Kettlebell Push Press

The kettlebell push press is a vertical press that uses a small leg drive to help press weight overhead. It builds shoulder and arm strength while also training leg power and core stability.

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and hold a kettlebell in each hand at shoulder height. Rack the kettlebells against the fronts of your shoulders with your elbows tucked and your wrists straight. Brace your midsection, keep your eyes forward, and set your feet firmly on the floor.

Dip straight down by bending your knees and hips a couple of inches while keeping your torso upright. Quickly reverse direction and drive hard through your legs to stand tall. As your body rises, press both kettlebells overhead until your arms are straight. Lower the kettlebells under control back to the rack position, reset, and repeat.

Take a breath in and brace before you dip. Exhale as you press or reach the lockout, then breathe in again at the rack. To make it easier, use one kettlebell at a time or perform a strict press without the leg drive. To make it harder, slow down the lowering phase or pause briefly at the top of each rep.

Fault: squatting the dip too deep. Fix: keep the dip shallow, just a small two- to three-inch bend at the knees and hips, so your legs act like a spring rather than doing most of the work.

Fault: pressing the kettlebells before your legs finish driving. Fix: wait until your body is rising from the dip, then use that upward momentum to start the press; the arms should not do it all alone.

Fault: leaning back or flaring the ribs at the top. Fix: squeeze your glutes and brace your abs at lockout so your body stays stacked under the kettlebells.

Fault: dropping the kettlebells quickly or letting them drift forward on the way down. Fix: pull your elbows down and guide the kettlebells straight back to the rack with control on every rep.