An All-You-Can-Press Buffet: How & Why To Use Variety To Improve Your Kettlebell Press

Nov 1

Shoutout to anyone with “selfie arms” like me (Arryn) who think they’ll never have a “good” Kettlebell Press because they “aren’t built for it”. It is true that people with longer limbs, relatively and absolutely, usually have a harder time lifting than those with shorter limbs because the weight literally needs to travel farther to complete the same range of motion. But that doesn’t mean we are doomed. We may just need to be more strategic.

This isn’t just for us long-limbed folks out there–it’s for anyone seeking to get stronger with their Overhead Press.

Whether you’re an avid presser and you’ve plateaued, a fellow trainer looking for some ideas, or you’re just starting to press with kettlebells (welcome!), this article will provide you with some useful ideas to implement.

In this article, we’re sharing our most commonly used Overhead Press variations (for us and our clients) and why you might choose to do one or another. This non-exhaustive list is mostly using kettlebells, plus some other varieties: barbell, banded, and experimental.

Speaking from our own personal lifting journeys, as well as that of our clients over the years, the path to a heavy strict Overhead (AKA Military) Press is not usually a clear-cut one. After the initial newbie gains wear off, we can’t simply keep adding more reps or sets or weight to infinity and expect to be able to keep progressing. Try as you may, but doing so can lead to boredom, stalled progress, and potentially even an overuse injury. Using different kinds of presses in addition to, or at times instead of, the primary lift is a highly effective method to progressing in the long term.

This concept of using different exercise variations is not new, nor unique to pressing. It applies to most other movements as well. So, if Overhead Pressing isn’t a focus for you or your clients, you can use this way of thinking about variety for whatever lift you’re wanting to improve.

First, what is a Kettlebell Overhead Press?

A strict press is a pretty simple lift: starting with a kettlebell (or bells) in the rack position (held at your shoulders), keep the knees straight and press the bell(s) up until your elbow(s) straighten(s) all the way, and then pull it/them back down to the rack. That’s one rep.

Trainers and enthusiasts in the kettlebell community can be pretty obsessed with this lift because a heavy 1-arm press (relative to one’s bodyweight) is something folks have to do to pass some KB certifications. Because it’s so straightforward, there’s really no hiding if you’ve got the strength to do it or not. Some of us also just find it fun or satisfying to train. The body language is so similar to a raised fist expressing resistance, solidarity, unity, or strength (but with LITERAL resistance.)

Okay, now let’s define what we mean by “Variety”.

If the primary lift you’re concerned with improving is your Single or Double Kettlebell Overhead Press, then performing exercises that are similar, but different (like Single or Double Push Presses) to assist your Overhead Press would be using exercise variety.

Changing exercises in your program periodically (and with specific intent) is also referred to as conjugation, which was popularized by Louie Simmons and his Westside Barbell Club starting in the 1970’s. You can refer to a more in-depth explanation of conjugation and other methods of program design in our pizza-themed programming handbook, Hot ‘N’ Fresh.

Why use variety? Why not just keep training the standard press (or ~insert lift of your choice here~) forever?

Variety can be favorable for many reasons, namely:

It can help to hone in on specific qualities that may be limiting your ability to press more &/or heavier.
It staves off mental and physical boredom from doing the same thing over and over for years on end (which, to some degree, is required to build a hefty press). It keeps things fun and interesting!
It can decrease the likelihood of overtraining, as each exercise challenges the body a bit differently.
It offers near infinite ways to keep challenging yourself with the same movement pattern.

When to use variety and when to stick with the primary lift.

Some examples of when using a press variation is a good idea:

You have a nagging pain in your shoulder. Changing the stimulus may give the irritated spot a break and still allow you to keep practicing the movement pattern (vertical press). Note: This is not medical advice. ;)

You’ve been pressing 20kg for some time and feel really close to being able to press 24kg. You have attempted, but you can’t press it past your forehead (sticking point). Using the Pause Press (more on that below) with the 18kg or 20kg could help you break through that barrier with the 24kg.

You don’t have heavy-enough or the right increments of kettlebells to keep moving up in weight. Maybe your gym has kettlebells up to 32kg, but your goal is 40kg. Eight kilos is a whopping 25% jump going from 32kg to 40kg! Maybe you start working a Stacked Press with a pair of 16kg bells, then move up to a 16kg & 18kg, then 16kg & 20kg. It’s likely that could solve your gap problem.

You’ve become bored doing the same thing all the time. To keep pressing on (hehe) and inspire joy again, do something a little different with (you guessed it) variety!

When using a press variation may not be a good idea:

Using a variation of your primary lift is not always the best option. In fact, it may be detrimental depending on a couple of factors.

Sticking with the primary exercise for beginners looking to build strength is usually a good idea until they’ve at least built some competency with the movement. In other words, it’s not necessary to use variety since they don’t need it yet. This may last one month to more than 6 months. The rate of adaptation is highly individual based on factors including, but not limited to: sleep quality, overall stress (both in and out of the gym), training frequency, volume, etc.

Also, if you have a soon-approaching competition or performance date where you will test your primary lift(s), you may be better off training them in a way that mimics the competition/performance. These aren’t hard and fast rules though.

Primary and Secondary Press Variations

Here, we will distinguish between what we most commonly think of as the primary and secondary/assistance variations of the presses we’re including in this article. They’re not perfectly neat categories, since some of the secondary variations can be used effectively as primary lifts, depending on the person’s goals.

Primary:

Single, Double KB, or Barbell (Strict) Overhead Press, Push Press, or Push Jerk
Single or Double KB Clean & Press
Javelin Press
Stacked Press
Single, Double KB, or Barbell Slow-Eccentric Press

Secondary/Assistance:

Bottoms-Up Press
Waiter’s Press
Wobble Press
1-Arm Log / Odd Object Press
Single, Bottoms-Up, Double KB, Seesaw, or Barbell Z-Press
Single or Bottoms-Up Split-Stance Press
Single, Double KB, or Barbell Pause Press

Again, this isn’t a perfect way to categorize them as the Primary variations can also be used to assist each other. For example, if Double Kettlebell Overhead Press is your Primary, using the Double Kettlebell Push Press could be a great Secondary option.

How to pick which one(s) to do.

Use the chart below and the category descriptions further down to help you choose.

Note how many of the same press variations can be used to emphasize different qualities. Bottoms-Up Press, for example, can be great for Stability, giving the CNS a break, and to provide a challenge if the bells you have access to are too light.

Our Four Press Variety Categories:

1) Stability

2) 1-Arm Overload

3) CNS Break / Your Kettlebells Are Too Light

4) Heavier Overall

Stability

Training shoulder-stability-focused variations is especially beneficial for folks with hypermobile joints and for many athletes who find themselves in potentially precarious positions. The cool thing about these variations is that they help a lifter find their “pressing groove” (or line or pathway) that works best for their anatomy, along with strengthening stabilizing muscles and connective tissue in corresponding and adjacent joints.

We recommend working with these varieties at least periodically. Use them in your warm-up / movement prep on the same day as your primary lift, or on a separate, lighter-intensity day.

The press variations we’re including that are most suited to emphasizing stability are: Bottoms-Up, Waiter’s, Wobble, 1-Arm Log, and Javelin.

1-Arm Overload

Overload, in this case, means a variation that allows you to use a heavier weight than you can normally Overhead Press to assist in pushing (😜) through plateaus. Through overload, we can “show” the body it can handle heavier weights. An example of this is doing a Push Press with a weight that’s a little (to a lot) heavier than the heaviest bell you can strictly press.

Let’s say the heaviest kettlebell you can do a 1-Arm Overhead Press with is 24kg for 2 reps. Some ways to use the 1-Arm Push Press as a vehicle for progressive overload are using the 24kg still, but Push Press it for four or five reps. Or, you could use the next size up (26kg or 28kg) and do sets of 1-3 reps.

Again, the idea with the overload is to “teach” the nervous system that it is safe to use a heavier weight than it is normally used to.

Three ways we suggest using overload:

1) Do one of these heavier variations before training your primary lift in the same session to make your primary feel lighter (AKA CNS prep);

2) Do it on a separate day than your primary lift in the same training block;

3) Replace the primary lift with the overload variation during an entire training block (four weeks, for example).

The press variations we’re including that are most suited to single-arm overloading are: Push Press, Push Jerk, Clean & Press, and Slow-Eccentric.

CNS Break &/or Your Kettlebells Are Too Light

This category of presses is for making light weights feel heavy/challenging, whether 1) you need a deload or 2) you don’t have access to heavy enough / the right bells to continue progressing by simply moving up to the next bell size.

1) The CNS (Central Nervous System) can only push hard for so long before it needs a break. Though it may seem counterintuitive, pushing to the max all of the time will stunt your progress at the very least and may even force you to give it a break (via injury) if you don’t build in regular deloads (times of reduced workload &/or intensity).

By “hard,” we mean generally above 90% of your 1-Rep Max (or roughly a 4-Rep Max) and above is considered “heavy” for the CNS, and we typically can only continue training at that intensity for two or maybe three consecutive weeks before the point of diminishing returns. A very simple way to build in a break is to use a variation that, by nature of its challenge, is self-limiting. For instance, we don’t know of anyone who can Bottoms-Up Press the same amount of weight that they can use for their heaviest standard Overhead Press. In the Bottoms-Up example, the added challenge comes from the intense grip and wobble factor (instead of simply increasing the weight) therefore reducing the overall CNS load.

2) Sometimes you don’t have the appropriately-sized kettlebell to match the challenge. Say you’ve been pressing 36kg and are ready to go to the next size (40kg), but only have a 44kg bell. Rather than cranking out higher and higher reps with 36kg, you may need to get creative (perhaps using this very guide! 😉) to bridge the 8-kilo gap.

Use these variations:

1) As a substitute for the primary lift in a training block (or indefinitely as long as your bell supply is limited);

2) In your warm-up / movement prep on the same day as your primary lift;

3) On a separate, lighter-intensity day while still training the primary lift on a different day.

The press variations we’re including that are best for giving your CNS a break OR for when your kettlebells are too light: Wobble, Bottoms-Up, Z-Press, Split-Stance, Waiter’s, Stacked, Slow-Eccentric, Pause, and *Javelin.

*The Javelin Press is not included in the CNS Break category because it can be loaded just as heavily (if not heavier) as the 1-Arm Kettlebell Press. But it does fall into the Your Kettlebells Are Too Light category because adding plates upon plates is an option to go as heavy as humanly possible.

Heavier Overall

Using just one arm ain’t gonna cut it when you want to put the maximum amount of weight overhead. Enter the second arm. Grab two bells or one bar with both hands and press away!

Using both arms at the same time is a way to challenge the individual arms less but the body more overall. Because you can’t just multiply your 1-arm weight by two and press it overhead, pressing with both arms won’t tax the shoulder and “pressing muscles'' to the same extent, but it will tax your trunk and legs (yup–legs!) more. Similar to the aforementioned 1-Arm Overload variations, these double press options will expose your bod to handling more weight and teach it that it’s safe to do so.

As an assistance variation to a 1-Arm Press, we wouldn’t generally recommend using ones from this category before your main lift on the same day. Instead, use them on a separate training day.

The bilateral (two-arm) press variations that are best for going heavier overall are: Double Overhead Press, Double Push Press, Double Push Jerk, Seesaw Press, and Barbell Overhead Press.

Again, this is a non-exhaustive list. We chose these types of presses because they are the ones we most commonly use and work well for us and our clients, but that doesn’t mean we think you should limit yourself to only these options. 🙂

Now that we’ve categorized things, let’s get into each of the different Kettlebell Press Variations.

1) Bottoms-Up Press

Holding a kettlebell upside down by crushing the handle (the Bottoms-Up position,) is a uniquely challenging variation due to its highly unstable nature. Because of this added wobble-factor / grip challenge, it typically means one would have to use a (maybe much) lighter weight than their normal press weight. Make no mistake, despite it being a lighter weight in comparison, the benefits are tremendous. Think: grip strength and endurance, shoulder stability, thoracic extension and rotation, and mindfulness.

To do it, grip the handle with a slightly bent-back (extended) wrist so that when you clean it to the rack position, the center of mass of the kettlebell forms a straight line from it to your wrist to your elbow. If the wrist is straight or there is a crooked line between the three points (KB, wrist, elbow), that will limit the weight you’ll be able to use to very very light.

Categories: Stability, CNS Break / KBs Too Light

2) Waiter’s Press

Generally, the more open your hand is when you press, the greater the challenge. With a Waiter’s Press, you are balancing the bell by the “ball” part instead of the handle. Pressing in this precarious position will force you to slowwwww dowwwwnnnn, increasing your time under tension.

Categories: Stability, CNS Break / KBs Too Light

3) Wobble Press

Need help with shoulder stability? Take a thick resistance band, loop it through the kettlebell handle, grip the band at the other end, and press it like you would normally. This has similar benefits as the Bottoms-Up Press, but it’s even more unstable. The wobble attacks from all angles: side to side, front to back, up and down, and all around.

Categories: Stability, CNS Break / KBs Too Light

4) 1-Arm Log / Odd Object Press

When I say “log,” think forests, mountains, and firewood (not “log” as in the strongwoman kind of log press). Because a heavy-enough log will likely be pretty girthy, the distance from the contact point of your hand to the top might be 10-14 inches. Now try to stabilize that with an extremely open palm! We might only recommend this variation if you’re “getting away from it all” in a cabin in the woods and there’s nothing else around heavy enough. Feel free to experiment with pressing other unconventional objects out of necessity &/or curiosity.

Categories: Stability, CNS Break / KBs Too Light

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Holly + Arryn - Strength Coaching Duo 👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻🤪🍪🍕🇵🇭🥋📸✈️👀✌🏼 (@liftwithhollyandarryn)

5) Javelin Press

This variation more closely resembles a 1-Arm Kettlebell Press than it does a barbell Overhead Press, which makes it (we think) one of the best options if you’re lacking the size of kettlebells needed to progress past your current level. Very few kettlebells allow for incremental loading, and are often reduced to two or four kilo increments. Using the plates with a barbell, you can load the weight more specifically and to your heart’s (and muscles’) content! Keep in mind that barbells typically start at 15kg/35lb or 20kg/45lb, so you would have to be able to press at least that much to use this option.

The Javelin Press is the only stability-focused barbell press included here. Like the Bottoms-Up Press, the wrist is extended (bent back) a little bit. There is a crushing-grip element too, but not as intense as you don’t run the risk of an upside-down kettlebell flopping over on your wrist. However, there is a teeter-tottering effect and slight “helicopter-ing” due to the length.

Categories: Stability, KBs Too Light

6) 1-Arm Kettlebell Push Press

This option is excellent for overloading the primary version because of the ability to use a significantly heavier weight than you can strict press.

The Push Press follows the same setup and finish as the standard press, but there is a leg assist to get the kettlebell to just above head height. So, clean the kettlebell, instead of pressing from there, bend the knees by pushing them forward while the torso remains mostly vertical, then stand up quickly, launching the kettlebell off your torso to above your head with leg drive, then finish the distance by pressing like normal. Actively pull the bell back down to the rack, or use a controlled drop and absorb the impact with another knee dip. Some people instinctively do a push press when the strict press (no knee bend) becomes too hard. It’s okay to run the Push Press alongside the strict Overhead Press, but be careful to not let the tendencies of the Push Press (knee bending) bleed over into the main version.

Categories: 1-Arm Overload

7) 1-Arm Kettlebell Push Jerk

The Jerk is similar to the Push Press, but it uses two knee dips instead of one, effectively decreasing the distance needed to get the bell overhead. Start out with a knee dip and leg drive like the push press, but then when the bell is floating to about forehead height, straighten your arm by dropping your body underneath the weight. Then, stand up after the elbow is fully extended (AKA “lockout”).

This one is challenging due to the timing of the second dip and it can be helpful to practice with heavy weights, ones that you cannot yet press, to help you get a feel for it. Once the movement and timing are mastered, or at least competent, you’ll likely be able to handle even greater weight than the Push Press. As with the Push Press, be careful not to let the dips of the Push Jerk bleed over into the strict press variations.

Categories: 1-Arm Overload

8) Clean & Press

This one’s the most similar to the main Overhead Press, but between each press, you re-clean the kettlebell. So it goes: clean, press, clean, press, etc. (that was two reps). This is especially good for acquiring more practice with the clean, which is a hugely important part of any kettlebell press setup. It may also allow you to press for more reps because of the built-in “rest” between press reps. For the concept of “rest” to work in this situation, especially if done with double kettlebells, your conditioning level would need to be high(-ish) because the re-clean between each press rep is still work, just not as much for the pressing muscles.

Categories: 1-Arm Overload, Heavier Overall

9) Slow-Eccentric Press

Remember that time under tension mentioned earlier? The longer you practice a challenging position or movement, the more likely the body will adapt to it. Slowing down the eccentric (the down phase for the press) can be a highly effective method to progressing when adding more reps or sets to infinity isn’t cutting it. Use the slow eccentric with a Strict or Push Press, with a single bell, double kettlebells, or a barbell. We typically like to use a 3-, 5-, or 10-count eccentric.

Categories: 1-Arm Overload, CNS Break / KBs Too Light

10) Stacked Press

This is the one where you hold two or more KB handles in one hand. When you clean them they are stacked on top of each other. It’s a challenging variation that combines the crushing grip aspect of the Bottoms-Up Press and the open grip of the Waiter’s Press. Because the kettlebells are stacked vertically, your forearm stays more vertical (less angled toward the midline) than it would be with the equivalent weight in single bell form.

In our opinion, the number one reason to use this variation is because it can be utilized to fill in the gaps between weights. Let’s say you have a 20kg and a 28kg, but no 24kg kettlebell, you can stack a 16kg and an 8kg to achieve the 24 kilos. Boom! Equipment problem solved!

Categories: KBs Too Light

11) Z-Press

The Z-Press is traditionally done with a barbell (with both hands), but it’s easily adopted to be used with a kettlebell too - maybe even more optimal because you don’t need a rack. This can be done with a single kettlebell, double kettlebells, as a seesaw, and even bottoms-up!

In the Z-Press, you press from a seated straddle position. It’s an excellent option that challenges overhead mobility, along with lower-body mobility and flexibility. If you or your clients can’t currently sit with an upright torso in a straddle position, elevate the hips on a block or box. Because you can’t use your lower body to *accidentally push press* it keeps you honest. Tip for trainers: use this if you have a client who tends to do that! ;)

Categories: CNS Break / KBs Too Light

12) Split-Stance Press

Why press from a bilateral stance when you could press from a split stance?! Okay, there are lots of reasons. Being in a split position significantly increases the challenge to the stability of the trunk and midsection, while also working those leggies! Try to keep toes pointing forward and keep your back knee hovering (closer to the ground will be harder.) Of course, you could do this bottoms-up too, but sheesh that would be really, really hard!

Categories: CNS Break / KBs Too Light

13) Pause Press

Do a press like normal, but stop the movement somewhere on the way up and/or down. We typically suggest pausing for a 2- to 5-count at your sticking point (the spot/height where you normally really struggle or fail, which is usually when the hand is the same height as the top of the head).

Categories: CNS Break / KBs Too Light

14) Double Press

This is just the two arm version of the 1-Arm Overhead Press. The mechanics of the double variety work very similar to the single, but because there are two weights, creating a counterbalance, you cannot stack the bells over your hip like you can with a single weight. Because the leverage is worse, the press becomes harder.