Kettlebell Exercises and Kettlebell Workout Routines
I recently started incorporating kettlebell exercises into my workout routine. If you want to add a little variety and ramp up fat burning, I’d highly recommend utilizing kettlebell workout routines. So, why should you start using kettlebells? Because they’re great for increasing strength, losing body fat, and improving your cardiovascular health. What more could you want out of a piece of equipment? Another benefit I’ve found is that one-arm kettlebell exercises have helped me even out the strength between my arms.
What is a kettlebell?
As you can see from the picture, a kettlebell is a cannonball with a handle. For some, the initial reaction to kettlebell workout routines is that you can perform the same exercises with dumbbells or a barbell. In my recent experience, I’ve found the kettlebell provides a slightly different workout than either though. It lies in the fact that you hold the handle to perform exercises which means the weight is distributed differently than a dumbbell or barbell. This slightly unique factor has made training with them more challenging than expected.
What size kettlebell to get?
A good weight for guys to start with is 35lbs (16kg). More advanced men could go as high as 53lbs or 70lbs, but I’d recommend starting lower and working on your form before advancing too quickly. Women can start with 18lbs. Again, more advanced women could start as high as 26lbs or 35lbs. In my opinion, the best place to get kettlebells is from Dragon Door. However, you might consider starting with a lower quality kettlebell until you find the proper weight to use.
Kettlebell Exercises
If you’ve never trained with kettlebells before, Pavel Tsatsouline’s Enter the Kettlebell is almost required reading. He reviews details about the proper way to lift a kettlebell, safety tips, and how to avoid injury. That’s before getting to the detailed descriptions of kettlebell exercises and kettlebell workout routines.
Here’s a breakdown between the fundamental kettlebell exercises as well as some others I’ve incorporated into my kettlebell workout routine that are separate from Pavel’s recommendations.
Fundamental Kettlebell Exercises:
- Swing: this one will really work your glutes and is one of the best conditioning exercises around. Kettlebell swings done for high reps could easily replace a cardio program.
- Get Up: just like it sounds, the goal is to lay on your back and get up while holding a kettlebell above your head…and then lay back down. Personally, I love this exercise and am amazed at how much more challenging it is for my left arm than my right.
- Clean
- Military press
- Snatch: start with a kettlebell swing and use your upper back to pull the weight above your head
Assorted Kettlebell Exercises:
- Sots press: in a full squat position, perform a military press
- Bent over row
- Floor press: basically a one-arm bench press while laying on the floor
This is the extent of exercises I perform but you could easily do other exercises that you would normally perform with dumbbells such as squats or curls.
Kettlebell Workout Routines
Kettlebells on their own can constitute a full body workout routine. They provide all you need to train for strength as well as stamina. However, I include them as part of my broader workout routine. As such, I just perform a single circuit using the one-arm variation of the kettlebell exercises listed above. I perform 5-10 reps with 30 seconds of rest between exercises. I challenge my muscles but avoid failure. I am always sweating and out of breath after this simple 10 minute circuit. I like to switch between pulling and pushing exercises to allow my individual muscles more rest time.
Here is the exact circuit I perform:
- Snatch
- Sots Press
- Swing
- Floor Press
- Clean
- Military Press
- Row
- Get Up
Again, if you want a more complete kettlebell workout routine, Enter the Kettlebell offers specifics on what exercises to perform on light, moderate, and heavy days and how to increase your overall strength.
Alternatively, if you’re focused on using kettlebells for fat loss, then you could check out TT Kettlebell Revolution which combines non-competing supersets with kettlebell exercises to generate a high intensity fat burning workout.
Give Kettlebell Workouts a Try
Do yourself a favor and go buy a kettlebell. I put this off for a long time but now I can’t imagine my workout without one. I never realized how effective kettlebell exercises could really be. Given all their benefits, a case could easily be made to drop all other weight training and cardio and focus exclusively on kettlebell workout routines. I’m not at that point yet, but kettlebells have added great variety to my routine and are certainly helping me get stronger and leaner.
Related posts:
- Workout Routines for Beginners: Strength Training Exercises
- Pushing Exercises & Pulling Exercises
- Circuit Training Exercises and Circuit Weight Training Workout Routines
- Hotel Room Workout Routine: Use Bodyweight Circuit Training and Other Travel Exercises to Stay in Shape Away From Home
- Functional Strength Training Workout Routine: Compound Exercises to Improve Real World Movements
Posted in Best Workout Routines
Hey Dave, nice post. I used to think kettlebells were kinds like little pink dumbbells, good for show but not much else. I am a total convert now, though.
I think the swing is a fantastic glute and core exercise. The problem is you have to do it right and make sure the arc is correct. I had lousy form and got lousy results. I second your recommendation for Pavel.
Hi Dave,
My dad won’t stop talking about Kettle Bells. He has been asking me to write something on my site about it, but I haven’t really used them yet myself. I will send him here for sure.
He started a program called Kettle Works. I haven’t really reserached the program, but he is the leanest and most toned he have ever been in his life and he is over 55 yrs old! Pretty powerful stuff. Great Post.
Cheers,
Jordan
Cool post on KB, Pavel is awesome!
When I little time to train I do Swings and Get Ups and I virtually done a complete workout.
I highly recommend anybody to include these into your training no matter what your goals are.
I started with using dumbbells which work OK too but KB are the way to go.
Raymond
Dave,
I recently started kettlebell training as well. Right now, I’m just doing the basics. I got a 35 lb and I do swings and get ups once a week. It amazes me everytime how wiped out I get from just doing one set. Kettlebells really are a great strength and cardio workout and will definitely help add some variety to your routine.
Alykhan
Wayne,
I had a hard time coming around to them as well but I think it will turn out to be one of my best purchases.
Jordan,
It’s awesome that you’re dad uses kettlebells. Great for any age I guess. And why not! Good for him!
Raymond,
Pavel is definitely the man when it comes to kettlebells. I’d agree that swings and get ups are go-to exercises. I can’t believe how challenging get ups are. I think it would be difficult to effectively do swings with dumbbells.
Alykhan,
I was a bit surprised at well when I first did the routine outlined in the post. It’s less than 10 minutes and I’m dripping in sweat after. These will be a staple of my program for a long time.
Dave
I’ve done a bit of kettlebells in my Crossfit workouts, they are extremely effective and give kind of a different type of resistance than dumbbells.
I definitely recommend them. Personally I wouldn’t make them the foundation of my workout routine, but they are a nice addition to it.
Dave,
I bought some kettlebells and Pavel’s book “Enter The Kettlebell”. All of Pavel’s stuff is top notch! I really like KB’s for some what of a change to my normal training. I like swings and get ups the best. I do this one routine from that girl from Bodyrock. It is one armed swings and 20 burpees, one arm swings and 19 burpees, repeat all the way down to 10 burpees non stop. It is really kick ass! I don’t care if it is from a girl’s routine, she is amazing and this routine will tear you up!
-Kelly
I started doing kettlebell workouts close to a year ago as I was trying to experiment with different workouts for lower body. These little pieces of equipment really gave me a beating as it worked on my conditioning as well as my muscle building with my lower body.
I know a lot of people put them down and make it seem like kettlebells are ancient and useless but quite the opposite is true. Sometimes small back to basics approaches can do a lot for our bodies.
-Sam
I don’t know….I guess am just not a kettlebell person. Though i have tried it a couple of times maybe its just that I didn’t give it a chance or the wrong state of mind. I used to think the same way about HIIT so I might give it a try using one of your recommended routines.
@ Kelly – Zuzana’s workouts on BodyRock.tv are just crazy and she is in excellent shape.
@ Sam – Are you still doing the workouts? If so how is the progession?
- Thomas
Hey Dave,
Congrats on getting your kettlebell workout program started
It was instant love ever since I started using them last year. I agree that they’re excellent for fat loss, strength training and cardiovascular conditioning. My favorite kettlebell exercises are (1) the swing (both the 2 hand & single arm), and (2) the single arm clean & press.
I started my program with a much lighter weight (it was a bruise to my ego, but I’m glad I did) than you suggested here because I wanted to focus on learning/applying proper form. My recommendation to anyone getting started with kettlebells is to learn/use correct form.
Ray
Thomas,
I wouldn’t underestimate kettlebells. Give them some time to grow on you. I think they’re great as a conditioning component of a workout.
Ray,
I think kettlebells will be part of my training for a long time. Both kettlebell exercises you mentioned are great. For some exercises, I probably should have started a little lower but I was too cheap. I wanted to get one kettlebell that I could use now and for the future. Maybe I’ll advance but I feel like the 35lb will always come in handy whereas I thought I’d outgrow the others too quickly.
Dave
I can’t say enough good things about Kettlebell training. Unlike the majority, I’ve been using KBs for some time now and I must say it is by far the most effective fitness tool I’ve ever come across. The muscle-building + fat-shearing combination you get with KBs simply cannot be matched by any other form of training.
Srdjan,
Excellent to hear that you’ve made it a long term training tool. I hope to do the same.
Dave
Dave,
Great post as usual. I’ve been using kettlebells for a couple of months now and have seen great benefits. I like the 35 pound one the best. They really work great when you incorporate them into a circuit routine (swings, squat and press, etc) because they use the whole body – which burns more fat while building muscle.
Cheers,
Tim D
Tim,
I agree about the circuit benefits. I’m usually dripping in sweat after a good kettlebell workout done in circuit fashion.
Dave
Strength secret of the soviet union! Haha…
I definately think kettlebells are becoming more popular, even Lance Armstrong is using them now!
Sam,
Pavel can be a little over the top…needless to say, he offers some stellar advice on using kettlebells. They are becoming more popular and I think that’s a good thing.
Dave
I never paid much attention to kettlebells because they seemed like a ‘guy thing’. But then a friend of mine introduced me to them and she’s super lean and fit. She swore by these kettlebells. So I gave it a try. I was totally hooked. My favorite is the swing. You can feel all the muscles in your core trying to stablize your body as the weight goes up above your head. It has really shaped up my torso and arms too. My upper arms have never been this toned. I do them twice a week. I downloaded a bunch of kettlebells workouts from a few sites and I switch them up for variety. Right now I’m up to 15 lbs. – I’m working my way up to 20 lbs. soon, I hope. But it’s funny how many people still don’t know about them. Thanks for the very informative article.
Toni,
Kettlebells are certainly a great exercise for both men and women. The swing and snatch are excellent full body potions. The intensity of the exercise combined with the resistance combined with the cardiovascular component make them ideal for getting lean and toned. Hope you get to 20lbs soon!
Dave
I recently starting doing my kettlebell circuit in the early morning (like 6 am) whereas I did it at night before.
I know I’m not supposed to perform a strength training routine in a fasted state so what should I do – have a little something like a banana or cottage cheese then do my kettlebells then eat breakfast a little later? Is that sufficient? What do you suggest? Oh and my kettlebells are done on my non-IF days too.
Toni,
There’s nothing wrong with performing strength training in a fasted state. I personally can’t do it in the morning because I don’t feel like my joints are loose enough to put forth the required effort. If you can perform the workout without eating anything before, go for it. You could try BCAAs as well if you don’t mind supplements. Otherwise, either get some protein in you or eat breakfast and exercise 2-3 hours later. I’d try to avoid carbs right before a workout unless you’re training for muscle size.
Dave
I was talking to a friend of mine and she said that three sessions of cardio weekly was eating away at my muscle (the little of it that I have) and told me I should be focusing more on strength training – kettlebells at this point since I’m in maintenance mode.
This has me a little worried. I can’t completely cut cardio from the equation since heart disease runs in my family. What if I did two steady state cardio sessions and four kettlebells sessions weekly instead of the three and three I’m currently doing?
And another question: sometimes it’s been way too cold to run (don’t have cold-weather gear) so I’ve been doing the ‘Crazy 8′ body weight circuit in place of my morning run, does this count as cardio or strength training?
And I forgot to add that obviously, I’d switch the kettlebell routine around (I have three that I do regularly) so as not to overwork the same body parts a few days in a row so my muscles properly rest and recover.
Toni,
I can tell from your blog and questions that you’re a little nervous about the whole maintenance mode thing. This is your chance to give your body a little recovery time while still staying within striking distance of your ideal weight.
As for muscle loss, if you’re doing strength training and eating enough calories, you don’t need to be concerned about cardio eating away at muscle. As for your routine, I think 3 kettlebell sessions per week combined with 2 days of steady state cardio would work. You could even do more intense cardio if you feel like…depending on how much the kettlebells work your legs. If you’re doing swings then you might just want to stick with steady state. Both kettlebell circuits and the crazy 8 circuit are cardio routines. They just add resistance allowing you to maintain muscle mass and forcing you to put in more of an effort.
In general, it depends on your schedule, but I think 5 days of exercise per week is plenty. Maybe you take weekends off and spend time playing outside with the kids. Just don’t worry too much…if you like being 117lbs, then maybe you tweak your routine a bit if you suddenly find yourself at 120+lbs.
Dave
Dave,
Geesh, I’m that easy to read, huh? Anyway, understand that this is the first time EVER that I’ve gotten to this point in the “journey” – maintenance, that is. I’ve always quit before I got this far and honestly, I have absolutely no idea how the heck I got to this somewhat decent fitness level (sad as that is to admit) – a lot of trial and error on my part.
Five days a week of formal exercise sounds much more doable during the school year since my ‘me time’ is severely limited, obviously. And spending extra time with my kids is always nice.
And I’m giving myself ‘permission’ to stay within three lbs. of my weight – 117-120 lbs. to allow for normal daily fluctuations. I’m really trying not to get too obsessive over the scale; as long as my skinny jeans still fit…I’m good to go.
Thanks for offering your perspective.
Toni,
Sounds like you’re taking the right approach. Worry about how your clothes fit rather than the scale. Some weeks you might only be able to exercise 4 days per week. That’s fine as well. The important thing is that you know you “can” get back into great shape, especially if you stay within a reasonable striking distance.
Dave
Are kettlebells better than free weights or just different b/c you use the momentum of the weight via the swing as opposed to a slow and controlled movement with the dumbbell? Just wondering.
And another question (kind of related): is it okay if you cannot do the recommended number of reps with dumbbells at first but are able to only complete like half but with good form? When it comes to any exercise with dumbbells lying on my back and trying to work my chest muscles, I can only do like half the set. I don’t want to do the whole set but have the movements be choppy or sloppy – that would negate the whole point. I figure that doing half is better as long as I’m executing proper form, right? My chest and shoulder muscles are my weakest link. My arms…not as much as I thought.
Toni,
Kettlebells are just different. In my opinion, they allow a better range of motion though due to the handle. Having the weight at the bottom results in different muscle utilization as well relative to DBs. You can actually do swings with DBs if you want. Kettlebells just feel more natural.
For reps, what do you mean by half the set? You mean you try to do 10 reps and can only complete 5? If so, then you can either reduce the weight and try to do more reps or just accept that it’s a 5 rep routine. Overall, I’d focus on keeping good form and probably avoiding complete failure if strength is your goal.
Dave
Sorry, yes, to clarify, I would say do 5 reps as opposed to 10 reps but keep good form. I don’t want to reduce the weight – that would make me feel like I was going backwards. I’ve been avoiding complete failure b/c my ultimate goal is indeed strength. Looks like I’m on the right track. Thanks for clearing that up.
Toni,
Sounds like you’re doing the right thing. Keep it up.
Dave
Dave,
I’ve been thinking about doing a kettlebell challenge that I found on a site. It’s a challenge to do 100 swings for 30 days. I really want to kick my goal of losing a bit of body fat while improving my posterior chain into high gear in preparation for summer. Anyway, besides not keeping a watchful eye on my calories for the month which would result in me maybe losing more than body fat (which is not what I want), are they are potential risks? Can you train too much with kettlebells? I would still continue with the program I’m doing now just do the 100 swings as an add-on at the end when I do workout and then as a standalone workout on off days. What do you think? Is is too much or should I take the challenge?
~Toni
Toni,
I’m not a huge fan of month long challenges but I’m sure you would feel a nice sense of accomplishment upon competing it. My opinion is that 30 straight days of that many kettlebell swings could very easily result in torching your body and leading to overtraining…meaning less muscle mass and more fat retention. That being said, if you can easily do 100 kettlebell swings on a regular basis, then this might not be an issue. More than likely, it would also impact the effectiveness of your current workout routine since swings do utilize multiple muscles. In other words, you wouldn’t be resting very much between workout days and you’d have no true day off for your muscles to completely recover. All that being said, if you’re feeling competitive, give it a shot. If you’re going for an optimal appearance, I’d probably shy away.
Dave
Dave,
I definitely am a competitive person but not at the risk of flushing all my hard work for the last six months or so down the drain. I do almost 100 swings a couple of times a week already so I’m quite capable of performing that many reps as my endurance is good but I don’t want to squash my energy with my program I’m doing now so I think I’ll err on the side of caution. The thing that made me seriously think about doing the challenge is I was reading some testimonials from mostly women who said their glutes never looked so good after the thirty days. It’s hard not to get sucked into wanting something *right now*; my impatient comes through sometimes.
~Toni
Toni,
I don’t think you’d destroy all your hard work from the past six months…I just think you’re better off sticking with your current plan. The other alternative is to scrap the plan you’re on and just focus on kettlebell swings. Or at least eliminate all other leg training and possibly even lighter up the arm training (depending on how heavy your kettlebell is and how much pulling action you use).
Dave
Dave,
I don’t know if my KB would be considered heavy as it’s only 25lbs. Anyway, I’m glad I asked because I didn’t really know if training that extensively with KB’s for one month straight carried any real risk. Upon further thought, I’ll just stick with what I’m doing. No sense in upsetting the apple cart, right?
~Toni
BTW, just wondering what you think of “The Glute Guy” aka Bret Contreras? I was thinking of doing his program which is very glute-centric (obviously) after I’m done with the NROL4W and before I do the NROL4Abs. I think it’s like six weeks and promises to get your posterior chain in good shape. He seems to be fairly knowledgable from what I’ve seen and read. Curious as to what your thoughts on him and his glute training were.
Toni,
I don’t honestly know much about The Glute Guy…building my glutes has never been a huge goal of mine. He’s certainly offering a comprehensive resource…675 pages is a ridiculous amount of info, hopefully not too much to process. If you decide to do his program, let me know what you think.
Dave
Dave,
I’m thinking of training exclusively with KB’s over the summer as I won’t have time for a real structured program. Do you write programs for people based on their goals and time? I’m still on the fence about what I’m going to do come April when I finish my program. I just wondered if that was something that you would/could do. Hoping you can help…
~Toni
Toni,
If you’re looking for a quick program, I’d recommend constructing a kettlebell circuit. I’d be happy to work with you. You can keep it simple and still get some good fat burning effects. Let me know if you want help putting something together.
Dave
Thanks. Like I said, I’m still undecided at this point. If I do decide to go that route, I’ll email you with more details – stats, where I’m at strength-wise, what I hope to accomplish, etc., etc. At least I know it’s something that you could help me with.
Toni,
Always happy to help.
Dave