm left
- Twist the palm left while lowering the kettlebell to the starting stance
Repeat the movement with the right side forearm plank position.
Squat with Single-Arm Hold
Stand erect and place the feet apart at shoulder width and hold the kettlebell with the left hand. Bend at the elbow to lift the hand to shoulder level and balance the kettlebell bottom-up. Keep the left elbow near the side body during this movement. Spread the right arm for stability.
- Keep the left arm still while bending at the knees to perch on the heels. The thighs will be in line with the ground, and the chest will stay upright
- Push at the heels to get back to the standing position
- Repeat the movement with the right hand.
There are more kettlebell shoulder press exercises on this list. A couple of them are the Overhead Hold and Double Static Hold. In both these workouts, the starting position is standing with the feet apart at about shoulder-width
All of the above exercises must be done 10 to 12 times. Veterans can do them 15 times. The single-arm moves can be made harder by adding another kettlebell.
All the above moves test a person’s stability and balance. Thus, it’s safe to go lighter. Ladies would do well by commencing with a bell of 6 kilograms, while men should opt for a bell of 8 kilograms. Once comfortable with these weights, they should work their way up.
Those who find holding the kettlebell bottoms-up difficult have to hold the kettlebell sideways.