Exercise movement reviewed by:Cody Lockling, MS, CSCS

How Iridium Programs This

Because this compound movement creates significant systemic fatigue, Iridium calculates your specific recovery score based on sleep and recent workload to confirm you can handle the intensity. The algorithm applies volume credit to both your quadriceps and anterior deltoids, ensuring this single exercise counts toward the Maximum Recoverable Volume for both muscle groups.

Form Cues

Hold the kettlebells in a tight racked position against your chest
Squat down until thighs are at least parallel to the floor
Drive explosively through your heels to stand up
Use the momentum from your hips to launch the weights overhead
Lock out your arms fully with biceps aligned by your ears

Don't

Don't press the weight up before your hips are fully extended
Don't let your knees cave inward during the drive phase
Don't arch your lower back excessively at the top
Don't let the kettlebells pull your chest forward
Don't hold your breath throughout the entire repetition

Common Mistakes

Turning the movement into two separate exercises
Pressing too early and losing leg drive momentum
Rounding the upper back in the squat
Resting the kettlebell on the wrist joint improperly
Descending too quickly without control

Muscles Worked

This exercise primarily targets the quadriceps and glutes to generate the explosive vertical force needed to move the weight. The anterior deltoids and triceps then engage to stabilize and finish the movement overhead, while the core works continuously to transfer power from the lower to the upper body.