Kettlebell Floor Press

About This Exercise

A two-arm kettlebell press performed lying on the floor. The athlete lies on the back with two kettlebells held at the shoulders in rack position, then presses both bells straight up to lockout. Reduced range compared to a bench press because the elbows hit the floor at the bottom — useful for protecting the shoulders while loading the press pattern, and natural for kettlebells because of the rack-to-overhead path. Distinct from One-Arm Kettlebell Floor Press (single-arm variant — anti-rotation demand), Alternating Floor Press (alternates arms), and Dumbbell Floor Press (different implement, palms-facing-each-other grip).

1Setup

Lie on the back on the floor, knees bent, feet flat. Hold a kettlebell in each hand at the shoulders in rack position (bell hanging on the back of the forearm, elbow on the floor, wrist stacked). Trunk braced, lower back lightly pressed into the floor.

2Execution

Press both kettlebells straight up overhead simultaneously, finishing with arms extended and palms facing forward. Lower the bells with control until the elbows touch the floor. Reset and repeat.

Pro Tips

• Lower the elbows under control — let them touch the floor without slamming
• Bells stay in line with the shoulders — do not flare them out at the top
• Glutes lightly engaged + lower back pressed into the floor — no arching
• For the one-arm variant or alternating variant, see those separate canonicals