Should I use kettlebells or dumbbells for the Z press?

Either works, so use what you have. Kettlebells sit on the back of your forearms in the rack and press in a path closer to a barbell, while the Dumbbell Z Press is easier to set up from the floor and dumbbells usually come in smaller weight jumps.

How heavy should the kettlebells be?

Expect to use noticeably less than you press standing, since there is no leg drive and no backrest. Move up a bell size only while every rep stays upright and both bells rise together.

What if I can't sit upright with my legs straight?

Raise your hips on a weight plate or folded mat, or bend your knees slightly, and work on hamstring and hip flexibility with stretches such as the Seated Wide-Leg Forward Fold. Pressing from a slumped position only moves the strain to your lower back.

Can I do the Z press with one kettlebell?

Yes. A single-bell Z press is a good way to learn the position, and with the load on one side only your trunk has to work harder to keep you from leaning. Start with your weaker arm and match the reps on the other side.

How do I get the kettlebells to my shoulders while sitting on the floor?

Set them beside your hips before you sit, then bring them into the rack one at a time, keeping each bell close to your body so it rolls onto your forearm instead of flipping over. If a pair is too heavy to bring up this way, it is too heavy for this press.

Kettlebell Z Press

What Is the Kettlebell Z Press?

Kettlebell Z Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and also engages the triceps, upper trapezius, serratus anterior and the trunk muscles that hold you upright. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you press two kettlebells overhead from the rack position while sitting on the floor with your legs straight and nothing behind your back.

The Z press is named after strongman Zydrunas Savickas, who popularized pressing from a floor-seated position. With your legs out in front of you there is no leg drive to help the weights up and no backrest to lean against, so your shoulders and triceps do all of the pressing while your trunk keeps your ribs stacked over your hips. Coaches mostly use it as an accessory to strict standing pressing, placed after the main lift of the session, because it exposes any habit of leaning back or arching the lower back to finish a rep.

The kettlebell version starts with the bells in the rack position, resting on the back of your forearms with their weight sitting behind your wrists. From there the arms travel in a path close to a barbell press, while each arm still moves on its own as in the Dumbbell Z Press, so a weaker or less mobile side shows up quickly. It needs no rack or barbell setup, unlike the Barbell Z Press, and the loads are noticeably lighter than for a standing press.

The Kettlebell Z Press suits lifters who already press comfortably standing and can sit tall with their legs straight. Tight hamstrings or hips are the most common limit, and raising the hips on a plate or mat is a fair way to start while flexibility work such as the Seated Wide-Leg Forward Fold catches up. If the overhead position itself is the problem, build up first with the Kettlebell Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press or the Kettlebell Single-Arm Military Press.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

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

Instructions

Set two kettlebells on the floor, one beside each hip, and sit between them with your legs straight and a little wider than your hips, heels on the floor.
Sit tall with your chest up and your ribs stacked over your hips. If you cannot sit upright, raise your hips on a plate or folded mat.
Bring the kettlebells into the rack one at a time, keeping each close to your body, so each bell rests on the back of your forearm with your wrist straight and your elbow in front of your ribs.
Brace your trunk and take a breath.
Press both kettlebells straight up at the same speed, letting your palms turn to face forward as they rise.
Finish with your arms straight and the kettlebells stacked over your shoulders, your upper arms close to your ears.
Keep your torso upright and your legs on the floor throughout, and do not lean back to finish the press.
Lower the kettlebells under control back to the rack and repeat.
After the final rep, guide the kettlebells down to the floor beside your hips one at a time.

Common Mistakes

Leaning back
Tipping the torso back to finish the press turns it into an incline press and shifts the strain onto the lower back.
Rounding the lower back
Slumping because tight hamstrings pull the pelvis under leaves the shoulders pressing from an unstable base.
Bent wrists in the rack
Letting the bells pull the hands back strains the wrists and lets force leak out at the start of every rep.
Pressing the bells forward
Driving the kettlebells out in front of the face instead of straight up puts their weight ahead of you and makes you lean or tip.
One arm leading
Letting the stronger arm finish first twists the torso and hides a side-to-side imbalance instead of fixing it.
Using standing-press weights
Without leg drive or a backrest the same bells feel much heavier, which usually ends in leaning back or missed reps.

Injuries

Kettlebell Z Press is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The lower back and shoulders take most of the strain: leaning back to finish a rep loads the lower back, and slumping because of tight hamstrings leaves the shoulders pressing from a poor base. The wrists and forearms also take some load, because the bells rest on the back of the forearms in the rack and pull the wrists back if the grip is loose.

Start with lighter kettlebells than you would use for a seated press with back support, and raise your hips on a plate or folded mat if you cannot sit upright with straight legs. Keep each wrist straight with the handle running diagonally across your palm, and bring the bells into the rack one at a time, close to your body, so they roll onto your forearms instead of flipping over and hitting them. End the set when your torso starts to lean or the two bells no longer rise together.

If the floor-seated position is too demanding, regress to the Kettlebell Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press or a Dumbbell Shoulder Press with back support, or press one kettlebell at a time. Progress by moving up a bell size or by moving on to the Barbell Z Press.

Stop the exercise if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the shoulder, pain in the lower back, wrist pain that does not ease when you adjust your grip, or numbness or tingling in the arm or hand.

Overview

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

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Should I use kettlebells or dumbbells for the Z press?: Either works, so use what you have. Kettlebells sit on the back of your forearms in the rack and press in a path closer to a barbell, while the Dumbbell Z Press is easier to set up from the floor and dumbbells usually come in smaller weight jumps.
Q: How heavy should the kettlebells be?: Expect to use noticeably less than you press standing, since there is no leg drive and no backrest. Move up a bell size only while every rep stays upright and both bells rise together.
Q: What if I can't sit upright with my legs straight?: Raise your hips on a weight plate or folded mat, or bend your knees slightly, and work on hamstring and hip flexibility with stretches such as the Seated Wide-Leg Forward Fold. Pressing from a slumped position only moves the strain to your lower back.
Q: Can I do the Z press with one kettlebell?: Yes. A single-bell Z press is a good way to learn the position, and with the load on one side only your trunk has to work harder to keep you from leaning. Start with your weaker arm and match the reps on the other side.
Q: How do I get the kettlebells to my shoulders while sitting on the floor?: Set them beside your hips before you sit, then bring them into the rack one at a time, keeping each bell close to your body so it rolls onto your forearm instead of flipping over. If a pair is too heavy to bring up this way, it is too heavy for this press.