The kettlebell is often overlooked as a training tool because it has a reputation for being difficult to use. While it’s true that you need to use it properly in order to avoid injury and get the training benefits, it actually makes some key fat loss-boosting movements more accessible than, say, barbell versions of the same exercise.
Kettlebell swings and cleans, for example, are relatively simple ways of developing the dynamic hip thrust found in Olympic lifting movements, which are hard to master. They also let you harness the big muscles in your posterior chain (the ones on the back of your body) to help you get lean and improve your posture and mobility, so you’ll be able to attack your workouts and get the maximum benefit from your time in the gym.
And that’s not all. “Kettlebell workouts help with co-ordination and structural balance, meaning that one side of your body will be as strong as the other, which reduces your risk of injury,” says personal trainer Tirrel Grant from Square Mile Fitness. “They will also develop your cardio fitness and they allow you to do a lot of work in a short space of time.”
If this session hits the spot, we have lots of similar routines to try, including a full-body kettlebell workout, kettlebell HIIT workout and a kettlebell workout for weight loss. If you are still mastering the clean, try this kettlebell workout for beginners which avoids the more technical moves. And to be able to perform this session at home, use our selection of the best kettlebells to find a free-weight that fits your budget.
How To Do The Workout
In this kettlebell circuit you do all the reps of each exercise in order without rest and without putting the kettlebell down. At the end of each circuit, rest for 90sec-2min. Do five circuits in total. To progress, add a rep to each set or reduce the amount of rest you take between rounds. Once you’re at 15 reps, add another circuit.
1 Two-arm swing
Reps 10 Rest 0sec
How Hinge at the hips to send the kettlebell between your legs, then use a hip thrust to straighten up.
Expert tip “The swing targets the glutes, hams and lower back, which is useful if you have a sedentary job,” says Grant.
Form watch The kettlebell swing uses a hip hinge and not a squat. If you are bending excessively at the knees you’re doing it wrong.
2 Kettlebell clean
Reps 6 each side Rest 0sec
How Use hip drive to move the bell and as it passes hip height, draw your elbow back to “catch” it so it rests on your forearm.
Expert tip “The kettlebell version of a clean is more accessible than the barbell version and will develop power,” says Grant.
Form watch The clean should be a powerful but fluid movement. When you bring your elbow back, avoid the bell slapping your wrist.
3 Overhead press
Reps 6 each side Rest 0sec
How Start with the bell at shoulder height and press it directly overhead, then lower back to the start.
Expert tip “This is good for structural balance, while its unilateral nature will also create good alignment,” says Grant.
Form watch To make it efficient, and to protect your shoulder joints, try to press up as directly as possible – not at an angle.
4 Goblet squat
Reps 10 Rest 0sec
How Hold a kettlebell to your chest, then bend at the knees and hips to lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Expert tip “This version of the squat is useful for improving mobility before you progress to a heavy bar,” says Grant.
Form watch Use the weight of the kettlebell to pull you down into the squat, and go as low as you can in each rep.
5 Windmill
Reps 6 each side Rest 90sec-2min
How Hold the bell overhead with the foot on the other side turned out at 45°. Lower your torso to that side, then straighten up.
Expert tip “It’s vital that you get the technique perfect before you add load, so start light and work your way up,” says Grant.
Form watch: This move is all about co-ordination, shoulder stability and side abs strength. Watch the bell throughout the move.
