Technique

3 Kettlebell Press Exercises to Build Powerful Shoulders

By Power Craft Training3 min readOct 2, 2025

We'll talk about three kettlebell press variations to build strong, healthy shoulders.
Your shoulder joint is the most mobile and most unstable joint in the body.
As you age, wear and past injuries can start causing problems.
That's why building and maintaining shoulder strength is so important.
Let's break down the exercises that make your shoulders bulletproof.

1. Military Press

Start with the military press, it's the fundamental overhead strength movement.

  • Begin by cleaning the kettlebell to your shoulder with your elbow tucked close to your ribs.
  • Press the kettlebell straight overhead until your arm is fully locked out.
  • Keep your core tight and your body still, using only your shoulder to press the weight.
  • Bring the kettlebell back down to your shoulder slowly and under control.
  • Then pause for a brief moment before performing the next rep.

This movement builds the foundation of pure shoulder strength.

2. Push Press

The push press follows the same steps as the military press, but you add leg drive to press heavier weights overhead.
This allows you to use heavier weight to overload the movement pattern.

  • Start with the kettlebell in rack position at your shoulder.
  • Dip down slightly by bending your knees.
  • Explosively drive up through your legs as you press the kettlebell overhead.
  • Lock out your arm at the top with the kettlebell overhead.
  • Bring the kettlebell down slowly and under control. You may also dip with your legs to absorb the momentum.

The push press allows you to make greater progress by forcing your shoulder muscles to resist heavier weight on the way down.

3. Bottoms-Up Press

The bottoms-up press is the ultimate test of shoulder stability and control.

  • Grip the handle with the kettlebell upside down, bell facing up.
  • Begin at shoulder level with your wrist locked straight.
  • Press overhead slowly, focusing on keeping the bell perfectly vertical.
  • Control the descent back to the starting position.
  • Use much lighter weight than your military press.

This variation builds incredible shoulder stability and exposes any weakness in your pressing mechanics, while also developing a crushing grip.

Build Bulletproof Shoulders

Master these three presses and you'll develop shoulders that are strong, stable, and built to last.

Apply What You've Learned

Turn technique into results with structured kettlebell programs, progress tracking, and expert guidance.

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