The 9 Best Kettlebell Exercises for All Levels of Gym Goers
Kettlebell exercises are often overlooked. They’re the one piece of equipment at the gym that’s always available. But underestimating the small but mighty weight is the first and worst mistake you can make. They enhance your performance, strength, and endurance, blowtorch body fat, improve cardio and your posture, and stabilize your body. Need we go on?
Liam Cavanagh, founder of Bel (basically Tinder but better, matching you with your dream fitness coach to work on the relationship with your body, so you can stop the tedious swiping and finally meet a match that won’t disappoint), shares his insights on the best kettlebell exercises for men of all levels of fitness.
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Beginner Kettlebell Exercises
1. Name: Goblet Squat
How to perform:
- Grab a kettlebell with both hands on each side of the handle and hold it close to your chest. Take a standing position with a shoulder-width stance and toes pointing slightly outwards.
- As you inhale, bend at your knees and hips to lower your body until your thighs become parallel to the floor (they might be above or below parallel depending on your level of mobility). Keep your chest up throughout the movement.
- At the bottom of the movement, pause for a moment, then push through your heels, whilst exhaling, until you return to a standing position.
How this benefits the body:
This exercise primarily targets your quads and glutes, and to a lesser extent, your hamstrings. Keeping your chest up throughout each rep also challenges your core. It’s also a great alternative to barbell squats if you haven’t got access to a bar, or you’re not comfortable having a loaded bar on your back.
Sets x Reps: 3×10-15
2. Name: Single Arm Deadlift
How to perform:
- Place a kettlebell on the floor and take a 1.5x shoulder-width stance, feet on either side of the kettlebell and toes pointing slightly out. Take an overhand grip of the kettlebell with your right hand, bending at the hips and the knees, extending your left arm out for balance. Be sure to keep a neutral spine, not bending your upper or lower back.
- Lift the kettlebell off the floor by extending your legs and driving your hips forward, making sure your spine remains neutral throughout.
- Lower the kettlebell back to the floor, returning to the starting position.
- Tip: the main component of this exercise is the movement of your hips – make sure they’re moving forward explosively when you lift the kettlebell off the floor.
How this benefits the body:
This is a great exercise to work your whole body! Your legs and glutes work together with your back to lift the kettlebell off the floor. Using this single-arm variation also creates an added challenge for your core, as it works to stop your torso from rotating when you’re performing the reps.
Reps x Sets: 3×10-12 (each arm)
3. Name: Bent Over Row
How to perform:
- Place a kettlebell on the floor and have your feet, shoulder-width apart, on either side of the kettlebell. Your toes should be pointing slightly outwards. Bend at the knees and hips and take an overhand grip of the kettlebell with both hands, this will be your starting position.
- Row the kettlebell off the floor by driving your elbows diagonally up and back so that the kettlebell moves towards your pelvis. At the top of each rep, you should have around a 90-degree angle at your elbows.
- From here lower the kettlebell back towards the floor in a controlled manner.
- Tip: try to make sure it is only your arms moving throughout and be sure to keep a straight back by tensing your core.
How this benefits the body:
This exercise primarily works your lats which make up a large portion of your back, but you’ll also be using your bicep and rear of your shoulders to help you row the kettlebell. Having both hands on the kettlebell restricts your range of motion slightly, but this allows you to concentrate on controlling the weight before moving onto more advanced variations.
Reps x Sets: 3×10-15
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Intermediate Kettlebell Exercises
4. Name: Kettlebell Swings
How to perform:
- Grab a kettlebell with both hands and adopt a slightly wider than shoulder-width stance. Take hold of the kettlebell with an overhand grip (palm facing behind you) and stand upright with the weight hanging in front of you.
- To initiate the movement, inhale and bend at your knees and hips, allowing the kettlebell to swing backward.
- Immediately after doing this, exhale and drive through your glutes, thighs, and hips to swing the kettlebell away from your body. Let the kettlebell lead the way in terms of how high it swings and the speed it moves at. Your arms shouldn’t be working, they’re just there to keep hold of the kettlebell.
- Inhale as the kettlebell travels down and back between your legs as you hinge into the next repetition.
- Tip: it’s important to use your glutes to generate the power which moves the kettlebell and not your legs. This means having only a slight bend in the knee during your set. Also, make sure you keep your spine neutral throughout.
How this benefits the body:
This is the king/queen of exercises when it comes to developing a strong posterior chain (backside of your body). Your glutes work together with your hamstrings and lower/mid back throughout the movement. It’s also a great way to train for explosiveness, think about shifting your hips forward as quickly as possible.
Reps x Sets: 3×10-15
5. Name: Single Arm Squat to Overhead Press
How to perform:
- Grab the top of a kettlebell in one hand and hold it up by the shoulder of that same arm. Keep your fist pointing towards the ceiling and the kettlebell resting on the outside of your forearm. Take a shoulder-width stance with your toes pointing slightly apart.
- Bend at the hips and knees, lowering your body towards the floor until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- From here drive through your heels and toes until you’re standing upright. Then press the kettlebell up towards the ceiling by extending it at your elbow.
- Lower the kettlebell back to shoulder height before repeating the required number of reps.
How this benefits the body:
Like the goblet squats above this primarily targets the quads and glutes, whilst also recruiting the hamstrings. But with the overhead press added in, it also develops your delts (primarily your anterior delt). Given that you’ve got the kettlebell held on one side, it’ll also fire up your core to keep you balanced throughout the set.
Reps x Sets: 3×8-12 each side
6. Name: Single Arm Bent Over Row
How to perform:
- Grab a kettlebell in your left hand with a neutral grip (palm facing towards the right). Place this kettlebell just inside of your right foot whilst taking a big step backward with your left foot. Bend your right knee and support your body weight on your thigh through your right forearm. Your back should be straight and your left arm should be hanging perpendicular to the floor as the kettlebell is now directly under your chest.
- To initiate the movement, exhale and pull your left elbow up towards the ceiling so that the kettlebell travels back towards your left hip. Continue to pull the kettlebell upward until the muscles in your back are as tight as they can be. Tip: You don’t want your arms to be working too much here, so think of your hand and forearm as a hook that is attached to the kettlebell, and it’s your elbow doing the pulling.
- After a brief pause, inhale and return the kettlebell along the same path into the starting position.
How this benefits the body:
This is great for your lats which make up a large part of your back, but you’re also challenging your core to help you keep stable in this staggered stance position. Being able to perform this exercise will help to improve your balance and identify any imbalances in your back (if you find one side easier than the other, then you know you need to put more work in on that side).
Reps x Sets: 3×10-12 reps each side
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Advanced Kettlebell Exercises
7. Name: Turkish Get-up
How to perform:
- Grab a kettlebell in your right hand (with an overhand grip) and lay down on a mat on your back. Arrange your right arm so that your fist is pointing up towards the ceiling, your upper arm is flat on the floor, and the kettlebell is resting on the outside of your forearm. Your left knee should be bent to a 90-degree angle with your foot planted on the floor, your right leg should be extended, flat on the floor. Keep your sight focused on the bottom of the kettlebell.
- First up, press your right arm towards the ceiling so that it is vertical from the floor with the kettlebell still resting on the back of your forearm.
- Exhale and, using your left arm for assistance, bring your torso up and off the floor until you are sitting upright. Tip: Keep your arm pressed towards the ceiling throughout.
- Next, inhale and place your left arm out wide on the floor and bring your body weight across onto it. As you do so, bring your right leg around and under your body so that you are now at the bottom of a lunge.
- Exhale and elevate your body into a standing position by pressing through your right foot, and bringing your left foot forward. Remember to keep the kettlebell pressed towards the ceiling and maintain good posture throughout.
- After a brief pause, return your body back to its starting position along the same path.
How this benefits the body:
This is an extremely functional movement that challenges you in so many ways. From your shoulder stability (keeping the kettlebell up and steady) to your coordination (just remembering each movement within this exercise is a challenge), and the strength in your legs and core to get you from the floor to a standing position.
Reps x Sets: 3×8-12 each side.
8. Name: Renegade Row
How to perform:
- Place two kettlebells on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Adopt an “all-fours” position, but instead of having your hands on the floor, take hold of the kettlebells with a neutral grip (palms facing each other). Then extend your legs out behind you so that your body is suspended above the floor in a straight line, with your toes and the kettlebells being the only things touching the floor. The kettlebells should be directly below your chest so that your arms are perpendicular to the floor. Tip: make sure your feet are wide enough apart to give you a stable base when rowing.
- Whilst exhaling, row one of the kettlebells off the floor by squeezing the muscles in your back. Continue to pull until the kettlebell is close to your torso and just above hip level. Whilst you’re doing this your body will want to rotate, so make sure you keep your core engaged and press into the floor with both feet. Your other arm should be stationary in the starting position.
- After a brief pause, inhale and return the kettlebell back along the same path to the starting position.
How this benefits the body:
Like the other rowing exercises, this primarily targets your lats, but it also provides the biggest challenge for the rest of your body in terms of maintaining that plank position. Whilst you’re rowing the kettlebell the rest of your body will get fired up, working hard to stop you from falling.
Reps x Sets: 3×16-20 (8-10 each side)
9. Name: Single Arm Snatch
How to perform:
- Place the kettlebell on the floor, adopt a slightly wider than shoulder-width stance around the kettlebell, and bend down to take an overhand grip of it. Make sure your spine is in a neutral position and your opposite arm is extended outwards, ready to help you balance throughout the movement.
- To initiate the movement, raise the kettlebell off the floor slightly by extending it at the hips and knees. The kettlebell will travel upwards and create momentum which then takes it back between your legs.
- Immediately after doing this, exhale and use this power to drive through your heels, thighs, and hips to pull the kettlebell above your head until your arm is nearly locked out. As you do so, flip the kettlebell so that your palm is facing forward with the weight running down the back of your forearm.
- After a slight pause, inhale and bend at your knees and hips so that your thighs are parallel to the floor. At the same time bring the kettlebell between your legs and rotate it so you have an overhand grip (palm facing behind you). You should feel as though you are pushing your hand towards the floor to emphasize the power generated in your legs.
- After a brief pause, inhale and return the kettlebell along the same path back up snatch into the next repetition.
How this benefits the body:
This exercise challenges most of your body and requires a lot of coordination. The first half of the rep works your lower body (primarily your glutes and hamstrings, and the second half helps to build strength and stability in your shoulders. Your lower back and core are also fired up to help keep your torso from twisting.
Reps x Sets: 3×8-10 each side.
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