Kettlebell Seated Single-Arm Press
What Is the Kettlebell Seated Single-Arm Press?
Kettlebell Seated Single-Arm Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and also engages the triceps, upper back and obliques. It is an intermediate-level movement: you sit on the floor with your legs straight and spread wide, hold one kettlebell at your shoulder and press it overhead while your other arm reaches out to the side for balance.
Sitting on the floor takes the legs out of the lift completely, so there is no dip or drive to help the bell up, and there is no backrest to lean on. Your shoulder and triceps do all the pressing while your trunk holds you tall over your sit bones. Because the load sits on one side, your obliques work to stop you leaning away from the bell, and leaning back to finish a rep tips you off balance, so the position quickly shows whether your press is strict.
It is a close relative of the Kettlebell Z Press, which is usually done with the legs straight out in front. Here the legs open into a wide straddle and the free arm reaches out to the side, which gives you a broader base from side to side, and lifters with tight hips often find it easier to sit upright with the legs apart. The front and side of the deltoid lead the press, the triceps finish the lockout, and the upper trapezius and serratus anterior rotate the shoulder blade upward so the arm can reach a vertical position. It works well as an accessory after your main pressing, or as a strict variation for lifters who lean back when they press standing.
It suits lifters who already press a kettlebell well standing and can sit tall on the floor with the legs straight and wide without the lower back rounding. Build up with the Kettlebell Single-Arm Military Press and the Kettlebell Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press. If tight hamstrings or inner thighs pull you into a slouch, sit on a folded mat or a low step for now and work on the Seated Wide-Leg Forward Fold to improve the position over time.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
- Upper Trapezius
- Medium
- Rectus Femoris
- Minimal
Instructions
- Sit on the floor and spread your legs straight out into a wide straddle with your toes pointing up, and place a kettlebell on the floor beside the hip of your working side.
- Sit up tall on your sit bones with your chest lifted. If your lower back rounds, raise your hips on a folded mat or a low step.
- Grip the handle with your working hand and, using your other hand to guide it, bring the kettlebell up to the rack position at your shoulder.
- Hold the handle low and diagonal in your palm so the bell rests against the back of your forearm, with your wrist straight, your forearm vertical and your elbow tucked in close to your ribs under the bell.
- Reach your free arm out to the side and slightly down, at about hip height, for balance.
- Brace your abs so your ribs stay down, then take a breath in.
- Press the kettlebell straight up, letting your forearm turn so your palm faces forward as your hand passes your head.
- Lock out your arm fully with the bell over your shoulder and your upper arm beside your ear, keeping your torso upright. Breathe out at the top.
- Lower the bell under control along the same path back to the rack, keeping the elbow under the bell.
- Repeat for the planned reps, then set the bell down and switch sides.
Common Mistakes
Slumping onto the tailbone
Letting the pelvis roll back rounds the lower back and pushes the bell forward, so sit up on your sit bones or raise your hips on a mat until you can sit tall.
Leaning back to finish the press
Tilting the torso back to get the bell overhead turns the lift into an incline press and tips you off balance, so brace your abs and keep your ribs down.
Leaning away from the bell
Bending your trunk sideways away from the working arm shortens the press and hides a weak lockout, so keep your shoulders level and use the free arm only for balance.
Bending the wrist back
Letting the handle roll toward the fingers folds the wrist back under the bell, so keep the handle low and diagonal in the palm with the knuckles pointing up.
Pressing the bell out in front
A bell that drifts forward away from your face leaves the load in front of the shoulder, so press it straight up until it finishes over the shoulder with your upper arm beside your ear.
Starting from a loose rack
An elbow flared out to the side or a tilted forearm leaks force before the press begins, so set your forearm vertical with the elbow tucked in and directly under the bell.
Injuries
Kettlebell Seated Single-Arm Press is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The shoulder and lower back take most of the strain. Pressing to a vertical lockout needs full overhead reach, and because the legs cannot help and there is no backrest, lifters who lack that reach tend to lean back or arch the upper back to get the bell up, which can pinch the front of the shoulder. Tight hamstrings and inner thighs pull the pelvis backward and round the lower back, so the spine ends up slumped under an overhead weight.
Sit up on your sit bones before every rep, and raise your hips on a folded mat or a low step if you cannot sit tall with your legs straight. Choose a bell lighter than the one you press standing. Keep the handle low and diagonal in your palm with the wrist straight and the elbow under the bell, and lower the bell to the rack under control so it does not slam into your forearm. Warming up the hips and hamstrings before the set makes the straddle easier to hold.
To make it easier, press from a half-kneeling position with the Kettlebell Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press, or keep the raised seat until your hips loosen. Once your strict reps are solid, progress with a heavier bell, a slower lowering phase, or the Kettlebell Single-Arm Bottoms-Up Press to challenge your grip and shoulder control.
Stop the set if you feel a sharp or pinching pain in the shoulder, pain or tingling running down the arm, pain in the lower back, or a pulling pain in the inner or back of the thigh. If you can no longer stay upright or your lockout starts to shake, lower the bell to the rack and end the set.
- Primary Focus
- Shoulders
- Equipment
- Kettlebell
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is this different from the Kettlebell Z Press?
Both are pressed from the floor with the legs straight, so the legs cannot help. In the Kettlebell Z Press the legs usually point straight out in front, while here they open into a wide straddle and the free arm reaches out to the side, which widens your base and often makes it easier to sit upright.
- Q: What if I can't sit up straight with my legs out?
Sit on a folded mat or a low step to raise your hips, which lets your pelvis tip forward so you can sit tall. Lower the height as your hamstrings and inner thighs loosen, and practice the Seated Wide-Leg Forward Fold between sessions.
- Q: How heavy should the kettlebell be?
Start lighter than the bell you press for clean single-arm reps standing. With no leg drive and no backrest, many lifters need to drop a size, and a bell you can only finish by leaning back is too heavy.
- Q: Is a kettlebell better than a dumbbell for this press?
Neither is clearly better for the muscles. A study of 20 strength-trained men pressing one arm at a time while seated on a box with no back support found no significant difference in shoulder or back muscle activity between a kettlebell and a dumbbell of the same weight. The kettlebell's weight hangs behind your forearm, so the wrist has to stay straight under the handle, while the Dumbbell Z Press is easier to grip.
- Q: What should I do with my free arm?
Hold it out to the side and slightly down, at about hip height, as a counterbalance. Avoid pushing it into the floor or your thigh to hold yourself up, because that takes the work away from your trunk.