Method for producing a piston for an internal combustion engine with a main piston base body and a piston ring element, wherein the main piston base body has at least one piston shaft, wherein the piston ring element has at least one piston head, a circumferential top land and a circumferential ring part provided with annular grooves, and wherein the main piston base body and the piston ring element form a circumferential closed cooling duct, characterised by the following method steps: (a) providing a blank (11', 111', 211') of a main piston base body, in which an outer joining surface (29, 129, 229) and an inner joining surface (31, 131, 231) and a lower cooling duct part circulating between the two joining surfaces (29, 31; 129, 131; 229, 231) are premachined, (b) providing a blank (12', 112', 212') of a piston ring element, in which an outer joining surface (32, 132, 232) and an inner joining surface (33, 133, 233) and an upper cooling duct part circulating between the two joining surfaces (32, 33; 132, 133; 232, 233) are premachined, (c) forming a circumferential widening (34a, 34b; 134b; 234a, 234b) on at least one joining surface (29, 129, 229, 31, 131, 231; 32, 132, 232, 33, 133, 233), the widening (34a, 34b; 134b; 234a, 234b) extending to the associated cooling duct part (23a; 23b), (d) connecting the blank (11', 111', 211') of the main piston base body to the blank (12', 112', 212') of the piston ring element by means of the joining surfaces (29, 129, 229, 31, 131, 231; 32, 132, 232, 33, 133, 233) thereof using friction welding to form a piston blank (10', 110'), specified, (e) post-processing and/or finishing the piston blank (10', 110') to form a piston, characterised in that - in step (d) the blank (11', 111', 211') of the main piston base body or the blank (12', 112', 212') of the piston ring element is set into rotation, the blank (11', 111', 211') of the main piston base body and the blank (12', 112', 212') of the piston ring element are pressed together under an initial pressure relative to the joining surfaces (29, 31; 32, 33), the rotation is stopped while maintaining the initial pressure and after stopping the rotation the pressure is increased immediately to a multiple of the initial pressure for the metallurgical connection of the main piston base body and the blank of the piston ring element, - wherein the rotation of the blank of the main piston base body or the blank of the piston ring element has a speed of 1,500 rpm to 2,500 rpm under an initial pressure of 10 N/mm 2 to 30 N/mm 2 and the rotation is ended after 1 second to 3 seconds while maintaining the initial pressure. (a) providing a blank (11', 111', 211') of a main piston base body, in which an outer joining surface (29, 129, 229) and an inner joining surface (31, 131, 231) and a lower cooling duct part circulating between the two joining surfaces (29, 31; 129, 131; 229, 231) are premachined, (b) providing a blank (12', 112', 212') of a piston ring element, in which an outer joining surface (32, 132, 232) and an inner joining surface (33, 133, 233) and an upper cooling duct part circulating between the two joining surfaces (32, 33; 132, 133; 232, 233) are premachined, (c) forming a circumferential widening (34a, 34b; 134b; 234a, 234b) on at least one joining surface (29, 129, 229, 31, 131, 231; 32, 132, 232, 33, 133, 233), the widening (34a, 34b; 134b; 234a, 234b) extending to the associated cooling duct part (23a; 23b), (d) connecting the blank (11', 111', 211') of the main piston base body to the blank (12', 112', 212') of the piston ring element by means of the joining surfaces (29, 129, 229, 31, 131, 231; 32, 132, 232, 33, 133, 233) thereof using friction welding to form a piston blank (10', 110'), specified, (e) post-processing and/or finishing the piston blank (10', 110') to form a piston, - in step (d) the blank (11', 111', 211') of the main piston base body or the blank (12', 112', 212') of the piston ring element is set into rotation, the blank (11', 111', 211') of the main piston base body and the blank (12', 112', 212') of the piston ring element are pressed together under an initial pressure relative to the joining surfaces (29, 31; 32, 33), the rotation is stopped while maintaining the initial pressure and after stopping the rotation the pressure is increased immediately to a multiple of the initial pressure for the metallurgical connection of the main piston base body and the blank of the piston ring element, - wherein the rotation of the blank of the main piston base body or the blank of the piston ring element has a speed of 1,500 rpm to 2,500 rpm under an initial pressure of 10 N/mm 2 to 30 N/mm 2 and the rotation is ended after 1 second to 3 seconds while maintaining the initial pressure.