Full Body Kettlebell Workout

This full-body kettlebell workout is for beginners, intermediate, and advanced. The workout can be completed with one kettlebell and two hands, one kettlebell and one hand, or two kettlebells.

 

What is a full-body workout?

You can create a full-body workout by going through the muscle groups one by one and working them in isolation, or you can work with compound movements that involve multiple muscle groups with one exercise. Both have their own benefits. This workout focuses on the following compound exercises:

  • Kettlebell swing
  • Kettlebell front squat
  • Kettlebell overhead press
  • Kettlebell overhead reverse lunge

 

Kettlebell swing muscles used

To give you an idea of what a compound exercise involves in regards to muscles, I’m going to use the kettlebell swing as an example.

Forearm:

  • Flexor digitorum superficialis
  • Flexor digitorum profundus
  • Flexor digit minimi brevis
  • Lumbricals

Back:

  • Rhomboideus minor
  • Rhomboideus major
  • Lower trapezius
  • Levator scapulae
  • Latissimus dorsi
  • Iliocostalis
  • Longissimus
  • Spinalis

Upper legs:

  • Bicep femoris (long head)
  • Semitendinosus
  • Semimembranosus
  • Adductor magnus
  • Gracilis
  • Sartorius
  • Gluteus maximus

Lower legs:

  • Gastrocnemius
  • Soleus
  • Popliteus

This is keeping it simple, there are many more muscles used. You do have to keep in mind that there is a difference between prime-movers and stabilizers, but for now, let’s keep it basic.

 

Full body workout

I’m going to use our World Kettlebell Video Project as an example of a good simple full-body kettlebell workout.

 

Beginners Workouts

Dead start

  • 5 x kettlebell swings
  • 5 x kettlebell front squats
  • 5 x kettlebell shoulder presses
  • 3 / 3 x kettlebell reverse lunges and twist
    (or just hold the kettlebell without twisting)

2 rounds followed by 1-minute of rest and repeat 6 times, or 1 round followed by 30 seconds rest and repeat 12 times.
See the video here: https://youtu.be/piIQjZ-a7Mw?t=52s or below

 

Intermediate Workout

Dead start

  • 5 x kettlebell swings
  • 5 x kettlebell squats
  • 5 x kettlebell presses
  • 5 x kettlebell overhead reverse lunges
    (alternative racked reverse lunge)

Switch or dead start and do the other side, both sides equal one round
2 rounds followed by 30 seconds of rest and repeat 12 times
See the video here: https://youtu.be/piIQjZ-a7Mw?t=2m44s or below

 

Advanced Workout

Work with double kettlebell
Dead start

  • 5 x kettlebell swings
  • 5 x kettlebell squats
  • 5 x kettlebell press
  • 3 / 3 x kettlebell overhead reverse lunges

Complete 12 rounds
See the video here: https://youtu.be/piIQjZ-a7Mw?t=6m22s or below

 

That’s the workout, you can see many more details of the clean transitions used in the following 60-minute video on kettlebell cleans.

 

Can you do a full-body workout with kettlebells?

Absolutely! Kettlebells are great to get a full-body workout in. You can even perform split workouts with the kettlebell. Basically, anything you can do with any other exercise equipment you can do with the kettlebell but more. Kettlebell combos and complexes are also great to work the full body with the kettlebell but you can also use flows and juggling. I’ll post a few awesome examples below.

Kettlebell Combo Workout

The Forty Saints kettlebell combo.

The RAMSAR kettlebell combo.

And last but not least, the kettlebell flow LUKOVA.

 

How often should I do a full-body kettlebell workout?

The generic answer is: as often as the body allows. The more detailed answer is that it depends on how heavy the kettlebells are, how many reps in a set, how long you work out for, what other activities you do, and most importantly, how conditioned you already are. If the workout is very taxing, then anywhere between 2 and 3 times a week, again, it depends on many other factors, but as a generic answer without context and details, this is how many times you should do a full-body kettlebell workout per week.

The opposite of a full-body workout is a kettlebell split workout like our Prometheus Phase II which is a 4-day split workout (but can also be used as 3 or 6 days) for strength. Each day targets specific parts of the body and then allows several days of recovery before hitting them again in the following week. But, the program can also be done as a 6-day split in which case it hits each body part/muscle group twice a week.

References: Split or full-body workout routine: which is best to increase muscle strength and hypertrophy?; What are the Benefits of Full Body Workouts vs Split?; How Many Times A Week Should You Work Out?

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