The top 5 best kettlebell workouts are:
From beginner to advanced, from single kettlebell workouts to double kettlebell, from cardio to strength, from short to long, these are the top 5 best kettlebell workouts.
1) The Pace Maker Kettlebell Workout
This is a super intense kettlebell workout performed with one kettlebell and is often confused with the word Pacemaker. It certainly raises the heart rate so high that you might need one of those but the real reason for the name is that you need to work on pacing as the objective is to finish the whole 18-minute workout without putting the weight down.
This is not a beginner workout, but the program that explains everything in detail is designed to progress from nothing to someone fit enough to complete the whole workout.
Workout Details
30 seconds single arm swings on one side
30 seconds single arm swings on the other side
30 seconds full snatch on one side
30 seconds full snatch on the other side
30 seconds overhead reverse lunge on one side
30 seconds overhead reverse lunge on the other side
Repeat for 6 rounds (makes a total of 18 minutes)
Do not put the weight down.
Finish with 2 minutes of push-ups (making it a 20-minute workout)
The full program comes with the protocol, tracker, instructional and follow-along videos plus a whole lot more to progress with this routine. It also explain how to work up to completing the full 18 minutes without putting the weight down, which comes down to pacing, breathing, overhead resting position, and so on.
2) Prometheus Phase II Strength Workout
This is a 4-day split kettlebell workout designed for strength and hypertrophy and requires more than one heavy kettlebell. Although beginners certainly should start at the lower end and can work with this using one kettlebell. The workout targets different bodyparts each day.
The program that comes with this has follow-along videos and instructional kettlebell videos so that anyone can understand it and easily follow along.
Workout Details
Kettlebell weight 70 to 80% of your 1RM.
Day 1, Legs and Shoulders
8 × double kettlebell strict front press
8 × double kettlebell floor chest press
3 × 20 seconds double kettlebell overhead hold with step-outs (stabilizers)
12 × single kettlebell swing high pull each side
2 to 5 minutes of active recovery
6 × single kettlebell side press on each side
8 × double kettlebell floor chest press
6 × bottoms-up press (stabilizers) on each side
12 × single kettlebell swing high pull each side
2 to 5 minutes of active recovery
8 × double kettlebell floor chest press
8 × double kettlebell jerk into a slow eccentric down phase
6 × armbar (stabilizers) each side
12 × single kettlebell swing high pull each side
2 to 5 minutes of active recovery
2 to 4 rounds (45, 60, to 90 minutes of work)
Day 2, Legs
8 × racked squats
8 × calf raises
8 × stiff-legged deadlifts
6 × racked Curtsy lunges (each side)
8 × sumo deadlifts
3 × 3 sets of racked in-place lunges (each side)
2 to 5 minutes of active recovery
2 to 4 rounds (45, 60, to 90 minutes of work)
Day 3, Back and Abs
8 × single-arm bent-over narrow dead rows (each side)
8 × kettlebell crunch into a sit-up
8 × single-arm bent-over hybrid to wide dead rows (each side)
8 × side bend (each side)
8 × Jefferson curl
8 × low Spiderman plank (left+right = 2)
8 × ribbons into twist (left+right = 1)
2 to 5 minutes of active recovery
2 to 4 rounds (45, 60, to 90 minutes of work)
Day 4, Biceps, Triceps, and Traps
8 × double-arm hammer curls
8 × skull crushers
8 × single-arm kneeling curls (each side)
8 × shrugs
8 × triceps extensions
8 × shrug and upright rows
2 to 5 minutes of active recovery
2 to 4 rounds (45, 60, to 90 minutes of work)
The complete strength program comes with information on how to turn this into a 3-day or 6-day split for a 12-week program that works your full body. There is a whole lot more included to make this all you’ll ever need and easy to follow along and understand for beginners as well.
3) Beginner Workout
It’s not a very original name, but it’s specially designed for beginners with a single kettlebell and includes the most basic and essential kettlebell exercises for cardio and strength. This is perfect for people that are just looking to start training with one kettlebell.
Workout Details
45 seconds kettlebell swings
15 seconds rest
45 seconds kettlebell goblet squat
15 seconds rest
45 seconds kettlebell shoulder press (one side)
15 seconds rest
45 seconds kettlebell shoulder press (other side)
15 seconds rest
45 seconds kettlebell bent-over row (one side)
15 seconds rest
45 seconds kettlebell bent-over row (other side)
15 seconds rest
1 minute stretching
4 rounds
The full kettlebell routine comes with videos, regressions, technical details, technique, common mistakes, and a whole lot more. This is the perfect kettlebell workout to start at home.
4) Ominous Double Kettlebell Workout
This is a simple double kettlebell strength workout that’s not easy. It’s simple because it’s focused on 4 effective double kettlebell exercises that are programmed in 4 cycles of 4-minute AMRAP tasks.
Workout Details
Heavy double kettlebell work with the following combo:
- Kettlebell clean
- Kettlebell press
- Kettlebell squat
- Kettlebell row
4 minutes AMRAP
2 minutes rest
4 cycles
Scoring is rounds multiplied by the kettlebell weight used.
The workout itself is so simple and effective that anyone can do it. The right form and technique are super important for progression and staying safe, and that’s where the videos come in with the instructions in detail, common mistakes so you don’t make them, alternatives and progressions so that you can even start with one kettlebell, and so much more.
5) Ulysses
This is a CAVEMANROM workout, an advanced strength and flexibility workout with beginner options using double or single kettlebell.
Workout Details
2 × TGU lunge style (each side)
2 min (1 rep every 30 seconds)
30 seconds rest
4 × double windmill (each side)
2 min (1 rep every 15 seconds)
30 seconds rest
4 × bent press (each side)
2 min (1 rep every 15 seconds)
30 seconds rest
1 × double kettlebell overhead ninety-ninety get up (each side)
2 min (1 rep every minute)
30 seconds rest
4 × Sots press (each side)
2 min (1 rep every 15 seconds)
30 seconds rest
1 × racked reverse Curtsy get up (each side)
2 min (1 rep every minute)
30 seconds rest
2 × TGU squat style (each side)
2 min (1 rep every 30 seconds)
4 minutes of active recovery
2 cycles
For this advanced workout, it’s highly recommended that you get the instructional videos, follow-along videos, and common mistake video so that you can understand exactly how to execute this advanced kettlebell workout and reap the countless benefits it provides like strength, flexibility, mobility, and more.
Of course, if you want access to our kettlebell workout library and be able to pick a 10 minute kettlebell workout, kettlebell shoulder workout, full body workout, clean and press workout, double or single kettlebell, beginner or advanced, cardio, strength, endurance, kettlebell circuit, or mobility, and the list goes on. As a member of our private group, you get access to all that plus more. Follow-along warm-ups, cooldowns, prep work, technique, programming, common mistakes, and all you do is press play and follow along to the workout.
But that’s not all, you also get access to all our programs and routines, you’ll get ebooks, and the most valuable but completely optional part is the high-quality personalized coaching that you can take advantage of because it’s included in the low monthly subscription. Sign up today and pay the joining fee and then complete your membership.
If you’re not on Facebook and don’t want to be, then check out our Click Play membership which does not include the coaching but everything else plus more.
Can you really build muscle with kettlebells?
Yes, you really can build muscle with kettlebells. The problem is that most people stick to what they see in the flashy magazines which are swings, cleans, and snatches. Even with those you can work on increasing muscle size, but another problem is that most people stick to just one kettlebell. If you only had one dumbbell and did the wrong exercises for hypertrophy then you would not build muscle.
What is a good kettlebell workout?
A good kettlebell workout is one that is safe, effective, easy to understand and works toward your goals. Goals can include fun, flexibility, strength, power, endurance, mobility, and so on. A good kettlebell workout can be one that works cardio, strength, just one body (split), mental toughness, and so on. The 5 best kettlebell workouts above have a good mixture of all of this.
Is a kettlebell workout effective?
A kettlebell workout is super effective if it works toward your goals and is programmed for your ability. Doing a workout that someone else created is usually not the right workout for you unless it comes with instructions on how to scale, adjust, regress, and progress, which our kettlebell workouts do.
What else should I know about kettlebell workouts?
You should know that, although very popular, kettlebell workouts are not limited to just swings, cleans, presses, and snatches. There is so much more to kettlebells than just that. The popularity of these exercises in the mainstream is the cause of people thinking that kettlebell workouts are just for cardio. They’re not.
How many days a week should you do kettlebell training?
You should really look at it as how many days should you do [insert goal here] training? How many days should you do strength, power, or endurance training? Kettlebell training is not just kettlebell swings, clean, and snatches, although they seem to be very popular, there is a whole world of kettlebell exercises, much more than with any other resistance tool can be performed.
Is 100 kettlebell swings a good workout?
Yes, 100 kettlebell swings can be a good workout, but it can also be a bad workout. For example, if a beginner attempts 100 unbroken kettlebell swings with a weight too heavy then they’ll end up with back problems. The next important questions is whether it is programmed correctly? And on the flipside, 100 can also be not enough.
Is 20 minutes of kettlebells enough?
As you can see in THE PACE MAKER workout, our very first workout listed above, that is 20 minutes of work and is highly effective, skyrocketing the heart rate, working on cardio, working on muscular endurance, and even working on strength if you pick the right weight. So, yes, 20 minutes of kettlebell work can be more than enough.
Related:
