Alternating Kettlebell Floor Press

In SetGrip: Kettlebell Floor Press (Alternating)

Secondary muscles
Delts, Triceps
Body part
Chest
Position
Standing
Laterality
Alternating sides
Category
Strength

Track this exercise in SetGrip — no account needed

Download SetGrip on the App Store

Lying on the floor with a bell in each hand, you lower one side while pressing the other back up, so the bells pass each other in a continuous seesaw rhythm. The floor stops your elbows short of a full stretch, keeping the emphasis on the triceps and the mid-range of the chest.

How to do the Alternating Kettlebell Floor Press

  1. Start by lying on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Hold a kettlebell in each hand, with your palms facing towards your feet and your arms extended straight up towards the ceiling.
  3. Lower one kettlebell down towards your shoulder while keeping the other kettlebell extended straight up.
  4. Press the lowered kettlebell back up to the starting position while simultaneously lowering the other kettlebell down towards your shoulder.
  5. Continue alternating the press motion with each kettlebell for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Squeeze the bar hard and keep the wrists straight over the elbows through the whole rep.

Muscles worked

Primary

Pectorals · Chest

The chest presses the arms together and forward, and decline and wide grip variations put more emphasis on the lower and outer pecs.

Secondary

  • Delts — The front delts assist every press and take over on Bradford and behind the neck variations.
  • Triceps — The triceps lock out the elbow on every press and dominate close grip and skull press variations.

Common mistakes

  • Elbows flaring wide — on horizontal presses keep the elbows at roughly 45 degrees from the torso; pressing overhead, keep them under the weight instead.
  • Losing the shoulder blade position — on bench-style presses set the shoulder blades back and down and keep them there; overhead, let the shoulder blades rotate up naturally with the arms.
  • Bouncing or rushing the bottom — control the bar down and pause for a beat before driving up, especially on decline and close grip variations.
  • Not committing to a variation — Bradford presses, skull presses and the like are hybrids; pick a fixed range and stick with it for the whole set.

Where it fits in a workout

Presses are the main movement in a push session and should go first or second. Superset them with a row or pulldown for a push and pull pair.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without kettlebell

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

Track the Alternating Kettlebell Floor Press in SetGrip

All 1,100+ exercises with animations are in the app. No account, no sign-up — your history stays on your iPhone and in your private iCloud. Works with Apple Watch.

Download SetGrip on the App Store

More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.