Kettlebell Overhead Hold

Muscles worked by the Kettlebell Overhead Hold

Primary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidSide DeltsLateral Deltoid

Secondary

ObliquesOblique AbdominalsSerratusSerratus AnteriorTrapsTrapeziusTricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: front deltoid, anterior delt, front delt, anterior deltoid, side deltoid, lateral delt.

Equipment

Kettlebell

Also called: kb, cast iron kettlebell, competition kettlebell, girya.

How to do the Kettlebell Overhead Hold

1. Clean or press a kettlebell up so that your arm is straight overhead with the bell resting against the back of your forearm.
2. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your free arm relaxed at your side.
3. Lock out your elbow and push your hand up toward the ceiling so that your upper arm stays next to your ear.
4. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core so that your ribs do not flare and your lower back stays neutral.
5. Hold the bell steady over your shoulder for the planned time, breathing slowly.
6. Lower the kettlebell back to the rack position with control and switch arms.

Form tips

• Keep the wrist straight and the bell over your shoulder joint; if it drifts forward, your shoulder will tire quickly.
• Do not lean away from the bell; stay tall and let your trunk muscles hold you upright.
• Start with a light kettlebell, since holding it overhead for time is a lot harder than pressing it once.

At a glance

Kettlebell Overhead Hold in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Arnold Press
• Barbell Overhead Press
• Behind the Neck Press
• Bodyweight Overhead Press
• Double Kettlebell Overhead Press
• Double Kettlebell Push Press
• Dumbbell Curl and Press
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "kettlebell-overhead-hold",
  "name_en": "Kettlebell Overhead Hold",
  "name_de": "Kettlebell-Überkopf-Halt",
  "name_es": "Sostén con Pesa Rusa sobre la Cabeza",
  "description_en": "A one-arm isometric hold with the kettlebell locked out overhead. The shoulder, the upper back and the trunk work together to keep the bell steady over your head, which trains shoulder stability and the finish position of the press.",
  "description_de": "Ein einarmiger isometrischer Halt mit der Kettlebell, die über dem Kopf durchgestreckt ist. Schulter, oberer Rücken und Rumpf arbeiten zusammen, um die Kugel ruhig über dem Kopf zu halten; das trainiert die Schulterstabilität und die Endposition des Drückens.",
  "description_es": "Un aguante isométrico a un brazo con la pesa rusa en extensión completa por encima de la cabeza. El hombro, la parte alta de la espalda y el tronco trabajan juntos para mantener la campana estable sobre ti, lo que entrena la estabilidad del hombro y la posición final del press.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "kettlebell",
  "body_part": "shoulders",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "lateral_deltoid"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "obliques",
    "serratus_anterior",
    "trapezius",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "strength",
    "endurance"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "shoulder_focus",
    "shoulder_stability",
    "knee_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "no_axial_load"
  ],
  "variation_group": "overhead-press",
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Clean or press a kettlebell up so that your arm is straight overhead with the bell resting against the back of your forearm.",
    "Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your free arm relaxed at your side.",
    "Lock out your elbow and push your hand up toward the ceiling so that your upper arm stays next to your ear.",
    "Squeeze your glutes and brace your core so that your ribs do not flare and your lower back stays neutral.",
    "Hold the bell steady over your shoulder for the planned time, breathing slowly.",
    "Lower the kettlebell back to the rack position with control and switch arms."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Bringe eine Kettlebell per Clean oder Drücken nach oben, sodass der Arm gestreckt über dem Kopf ist und die Kugel an der Rückseite deines Unterarms ruht.",
    "Stehe mit etwa schulterbreit stehenden Füßen und dem freien Arm entspannt seitlich am Körper.",
    "Strecke den Ellbogen ganz durch und drücke die Hand zur Decke, sodass dein Oberarm neben dem Ohr bleibt.",
    "Spanne die Gesäßmuskeln und den Rumpf an, damit sich die Rippen nicht öffnen und der untere Rücken neutral bleibt.",
    "Halte die Kugel für die geplante Zeit ruhig über der Schulter und atme dabei langsam.",
    "Senke die Kettlebell kontrolliert zurück in die Rack-Position und wechsle den Arm."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Haz una cargada o un press con la pesa rusa hasta que tengas el brazo estirado por encima de la cabeza, con la campana apoyada en la parte posterior del antebrazo.",
    "Colócate con los pies separados aproximadamente al ancho de los hombros y el brazo libre relajado a un costado.",
    "Bloquea el codo y empuja la mano hacia el techo, de modo que la parte alta del brazo quede junto a la oreja.",
    "Aprieta los glúteos y contrae el core para que las costillas no se abran y la zona lumbar se mantenga neutra.",
    "Mantén la campana estable sobre el hombro durante el tiempo previsto, respirando despacio.",
    "Baja la pesa rusa con control hasta la posición de rack y cambia de brazo."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep the wrist straight and the bell over your shoulder joint; if it drifts forward, your shoulder will tire quickly.",
    "Do not lean away from the bell; stay tall and let your trunk muscles hold you upright.",
    "Start with a light kettlebell, since holding it overhead for time is a lot harder than pressing it once."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte das Handgelenk gerade und die Kugel über dem Schultergelenk; wandert sie nach vorn, ermüdet deine Schulter schnell.",
    "Lehne dich nicht von der Kugel weg; bleibe aufrecht und lass die Rumpfmuskeln dich halten.",
    "Beginne mit einer leichten Kettlebell, denn sie über Kopf auf Zeit zu halten ist viel schwerer, als sie einmal zu drücken."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén la muñeca recta y la campana sobre la articulación del hombro; si se desplaza hacia delante, el hombro se cansará enseguida.",
    "No te inclines para alejarte de la campana; mantente erguido y deja que los músculos del tronco te sostengan.",
    "Empieza con una pesa rusa ligera, ya que sostenerla por encima de la cabeza durante un tiempo es mucho más difícil que hacer un solo press."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/kettlebell-overhead-hold-main.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "kettlebell-overhead-hold");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.