Kettlebell workouts - 11 of the best!

 

Kettlebell exercises that will blast fat and tone up!

Standing pull-up with kettlebell

Stand with feet apart and imagine pulling your kneecaps up to engage your quads; tighten your abs and your gluteus.

Start with the weight at the bottom with straight arms, then pull up with elbows coming out, keeping tension with arms and chest and feel the squeeze in your shoulders.

Hold at the top then lower the weight back to start position in a controlled movement. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Workout from WHF Head Trainer Nikki Fogden-Moore.

Kettlebell mountain climbers

How to:
Get in push-up position with each hand on a kettlebell, feet hip-distance apart. 

Bracing your core and keeping hips down in line with the rest of your body, drive one knee as high as you can in towards your chest.

Return, switch legs and repeat for number of reps.

Kneeling on a bench with one foot on the floor, adjust your posture so your spine is straight and shoulders even; it’s a good idea to make sure your neck is in line with your spine and your core is braced.

Pick up a kettlebell off the floor and grip the handle tightly, keeping your arm tucked in close to the body. Row upwards with your elbow pointing towards the ceiling; think about squeezing your upper back and visualise pinching your shoulder blades together. Then, lower the kettlebell back to the starting position. Perform 10 to 12 reps and repeat this 3 times on each side. Watch video demo>>

Triceps extension with kettlebell

FOCUS: Abs, and triceps

How to

Stand with one foot in front of the other for a good, stable position. Shoulders are back and abs engaged. It helps to activate the thighs, so imagine ‘pulling’ your kneecaps upwards, which gives you strong legs at the same time.

Grasp the kettlebell or weight with both hands, bring it overhead, keep elbows tight and lower the weight behind your head, then bring back to the top.

Repeat this 15 times and then return to the start position.

Keep a tension on the flex and extension of this exercise – i.e. don’t let the kettlebell or weight fall back too quickly. Keeping your elbows in will ensure you can isolate the triceps.

Start by taking an excessively wide stance. The more your feet are apart, the more you activate your glute muscles and not your quads (front of thighs).

Point your feet to 45 degrees away from your body. Holding the kettlebell in front of you (arms should not be flexed), with your core engaged and your back kept straight, bend your knees and send your hips backwards, lowering your body and the kettlebell as far as you can without compromising your posture. Try to get the weight all the way to the ground without actually touching it.

Rise back to your starting stance, squeezing your butt at the top of the movement. That’s one rep.

Aim for 4 sets and 15 reps.

Added challenge: Superset this exercise with 10 reps of jump squats after each set. Using no weight, do the exact same movement but when rising from the squat, jump into the air, bringing your feet off the ground.

Start with the weight or kettlebell to the right side, feet shoulder-width apart and abs on. Take a long step forward into a lunge position with your thigh at 90 degrees, parallel to the floor. Take care that your knee is not over your toe.

Next, press the kettlebell/weight above your shoulder in a controlled movement, breathing out as you do this, then return the weight to the hips and step back with feet shoulder-width apart. Repeat on the other side.

Master this first before you go for speed and twists or advanced techniques.

Plank with one-arm press

Get into a plank position, eyes facing down and each hand resting on a kettlebell.

Keeping your back straight and your glutes tight, pull one kettlebell up toward your body in a row. 

Squeeze at the top of the movement then return to the start position and switch sides.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and, keeping your weight on one foot, take a big step back with your other leg, crossing it behind your left leg (as if about to do a ‘curtsy’).

Bend your knees and lower your body straight down until your front thigh is parallel to the floor, and both knees are bent at 90 degrees. Be sure to keep your core tight the entire time to stabilise yourself. Rise back up into your starting position and do the same thing with the other leg.

Your toes should be pointed straight ahead the entire time, and keep your knee over your ankle to avoid injury.

Aim for 4 sets of 12 reps (per leg)

ADDED CHALLENGE: Superset this exercise with 20 reps of mountain climbers after each set.

Windmill

Focus: Legs, stability, shoulders, core 
and agility

How to

Starting with the shoulder press exercise, you add two movements for a windmill affect. Once  you have performed a clean and press, turn your feet on an angle and, keeping both arms straight, lock the elbow. Weighted arm goes top and other arm to the ground, forming a diagonal shape like a windmill.Once again, the slower you start, the better.

This is a great exercise but should not be rushed as it uses the lower back and the twist motion gets the obliques fired up. Look straight ahead – not at the floor – as you do this exercise to keep your spine in line. Breathe in to come up, exhale at the top and come back to the clean and shoulder press.

Workout from Nikki Fogden-Moore

Improve your strength and muscle definition with this kettlebell workout. Watch video demonstrationfor step-by-step.

Kettlebell renogade row

Hold a plank position with your hands on the dumbbells or kettlebells.

Keep your feet wide and your shoulders directly over the bells. Alternating arms, pull one elbow back like a one-arm row, lifting the bell off the ground and keeping your core embraced.

Lower the bell back to the ground before repeating with the other arm. Take this exercise nice and slow as it’s quite complex and requires a lot of balance and co- ordination.

Level 1 can perform this exercise without the dumbbells, just bring your hand up to your hip, holding a nice, tight plank.