Exploring the Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press for Shoulder Stability and Strength

Shoulder exercises do much more than just improve your physique aesthetics. The shoulders are engaged in several daily activities, like reaching overhead, lifting things off the floor, and throwing a ball. They also play a vital role in maintaining a proper gait.

However, most people limit themselves to dumbbell exercises. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with this approach, a more versatile training routine can take your shoulder strength, stability, and health to the next level.

As a personal trainer who has helped hundreds of clients transform their physiques, I have seen firsthand the power of kettlebell exercises.

Kettlebells are very different from dumbbells and can uniquely impact the target muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. A kettlebell is shaped like a cannonball with a handle. Since a kettlebell’s center of mass is away from your hand, they are unbalanced. KB exercises demand significantly greater core and joint stability than dumbbell variations.

In this article, I take you over one of the most intense shoulder exercises for boosting strength, stability, and health — the bottoms-up kettlebell press. We’ll uncover its unique benefits and how you can incorporate it into your training for the best results.

How To Perform Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press

The bottoms-up kettlebell shoulder press is an unassuming exercise. Holding the kettlebell upside down puts the center of mass above your hand, making balancing the weight that much harder. This will fire up your shoulder (deltoids, traps, and rotator cuffs) and core stabilizer muscles, resulting in maximal target muscle fiber stimulation.

Here is how to perform seated bottoms-up kettlebell presses with a picture-perfect form for the best results:

Step One — Take Your Position

Sit upright on an elevated surface like a flat bench or hard plyo box. Grab a kettlebell with a neutral grip and lift it off the floor. Flex your elbow to lift the bell to shoulder level. The KB should be upside down at this point. Feel free to use your non-working hand to get the kettlebell into the starting position.

Step Two — Press

Brace your entire body and drive your feet into the floor for stability. While maintaining your elbow close to the body, push the kettlebell toward the ceiling. The KB and your shoulder and hip should be stacked at the top of your range of motion (ROM). Pause and contract the shoulder muscle in the fully shortened position.

Step Three — Eccentrics

Slowly lower the kettlebell to the starting position by flexing your elbow while maintaining a vertical forearm. Repeat for the recommended reps.

Remember, you must maintain a stable base throughout the exercise for optimal shoulder muscle recruitment.

Common Mistakes To Avoid During Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press

Performing bottoms-up kettlebell presses with a faulty form can result in wrist strain or shoulder impingement. Steer clear of the following errors to limit injury risk and get the best bang for your buck:

Flaring Elbows

This is one of the most common mistakes I encounter with my clients. The center of the bell and your wrist and elbow should be aligned throughout the ROM. Flaring the elbow during the concentric or eccentric motion will throw off your balance and cause unnecessary strain on the shoulder joint.

Leaning Back

Usually, lifters lean back when trying to lift excessively heavy weights. This can alter the exercise’s line of pull and remove tension from the target muscles. It also increases the risk of lower back injury.

Rushing

The bottoms-up kettlebell press is all about controlled, deliberate movement. Try to move the weights too quickly and it increases the possibility of losing balance and ending the exercise abruptly.

Muscle Worked — Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press

This exercise engages the following muscles:

• Deltoids: This exercise engages all three delt heads — anterior, medial, and posterior.
• Shoulder Stabilizers: Shoulder rotator cuffs (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis) fire up to stabilize the inverted bell.
• Triceps: This is the main pushing muscle involved during this exercise that helps hoist the weight overhead.
• Core Muscles: The rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis work in tandem to stabilize the spine and help generate power.

Benefits of the Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press

Here are the advantages of adding this exercise to your arsenal:

Enhanced shoulder stability and strength

The conventional kettlebell press and bottoms-up press are worlds apart. The former variation involves resting the bell on the forearm, which limits shoulder stabilizer recruitment. However, you get no such concessions in the bottoms-up KB press. Since the center of mass is above your hand, you must constantly fight the weight and gravity.

Increased grip strength

During the conventional KB press, the handle digs into your palms, and the weight rests against your forearm, limiting the need for a firm grip. However, when you turn the bell upside down, you must grip the KB handle as hard as possible for optimal security.

That said, consistently tightening your grip can help maximize tricep and shoulder muscle fiber recruitment. Furthermore, it can help boost your grip strength, improving your performance in other exercises and daily tasks.

Improved core activation

Most beginners cannot control the kettlebell, and it tips over. A lack of core activation is usually the reason behind this. Actively contract your core throughout this exercise to stabilize the weights. It will also help build a stronger midsection, which can improve your posture and lead to better performance in other compound exercises.

Enhanced proprioception and coordination

This exercise might look simple, but you’ll realize the challenge as soon as you get into the starting position. The bottoms-up kettlebell press will improve your sense of body position, movement, and force. It will also improve your hand-eye coordination and balance. (1)

Increased mental focus and concentration

You will be forced to monitor your form and technique throughout the exercise, which will improve your focus, concentration, and mind-muscle connection. Remember, you must be extra careful with this exercise as you’ll be holding a heavy iron ball over your head with a not-so-secure grip.

Programming the Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press

The bottoms-up kettlebell press can be programmed into any shoulder, upper-body, and full-body workout. Although this exercise comes with a learning curve, it is safe for beginners trying to improve their shoulder strength or advanced lifters focusing on enhancing their shoulder and core stability.

Depending on your training experience and goals, you can pair bottoms-up kettlebell press with other exercises like squats and deadlifts to ensure optimal muscle stimulation and gains.

Here are a few progression and regression tips for bottoms-up kettlebell press:

Progression:

• Progressively increase the weights.
• Increase the number of sets and reps.
• Pause in the fully lengthened and shortened positions to increase the time under tension and maximize growth. (2)
• Start with the seated variation and progress to the standing variation gradually.

Regression:

• Use a dumbbell to get a sense of the exercise.
• Lower the overall training volume.
• Perform the conventional kettlebell press before progressing to the bottoms-up variation.
• Master the bottoms-up carry before performing the presses.

Sample Full-Body Workout 

Given below is a full-body workout incorporating the bottoms-up kettlebell press suitable for intermediate and advanced lifters:

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bottoms-up kettlebell press	3	8-12
Barbell bench press	3	8-12
Pull-ups	3	8-12
Bicep curl	3	8-12
Single-leg Romanian deadlift	3	8-12

Variations and Alternatives For Kettlebell Press

Add the following exercises to your training regime:

Bottoms-Up Hold

This should be a beginner’s first step toward kettlebell presses. It involves the exact same setup as the bottoms-up KB presses, minus the presses. I have my clients perform this exercise standing for optimal core engagement.

Vary the hold positions to drill the movement mechanics and maximize muscle stimulation. For example, hold the kettlebell in the bottom position for the first few sessions. Then, pause in the middle of your ROM before holding it with your arm fully extended overhead.

Bottoms-Up Walk

Once you’ve got a hold of the previous exercise (pun intended), you must progress to the bottoms-up walk. It is a waiter’s walk variation but demands greater core engagement and places more strain on the wrist and elbow joints.

In this exercise, hold the bell in one hand and walk for a pre-determined time or distance. Walk in a straight line with a consistent cadence to ensure optimal balance. Moving too slowly or fast can cause the bell to tip over and cut your set short.

Bottoms-Up Floor Press

We add the pressing element in this variation, which will test the balance and coordination you have developed up to this point.

Lie supine on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. While holding a kettlebell in one hand, position your upper arms close to your torso and flex your elbow so your forearm is at 90 degrees. The KB should be in a bottoms-up position.

Brace your core and press the kettlebell toward the ceiling so your elbow is fully extended at the top of your ROM. Pause briefly at the top before returning to the starting position.

Half-Kneeling Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press

After a few regression exercises, it is time for a more challenging variation. Performing the bottoms-up KB presses in a half-kneeling position requires significant core muscle recruitment and stabilizer strength. You also need decent overhead mobility to perform this exercise.

While in the half-kneeling position, bring the KB to the shoulder position in the bottoms-up setup. Place your non-working arm on your thigh or hip for balance. Alternatively, you can extend it at your side for balance.

Brace your core and upper body and press the kettlebell overhead using a slow and controlled movement. Keep your shoulders square and head steady throughout the ROM.

Conclusion

The bottoms-up kettlebell press is an incredibly effective exercise for improving shoulder stability and strength. Exercisers of all experience levels can add it to their training regimes to build a solid foundation.

Many of my clients report improved shoulder mobility after performing this exercise for six to 12 weeks. I encourage you to give this exercise a shot and experience its transformative power firsthand.

If you have any questions about the bottoms-up kettlebell press or need help implementing it into your routine, post them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References

1. Han J, Waddington G, Adams R, Anson J, Liu Y. Assessing proprioception: A critical review of methods. J Sport Health Sci. 2016;5(1):80-90. doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2014.10.004
2. Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, et al. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012;590(2):351-362. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200

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