Is this an ab exercise or a hip flexor exercise?

It is both. The abdominals curl the upper body off the floor, and the hip flexors take over once the lower back leaves the ground; a study using fine-wire electrodes in healthy adults found every sit-up form tested activated the psoas more than a curl-up. If you want the abdominals to do more of the work, try the Crunch or the Dead Bug.

Should I hook my feet under something?

No, keep the heels on the floor without anchoring them. Hooking the feet makes it easier to finish the rep but lets the hip flexors pull harder, so if your legs keep lifting, use a lighter bell rather than pinning them down.

How heavy should the kettlebell be?

Start with a bell you can press overhead from a seat on the floor with straight legs, without leaning back, which is usually lighter than your standing press. Most people use sets of 8 to 12 reps and add weight only when every rep finishes with the heels down and the bell locked out over the head.

Can I do it with a dumbbell or a medicine ball?

Yes. Any compact weight you can hold at the chest with both hands and press overhead works the same way, and a medicine ball also opens up the Medicine Ball Sit-Up Slam.

Do I press as I sit up or once I am upright?

Once you are upright. Keeping the bell at the chest during the sit-up and pressing from a tall seat keeps the load close to the body, which protects the shoulders and lower back.

Kettlebell Sit-Up to Press

What Is the Kettlebell Sit-Up to Press?

Kettlebell Sit-Up to Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the core and also engages the shoulders, triceps and hip flexors. It is an intermediate-level movement that joins a full sit-up from the floor with a two-handed overhead press of a single kettlebell, done with the legs straight and the heels on the ground.

The two halves ask different things of the trunk. During the sit-up the abdominals have to move the body, curling it from flat on the floor to upright while the bell adds weight to the chest. At the top they switch to holding still, keeping the torso tall and the ribs down while the arms drive the bell overhead. That combination of moving and bracing makes it a useful core exercise for circuits, kettlebell sessions and the core block at the end of a workout.

The rectus abdominis and obliques do most of the work while the upper back peels off the floor. Once the lower back leaves the ground, the hip flexors, including the rectus femoris on the front of the thigh, pull the torso the rest of the way to upright. The press brings in the deltoids and triceps, the serratus anterior and upper trapezius rotate the shoulder blades up so the arms can reach overhead, and the lower back muscles keep the seated torso from rounding. Compared with the bodyweight Sit-Up, the bell makes every rep heavier; the Medicine Ball Sit-Up Slam turns the top into a throw instead of a press, and the Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up takes a single bell overhead from the floor all the way to standing.

It suits lifters who can already do controlled bodyweight sit-ups with straight legs and press a kettlebell overhead without arching. If either half is the weak link, build it separately first: the Crunch and Dead Bug for the trunk, and the Kettlebell Z-Press for pressing while seated on the floor with the legs straight, which is exactly the top position of this exercise.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Rectus Abdominis: Primary
Deltoid: High
External Oblique: High
Rectus Abdominis (Lower): Medium
Rectus Femoris: Medium
Serratus Anterior: Medium
Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): Medium
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): Medium
Erector Spinae: Low
Upper Trapezius: Low

Instructions

Lie on your back on the floor with your legs straight and together and your heels on the ground.
Hold one kettlebell at your chest with both hands cupping the sides of the bell, handle pointing up and elbows close to your ribs.
Brace your abdominals, tuck your chin slightly and curl your head, shoulders and upper back off the floor.
Keep sitting up until your torso is upright over your hips, with the bell held against your chest and your heels on the floor.
Sitting tall with your ribs down, press the kettlebell straight up with both hands until your arms are straight and the bell is over your head.
Lower the bell back to your chest under control.
Roll back down slowly, lowering your lower back, then your upper back, then your head to the floor.
Breathe out as you sit up and press, breathe in as you lower, and repeat for the set.

Common Mistakes

Swinging the bell to sit up
Throwing the kettlebell forward to build momentum lets the arms do the work the abdominals should be doing and pulls the bell away from the chest.
Pressing on the way up
Pushing the bell up before the torso is upright holds it out in front of the body on a long lever, which loads the shoulders and lower back far more than a press from a tall seat.
Heels lifting off the floor
Legs that rise as you sit up mean the bell is too heavy or the reps are being thrown, so lighten it until the heels stay down.
Leaning back at lockout
Arching the lower back and flaring the ribs to get the bell overhead turns the press into a backbend instead of a vertical press over the hips.
Dropping back to the floor
Falling back instead of rolling down one segment of the spine at a time skips the lowering work for the abdominals and risks knocking the head or the bell.
Leading with the chin
Jutting the head forward to start the sit-up strains the neck, so keep a slight chin tuck and let the shoulders lead.

Injuries

Kettlebell Sit-Up to Press is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The lower back takes the most strain, because every rep flexes the spine under load and the hip flexors pull on the lumbar spine as they lift the torso the last part of the way. The neck can also suffer when the chin juts forward, and the shoulders are loaded overhead in a seated position where tight shoulders or a stiff upper back tend to show up as a backward lean and an arched lower back.

Choose a bell you can press overhead from a seat on the floor without leaning back, keep it against your chest until you are fully upright, and only then press. Roll down slowly rather than dropping, and keep the reps smooth instead of using the bell to swing yourself up. If your heels lift or you have to throw the bell to get up, the weight is too heavy.

To make it easier, use a lighter bell, hold the bell at the chest and skip the press, or split the movement into a bodyweight Sit-Up and a seated Kettlebell Z-Press. To progress, add load gradually, pause for a second with the bell locked out at the top, or move to the Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up. People who already have low back pain or a disc problem are better served by trunk work that keeps the spine still, such as the Dead Bug.

Stop if you feel sharp or radiating pain in the lower back or legs, pinching in the front or top of the shoulder as the bell goes overhead, or neck pain that builds over the set.

Overview

Primary Focus: Core
Equipment: Kettlebell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this an ab exercise or a hip flexor exercise?: It is both. The abdominals curl the upper body off the floor, and the hip flexors take over once the lower back leaves the ground; a study using fine-wire electrodes in healthy adults found every sit-up form tested activated the psoas more than a curl-up. If you want the abdominals to do more of the work, try the Crunch or the Dead Bug.
Q: Should I hook my feet under something?: No, keep the heels on the floor without anchoring them. Hooking the feet makes it easier to finish the rep but lets the hip flexors pull harder, so if your legs keep lifting, use a lighter bell rather than pinning them down.
Q: How heavy should the kettlebell be?: Start with a bell you can press overhead from a seat on the floor with straight legs, without leaning back, which is usually lighter than your standing press. Most people use sets of 8 to 12 reps and add weight only when every rep finishes with the heels down and the bell locked out over the head.
Q: Can I do it with a dumbbell or a medicine ball?: Yes. Any compact weight you can hold at the chest with both hands and press overhead works the same way, and a medicine ball also opens up the Medicine Ball Sit-Up Slam.
Q: Do I press as I sit up or once I am upright?: Once you are upright. Keeping the bell at the chest during the sit-up and pressing from a tall seat keeps the load close to the body, which protects the shoulders and lower back.