Kettlebell Double Push Press
What Is the Kettlebell Double Push Press?
Kettlebell Double Push Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and also engages the triceps, quadriceps, glutes and upper back. It is an intermediate-level movement in which a short dip and drive of the legs launches two kettlebells from the front rack to a locked-out overhead position, so the lifter can move more weight overhead, or the same weight for more reps, than a strict press allows.
In kettlebell training the push press sits between the strict double press and the double jerk. Coaches use it to overload the press with bells that are too heavy to press strictly, and as a power drill, because the drive is a fast, vertical extension of the hips, knees and ankles much like a jump. A force-platform study of resistance-trained men found the barbell push press produced peak power on par with a loaded jump squat. That study used a barbell, but the double kettlebell version is built on the same dip and drive from a front rack.
The legs carry the bells through the hardest part of the press, so the shoulders and triceps work hardest finishing the lockout and controlling the bells back down to the rack. Each arm moves its own bell, so a weaker side cannot lean on the stronger one the way it can on a barbell, and the head never has to move out of the bar's path. Two bells load the trunk evenly and ask for a hard brace, while the Kettlebell Single-Arm Push Press adds a side-bending challenge and is the easier place to learn the timing.
The lift suits athletes in jumping and combat sports, CrossFit and kettlebell enthusiasts, and anyone who wants overhead strength and leg power in one movement. Before loading it, build a solid strict press with one bell, a stable double rack position from lifts such as the Kettlebell Double Clean and Press and Kettlebell Front Squat, and enough shoulder mobility to straighten both arms overhead without arching the lower back.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Vastus Lateralis
- High
- Vastus Medialis
- High
- Gluteus Maximus
- Medium
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
- Upper Trapezius
- Medium
Instructions
- Clean two kettlebells of equal weight into the front rack and stand with your feet about hip-width apart.
- Set the rack: handles deep in your palms at collarbone height, bells resting on the outside of your forearms, wrists straight and elbows tucked down against your ribs.
- Brace your abs, squeeze your glutes, and keep your chest tall and your eyes forward.
- Dip by bending your knees and hips a few inches, no deeper than a quarter squat, keeping your torso upright, your knees over your toes and your heels down.
- Without pausing at the bottom, drive hard through your feet and straighten your knees and hips explosively so the bells lift off your forearms.
- As your legs finish, press both bells straight up, keeping them close to your face.
- Lock both elbows overhead with your arms beside your ears, the bells resting on the back of your forearms, your ribs down and your legs straight.
- Lower the bells under control back to the rack, softening your knees slightly to absorb them, then reset your rack and brace before the next rep.
- After the last rep, lower the bells to the floor between your feet with a controlled hip hinge.
Common Mistakes
Hinging into the dip
Pushing the hips back and tipping the chest forward sends the bells out in front, so the drive pushes them forward instead of straight up and loads the lower back.
Dipping too deep or too slowly
A deep, slow squat loses the spring in the legs, so the drive arrives late and the arms end up doing most of the press.
Pressing before the legs finish
Starting the arm press during the dip or early in the drive cuts the leg drive short and turns the lift into a strict press with a bounce.
Loose rack position
Elbows drifting away from the ribs or wrists bent back let the bells pull away from the body, which wastes the drive and strains the wrists.
Leaning back to finish
Arching the lower back to get the bells overhead swaps shoulder range for spinal extension and puts the lower back under load.
Re-bending the knees under the bells
Dropping into a second dip to catch the bells turns the push press into a jerk and lets the legs finish the work the arms should.
Injuries
Kettlebell Double Push Press is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The shoulders take the most strain, especially at lockout when the lifter lacks the mobility to get both arms straight overhead and makes up for it by arching the lower back or letting the bells drift forward. The lower back is the second strain point, loaded by a dip that hinges forward instead of dropping straight down, and the wrists suffer when they bend back in the rack or when the bells crash onto the forearms on the way down.
Check that you can raise both arms in line with your ears with your ribs down before you load the lift. Keep the dip short and vertical, brace the abs and squeeze the glutes through the lockout, hold the wrists straight with the handle set deep in the palm, and soften the knees to absorb the bells as they return to the rack. Use bells you can lock out together; if one arm lags or bends, the weight is too heavy for that side.
To regress, learn the timing with the Kettlebell Single-Arm Push Press, build pressing strength with the Kettlebell Single-Arm Military Press, or use the Landmine Single-Arm Push Press when overhead mobility is limited. To progress, add load gradually or clean the bells before every rep.
Stop the set if you feel a sharp or pinching pain at the front or top of the shoulder, pain in the lower back, wrist pain that does not ease when you fix the rack, or numbness or tingling in the hands.
- Equipment
- Kettlebell
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is the double push press different from a double kettlebell jerk?
In the push press you dip and drive once, and the arms finish the press while the legs stay straight. In the jerk you drop into a second dip to catch the bells on straight arms, which lets heavier bells go up but leaves less work for the shoulders and triceps.
- Q: Should I learn it with one kettlebell first?
Yes. The Kettlebell Single-Arm Push Press teaches the dip and drive timing and the overhead lockout with half the load, and you can move to two bells once both sides lock out cleanly and the double rack feels stable.
- Q: How heavy should the kettlebells be?
Start with bells you can strictly press for several reps, so any fault in the dip shows up before the load does. As the timing improves, the leg drive lets you push press bells you cannot press strictly, but stay with a weight both arms can lock out at the same time.
- Q: Is it okay for my heels to come up?
Briefly at the very end of the drive, yes. Keep the heels down through the dip so the drive starts from the whole foot, and have them back down by the time the bells reach lockout.
- Q: Why do my wrists hurt in the double rack?
Usually the handle sits too close to the fingers, which tips the bell back and bends the wrist. Set the handle deep and diagonally across the palm so the bell rests on the outside of the forearm, and keep the wrists straight and the elbows close to the ribs.