Seated Single Arm Kettlebell Shoulder Press

In SetGrip: Kettlebell Shoulder Press (Seated, Single Arm)

Secondary muscles
Triceps, Abs
Body part
Shoulders
Position
Seated
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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Anchoring your hips on a bench and pressing one kettlebell removes any leg contribution, leaving the working shoulder and the obliques opposing the offset bell to do everything. With the bell resting on your forearm in the rack, the drive out of the bottom feels different from a palm-held dumbbell, and first sessions usually run lighter than expected.

How to do the Seated Single Arm Kettlebell Shoulder Press

  1. Sit on a bench with your back straight and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Hold a kettlebell in each hand at shoulder height, palms facing forward.
  3. Press the kettlebells overhead, fully extending your arms.
  4. Lower the kettlebells back to shoulder height.
  5. Repeat 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

Delts · Shoulders

The front delts assist every press and take over on Bradford and behind the neck variations.

Secondary

  • Triceps — The triceps lock out the elbow on every press and dominate close grip and skull press variations.
  • Abs — The abs brace the trunk on standing and single arm presses so the torso does not twist under the load.

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.

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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.