Extended-Range Single-Arm Kettlebell Floor Press

How to do it

1. Lie on your back on the floor holding one kettlebell in the rack position, the bell resting on the outside of the forearm.
2. Bend your knees and plant your feet flat, or extend the legs if you prefer a stricter version.
3. Bring the elbow out about forty-five degrees from the body and lower it until the back of the upper arm touches the floor.
4. Let the wrist and the bell continue past the point where the elbow stops, so the hand sinks a little lower than the elbow.
5. Press the bell back up in a slight arc until the arm is locked over the chest.
6. Keep the free arm on the floor and the shoulder blades pulled down and back throughout.

Common mistakes

• Flaring the elbow out to ninety degrees. A little away from the body is enough; wide elbows push the shoulder into a position it does not like under load.
• Letting the bell drop to the extended range. The extra depth is lowered into under control, not fallen into; the bottom is where the stretch is felt across the chest and it is arrived at slowly.
• Rolling the shoulder off the floor at the bottom. The extended range comes from the hand travelling lower, not from the shoulder lifting; the upper back stays flat.
• Twisting the torso towards the bell. One weight on one side wants to roll you; keep both hips and both shoulders on the floor.

Muscles worked

Primary

• Pecs

Secondary

• Shoulders
• Triceps