The kettlebell Arnold press is a shoulder exercise variation named after the iconic 7x Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger. But let’s make something clear, the first-ever Mr. Olympia Larry Scott apparently used to do this exercise before Arnold although the latter really popularized it.
The idea was to hit all three heads in one movement of which changing position throughout the movement seems to do. This variation combined a lateral/rear raise movement and overhead press and with a shorter range of motion.
Naturally, the basic kettlebell press already involves a similar movement to the Arnold press although the latter is a little more involved.
In this guide, we explain the muscles worked, how to do it, benefits, and more.
In This Exercise:
- Target Muscle Group: Deltoids
- Type: Hypertrophy and strength
- Mechanics: Compound
- Equipment: Kettlebells
- Difficulty: Beginner, intermediate
Muscles Worked
The kettlebell Arnold press works several muscles of the upper body and we included short descriptions of each one.
Deltoid anterior
If you look straight down at your upper arm above the biceps you’ll see the visible anterior head of the deltoids muscles. Often overdeveloped because of their contribution to all pressing variations, the deltoid anterior lifts the arm forward into a flexed position.
Arnold presses are a heavy front delts exercise.
Deltoid Lateral
After the delts anterior on the lateral portion of the glenohumeral joint is the outer deltoids. It makes sense that the delts lateral is capable of lifting the arm up and out to the side from 15-100 degrees based on its anatomical placement.
Deltoid Posterior
The posterior head is located behind your body and out of sight. But it does have an important function which is assisting in pulling the shoulders blades and arms back behind you.
Serratus Anterior
Some people call it the boxers muscles and for good reason. The serratus anterior performs its role by protracting the arms forward and upwardly rotating the shoulder blades to lift the arms overhead. It sits near the outer ribs between the pectoralis and latissimus dorsi muscles.
Triceps brachii
Triceps are part of the “push” group of muscles that are so crucial to performance in movements such as overhead presses and similar variations. They have three different heads including one on the outer upper arm, one in the middle and a long head on the back and inside of the upper posterior arm.
What the triceps do functionally is fully extend the arm from a bent position and provide a static resistance to an external force (holding up your body weight).
Related: The Best Lateral Head Triceps Exercises for Bigger Arms
Core muscles
Kettlebell training is one of the best ways to strengthen your core and make you more functional. Balancing an odd shaped implement overhead will recruit the deep abdominal muscles overtime to stabilize and balance the weight.
How To Do The Kettlebell Arnold Press
The kettlebell Arnold press is a little different than your standard overhead press using kettlebells or dumbbells. To ensure you get it down pat, we’ve provided step-by-step instructions below.
Note: You can do these standing or seated. We’ve included instructions for both variations.
Standing kettlebell Arnold press
- Choose a pair of kettlebells that’ll allow you to comfortably perform around 6 reps without straining but that won’t allow you to pump out a ton of reps (e.g, 30+ reps).
- Clean/lift the kettlebells to your front delts either simultaneously or one at a time. Your arms should be in the top of a biceps curl position with your palms facing each other, and elbows tucked into your sides.
- Tense your core, keep your shoulders down and tight.
- Open your arms and bring the kettlebells to the overhead press position and retract your shoulder blades.
- Press the kettlebells overhead. Stop short of lockout to keep tension on the delts.
- Lower the kettlebells at the same time but not all the way down, and rotate your wrists so that they are facing you. Bring your elbows into your sides and the kettlebells together.
- Pull the kettlebells apart until you’re back into the pressing position and as you press them overhead, rotate your wrists so that your palms are facing away from you.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Seated kettlebell Arnold press
- Grab your kettlebells, clean/lift them to your front delts either simultaneously or one at a time. Your arms should be in the top of a biceps curl position with your palms facing you, and elbows tucked into your sides.
- Tense your core, keep your shoulders down and tight.
- Open your arms and bring the kettlebells to the overhead press position and retract your shoulder blades.
- Press the kettlebells overhead. Stop short of lockout to keep tension on the delts.
- Lower the kettlebells at the same time but not all the way down, and rotate your wrists so that they are facing you. Bring your elbows into your sides and the kettlebells together.
- Pull the kettlebells apart until you’re back into the pressing position and as you press them overhead, rotate your wrists so that your palms are facing away from you.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Kettlebell Arnold press tips
- Use a challenging weight for this exercise but do not use so much weight that you have a hard time performing a few reps with good form. This is not a max lift exercise but rather, one that requires a little more focus to do safely and correctly.
- If you’ve never used kettlebells before, start very light and get the form down before you progress with heavier resistance.
- The exercise should be performed in the middle range of the movement, not coming down too far or locking out at the down.
Kettlebell Arnold press Variations and Alternatives
Here are some functional kettlebell Arnold press variations and alternatives.
1. Single-arm kettlebell Arnold press
The two-arm variation is a killer exercise but doing this movement using one kettlebell is a good idea too. By pressing with one side and not the other, you’ll improve your unilateral strength and stabilization.
In nature, we use our limbs unevenly to perform daily tasks and this often affects the balance between two sides. Therefore, training one side separately can help to identify and correct imbalances, but it can increase certain aspects of athletic performance and prevent injury too.
Whether you do regular weight training or compete in sports, having a weak area can affect your performance and consequently, the outcome.
2. Kettlebell alternating Arnold press
Rather than pressing both kettlebells at the same time, try pressing one at a time, alternating your left and right arm. This will have similar benefits to the single-arm variation but for some, holding two kettlebells provides more stability.
Learn the basic kettlebell alternating press here.
3. Dumbbell Arnold press
Arnold would use dumbbells to perform this exercise and there’s not as much stabilization required compared to using kettlebells. Plus, you can arguably use more weight by grabbing a pair of dumbbells instead which makes it a great strength and muscle builder.
Benefits of The kettlebell Arnold Press
Let’s talk about the benefits of doing this exercise.
Great warm-up for barbell and dumbbell presses
The Arnold press makes for a great warm-up exercise because let’s face it, you’re not going to be able to train super heavy with this movement if that’s your goal. But the rotation and press do help to get the shoulder joints warmed up.
Enhance shoulder stability
When done safely, the rotation involved in this exercise can help to enhance shoulder stability which is important for joint health and performance. Learning to slow down and control the different aspects of the movement helps you to improve overall function and development.
Build and strengthen your upper body pushing muscles
This is the most obvious one, but this exercise can be a fantastic muscle-builder. Although, you’ll need to use enough resistance to challenge the muscles and force the growth and strength adaptation.
But you don’t have to use super heavy weights to get a productive workout.
The design of the kettlebell provides a challenge due to the stabilization requirement.
How to Build Bigger Shoulders: Overhead Press Hypertrophy Guide
Functional carryover
Kettlebells are considered to be very functional training tools. It was designed to be swung around and its odd shape creates more of a challenge when performing many exercises.
This can cause all of your muscles to have to work differently to control and lift the weights. Therefore, you can develop strength, power, and fitness in various positions which will make you better-rounded and more functional.
Functional Strength Training: What It Is, How to Do It, and How It Will Radicalize Your Workouts
Exercise variety
Training with the same equipment can get boring after a while. Using different tools can help to mix things up and the challenge of using kettlebells compared to other implements is a great way to continue making progress.
Additionally, the kettlebell design allows you to do exercises that barbells and dumbbells aren’t as fitting for.
Incorporate The Kettlebell Arnold Press Into Your Training
The kettlebell Arnold press is a great shoulder exercise variation that adds a unique element to your workouts, especially if you do a lot of basic barbell and dumbbell exercises.
There are several ways that you can effectively include this move in your deltoid training arsenal.
But some of the best ways to take advantage of this movement include using it as a warm-up, finisher, doing it for straight sets (e.g, 3-4 sets of the chosen rep range) with decent weight, and including it as part of a superset, or circuit training routine.
Sets and reps
The kettlebell Arnold press is not a max weight lift, but you should use a weight that will challenge you in the 6-15 rep range.
Feel free to try different rep ranges as long as there’s no excessive straining as this could result in injury.
3-4 sets should be sufficient to not only train your muscles but to also get the movement down and take advantage of the functional benefits.
Ultimately though, the sets and reps will depend on your goals.
Try the One Kettlebell Workout
Wrapping Up
The kettlebell Arnold press is a unique exercise that will both challenge your stabilization (if using enough resistance, of course) and build strength and muscle mass.
It offers several benefits and training variety and there are some great variations of this movement too, just in case you want to mix things up.
Be sure to add this Arnie-inspired exercise into your next shoulder workout.
Also be sure to check out our section on kettlebell training for workout ideas and more.
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