Kettlebell workouts are fun. Maybe it is the brightly colored kettlebell weights or maybe it’s because it’s easy to see the progression. Either way, I have loved learning more about these type of weights.
Here are some of my favorite kettlebell workouts for building strength.
The kettlebell swing is probably my favorite of the kettlebell exercises. I like this workout because I can feel it strengthen my hamstrings and glutes… that’s one place that definitely needs it from all the couch time and computer time I end up doing during a normal day.
If you’ve never worked with kettlebells before, I highly recommend you work with a personal trainer to make sure your form is correct! It would be easy to strain your back if you weren’t doing it right.
This applies to any kettlebell workout routine. Knowing the correct form will save you from injury! The same goes for kettlebell deadlifts or clean & press.
I think that the trick of a good kettlebell swing is to bend at the hips when you swing your kettlebell. The swings go all the way, back between your legs and then snap hips forward. After you get accustomed to this exercise, some trainers have challenged me to add one arm swings version by switching arms. I remember the first time I did it! I really was not trusting that the centrifugal force would work and I worried that I would throw the weight!
High plank doesn’t seem like a Kettlebell workout. This one is good for the core. I like to pick a light kettle bell and then slide it underneath me without moving any other part of my body but my arm.
At first I struggled with halo’s and kept bumping it on my head. Not fun. But with a little practice I got better at it!
The goblet squat is a great way to increase your challenge from a regular squat.
Although he may have worked up to his goal in this Christmas ad featuring a kettlebell, I would not recommend starting with a real heavy kettlebell on a challenging exercise. Nor do I use kettlebells that are all one black color. A one color set of kettlebells would take away a lot of the motivation for me.
I like to get ideas from NerdFitness and of course, Nia Shank, who was a guest on our podcast. Here’s an oldie but goodie kettlebell circuit.
I’m lucky at my gym that there are colorful kettlebells. I think it’s a nice thing of using colorful kettlebells of varying weights. You can work up from the yellow to the green to the blue to the purple. The colors are a real incentive for me. I can tell at a glance I’m improving or just staying the same.
