Grounded Iron Push — Solo Kettlebell Horizontal Press

Pressure Cascade · Mechanism

Lie down on the floor, press a kettlebell from your chest to arm's length, and you've just discovered the One-Arm Kettlebell Floor Press — an intermediate chest and tricep exercise that's as simple as it is effective. The floor press removes the leg drive and arch that you can use in a bench press, isolating your chest and triceps with the kind of purity that makes this exercise a favorite among people with shoulder issues and people who just enjoy pressing while lying on the ground.

You lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat, holding a kettlebell in one hand at your chest. You press the kettlebell straight up toward the ceiling, extending your arm fully and squeezing your chest and tricep at the top. Then you lower the kettlebell back to your chest with control, using your elbow as a guide — your upper arm should rest on the floor at the bottom of each rep, which limits the range of motion but also protects your shoulder from going into potentially problematic positions. The floor acts as a built-in spotter, catching your elbow before it can drop too far.

The one-arm kettlebell floor press builds pressing strength without stressing the shoulder joint, making it perfect for lifters who need to train around shoulder pain or who want to build lockout strength for their bench press. The single-arm version also challenges your core to keep your body stable against the offset load, which is a sneaky core workout hiding inside what looks like a chest exercise. Lie down, press up, and build a chest and tricep combination that can push anything from a kettlebell to a stubborn couch against a wall.