What’s the Best Kettlebell Workout Ever?
It’s the one that helps you achieve your workout goals fast!
Let’s face it -
Guys want a ripped body with 6 pack abs and muscular, defined shoulders and arms.
So kettlebell workouts for men will focus on packing slabs of muscle across their shoulders and arms while melting the fat off their stomach so they can show off their six packs.
And -
Women want a firm, tight butt and legs, a flat tummy, and toned arms.
So kettlebell workouts for women will focus on firming and sculpting their butts, legs, and arms without giving them that “bulky” look.
Here’s a Kettlebell Workout designed specifically for men.
(Don’t worry, if you’re a lady, scroll down for a kettlebell workout designed specifically for you.)
Here are exercises you should include in your kettlebell workout.
1. The Get Up (a.k.a. The Turkish Get Up)
2. The Clean and Press
3. The Swing
4. The Snatch
Here’s a quick rundown of how to do each kettlebell exercise.
1. The Get Up.
Legend has it that the Get Up was the Strongman’s Apprentice Exercise. The wanna-be strongman would have to work up to performing a Get Up with half his bodyweight before the Strongman would take him on as an apprentice. A fantastic benefit was a lean set of abs and broad, healthy shoulders.
Here’s a quick rundown of how you do the Get Up.
- Lie on your back on the floor.
- Roll onto your side and grab the kettlebell by the handle and then pull the kettlebell to your chest.
- Roll onto your back and press the kettlebell overhead, so your arm is perpendicular to the floor. Your opposite arm will be on the floor, 45 degrees from your body
- Bend your knee on the same side that’s holding the kettlebell. Your other leg will be straight out in front of you.
- Roll up onto your elbow by driving your opposite foot into the floor. Then roll up onto your hand.
- Lift your hips into the air and swing your straight leg underneath your body placing that knee on the floor. You will be supporting yourself on your hand and your knee.
- Straighten up your body so you are in a lunge position with the kettlebell over your head, with your elbow locked.
- Stand up from the lunge.
- To get back down to the floor, just reverse the steps.
2. The Clean And Press
This is the kettlebell version of the classic Olympic barbell lift, minus all the technicalities and sore wrists. It will pack mass on your upper body – especially in your shoulders and arms, without giving you the “manboobs” look so many other programs that focus on chest do.
Here’s a brief rundown.
- Place the kettlebell between your feet.
- Reach down and grab the kettlebell with one hand while assuming a deadlift position.
- Flatten your back and look straight ahead with your head up.
- Explode up and place the kettlebell on your the outside of your shoulder. Your fist will be facing the inside or midline of your body and the kettlebell will be resting on the back of your arm and your chest.
- From there, tighten your abs and your gluts and press the kettlebell overhead until your elbow locks out.
- To return, actively pull the kettlebell back down to your shoulder.
- Re-clean the kettlebell by swinging it back between your legs.
3. The Swing
The Swing is the one exercise that Old Time Strongman Alan Calvert said all men should do to become as strong as possible. (The stronger you are, the leaner you can get.)
Here’s how you get started -
- Stand with your feet on either side of a kettlebell. Now take one step back with each foot until the kettlebell is about arms’ length in front of you. That’s its starting position.
- Assume a deadlift position and keeping a flat back with your head up, place both hands on the kettlebell. You should feel your hamstrings stretch.
- “Hike” the kettlebell between your legs like a football keeping your elbows locked and your arms straight.
- When you feel a big stretch on your hamstrings and like the kettlebell can’t go any further, reverse the motion by standing up hard!
- The kettlebell should swing out in front of you and your arms should be straight. The kettlebell should feel like it’s floating and will become an extension of your arms.
- When the kettlebell stalls and stops moving upward (about chest level), hike the kettlebell back between your legs again. And again. And again.
4. The Snatch.
The Snatch is referred to as the “Tsar” (or King) of Kettlebell Exercises. That’s because it is the most difficult to master and produces some of the most phenomenal gains in muscularity in not only the arms and shoulders, but also the abs (via its cardiovascular nature and its ability to burn off unwanted body fat).
Here’s how to start -
- Set up just like you would the Swing
- Reach down and grab the kettlebell with one hand.
- “Hike” the kettlebell between your legs like a football while keeping your elbow locked and your arm straight.
- When you feel a big stretch on your hamstrings and like the kettlebell can’t go any further, reverse the motion by standing up hard!
- As the kettlebell swings out in front of you, bend your elbow and guide the kettlebell up into the air.
- Think about punching the ceiling so the kettlebell rolls around your hand and lands gently on the back of your wrist.
- Fix the kettlebell over your head with a straight elbow.
- To do another rep, toss the kettlebell down between your legs – aim for your groin and get out of the way at the last minute.
- Snatch the kettlebell again and again and again, while maintaining great form.
If you’ve never used kettlebells before and want to hack some fat off your waistline and start seeing your abs, check out this kettlebell workout for beginners. It’s by Pavel, the guy who started the whole Russian Kettlebell Revolution. As you can see, he’s got the physique you want.
If you have used kettlebells before and want an advanced fat-burning kettlebell workout that will help you get those 6-pack abs and muscular upper body, check out this kettlebell workout.
Kettlebell Exercises For Women
Here’s a specifically designed Kettlebell Workout for women.
1. The Get Up
2. The Press
3. The Swing
4. The Snatch
5. The Single Leg Deadlift
1. The Get Up
The Get Up is a great kettlebell exercise for women. It targets the abs and the back of the arms without overstressing the shoulders. And because there is a lunge component to it, it’s great for tightening the butt and the legs.
Here’s a quick rundown of how you do the Get Up.
- Lie on your back on the floor.
- Roll onto your side and grab the kettlebell by the handle and then pull the kettlebell to your chest.
- Roll onto your back and press the kettlebell overhead, so your arm is perpendicular to the floor. Your opposite arm will be on the floor, 45 degrees from your body
- Bend your knee on the same side that’s holding the kettlebell. Your other leg will be straight out in front of you.
- Roll up onto your elbow by driving your opposite foot into the floor. Then roll up onto your hand.
- Lift your hips into the air and swing your straight leg underneath your body placing that knee on the floor. You will be supporting yourself on your hand and your knee.
- Straighten up your body so you are in a lunge position with the kettlebell over your head, with your elbow locked.
- Stand up from the lunge.
- To get back down to the floor, just reverse the steps.
2. The Press.
The Press is one of the best kettlebell exercises for women because it helps get rid of that “flabby arm” area – by tightening up the triceps. One of the reasons traditional triceps exercises don’t work as well as the Press is because the triceps is what’s called a “fast-twitch” muscle group. It tightens up the best by using heavier weights. The Press lets you do just that.
Here’s how you do it.
- Clean the kettlebell to your shoulder. (See above.)
- Tighten your abs and squeeze your gluts together.
- Then squeeze the kettlebell and press it overhead in a straight line.
- Finish the motion by locking your elbow at the top.
- Return the kettlebell to the shoulder by pulling it down instead of letting it fall down.
3. The Swing
The Swing is one of the All-Time Greatest Kettlebell Exercises ever for your butt!
No kidding! It will tighten and lift your butt better than virtually any other exercise! And, it will help you get your cardio in, forcing your body to shed fat and giving you the flat stomach you’ve always dreamed of.
Here’s how you do it -
- Stand with your feet on either side of a kettlebell. Now take one step back with each foot until the kettlebell is about arms’ length in front of you. That’s its starting position.
- Assume a deadlift position and keeping a flat back with your head up, place both hands on the kettlebell. You should feel your hamstrings stretch.
- “Hike” the kettlebell between your legs like a football keeping your elbows locked and your arms straight.
- When you feel a big stretch on your hamstrings and like the kettlebell can’t go any further, reverse the motion by standing up hard!
- The kettlebell should swing out in front of you and your arms should be straight. The kettlebell should feel like it’s floating and will become an extension of your arms.
- When the kettlebell stalls and stops moving upward (about chest level), hike the kettlebell back between your legs again. And again. And again.
4. The Snatch.
The Kettlebell Snatch is one of the best kettlebell exercises for burning calories – which is exactly what we want when we’re trying to burn off the fat on your stomach, hips, and thighs. Not only that, it helps define your shoulders and arms, helping you get rid of flabby arms.
Here’s how you get started -
- Set up just like you would the Swing
- Reach down and grab the kettlebell with one hand.
- “Hike” the kettlebell between your legs like a football while keeping your elbow locked and your arm straight.
- When you feel a big stretch on your hamstrings and like the kettlebell can’t go any further, reverse the motion by standing up hard!
- As the kettlebell swings out in front of you, bend your elbow and guide the kettlebell up into the air.
- Think about punching the ceiling so the kettlebell rolls around your hand and lands gently on the back of your wrist.
- Fix the kettlebell over your head with a straight elbow.
- To do another rep, toss the kettlebell down between your legs – aim for your groin and get out of the way at the last minute.
- Snatch the kettlebell again and again and again, while maintaining great form.
5. The Single Leg Deadlift
For stubborn, saggy gluts, this is one kettlebell exercise that is hard to beat. That’s because all the emphasis is on each each individual glut making it work to its maximum. This can be tough on your balance, which will also make the rest of the muscles in your leg work, making them work and get tighter too!
- Place a kettlebell inside your foot by your instep.
- Fold at your hips, lift your opposite leg in the air behind you, and reach down and grab the kettlebell handle with your opposite hand.
- Looking straight ahead, squeeze the kettlebell handle, push your foot through the floor, and stand up. The kettlebell should finish by your side.
- To repeat, simply push your hips back and reverse the motion.
- insert videos
These are some great exercises for women. And here is a phenomenal kettlebell workout for women that goes into all the specifics for each exercise, includes a couple more, and provides 3 different kettlebell routines for you to follow along with.
As you can see, the “Best Darn Kettlebell Workout Ever” is really dependent on each individual – man or woman – their confidence and competence level with the kettlebell, and their goals – the key is to start where you are!
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