Today was the first time at planet fitness I’ve bottoms up pressed the pair of 30lb kettlebells…their biggest pair of kettlebells.
Now individually each is easy, I’ve pressed a 70lber bottoms up before.
(Not sure as to what I double bell pressed there, I never took video.
Maybe I’ve done higher as they had pairs to as high as 35-53. I’d guess there I did it with the 30s or 35s, and likely with off balanced bells, two different weights.)
They say one arm pressing is harder on the core than with both arms, but that’s not the bottoms up press.
With the weights so far from your center of gravity EVERYTHING has to be locked in, from wrist to oblique.
And I have strong wrists!
Really focussing to keep the left side tight in addition to the right causes this to be a supreme exercise in total body tension.
Looking straight and slightly up as you’re pressing, at a spot maybe 45° higher than the bells in peripheral vision in rack position, helps lock everything in.
It causes a surprising level of grip activation. You squeeze with all you’ve got, and are locking the entire kinetic chain.
I’ll probably video this when that pair of 30s is real slow and controlled into double digit reps.
Today I got a couple real solid sets of 3 reps, and a shakier set of 4.
The whole thing is an exercise in maximising the tools you have.
It’s not a heavy press, but it’s a good exercise.