Kettlebell Bottoms-Up Press

Setup

Clean the kettlebell to the rack, then rotate it so the bottom faces up, gripping the handle firmly with the bell balanced.

Execution

1. 1Stabilize the inverted bell in the rack position, gripping hard
2. 2Press the kettlebell overhead while keeping it balanced bottoms-up throughout
3. 3Lock out fully overhead, maintaining the grip tension
4. 4Lower back to the rack under control without letting the bell tip

Key cues

• Grip the handle like you're trying to crush it
• Keep the wrist stacked directly under the bell
• Press slowly and deliberately — this is a control drill, not a speed drill
• If the bell starts to tip, reset rather than muscling through

Common faults

• Gripping too loosely, causing the bell to tip and fall
• Wrist not stacked under the bell, causing instability
• Rushing the press instead of moving deliberately
• Using too heavy a kettlebell before mastering control with lighter ones

Tweaks

• Start with a very light kettlebell to master the balance
• Add static holds in the rack before progressing to full presses
• Use for shoulder rehab/prehab work due to the low load, high stability demand

Muscles

Sources

• Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press - StrongFirst articles
• Bottoms-up press biomechanics - ExRx.net style reference

Attribution: StrongFirst kettlebell canon