The Mjölnir kettlebell complex is a double kettlebell complex for strength endurance and cardio, and it moves fast. I named it after Thor’s hammer back in 2020. A few rounds in and you’ll know why. It’s a selection of kettlebell exercises that keeps two kettlebells in your hands from the first rep to the last, and it asks a lot from your grip, your lungs and your elbow flexors along the way.
The Mjölnir kettlebell complex
Performed with 2 x 12 kg, in this order:
- Squat once
- Alternating curls
- Alternating bent-over rows
- Clean once
- Gorilla cleans
- Seesaw press
3 reps per side on each exercise, which comes to 6 reps per exercise. Then back down into position and repeat.
Why the kettlebells are light
Every rep in this complex is performed fast. Fast curls, fast rows, fast presses. The load is chosen so it can move quickly rather than so it feels heavy, and 12 kg in each hand is what allows that for most people who have the technique to run this complex at all. Go heavier and the pace drops, the complex turns into something else, and the effect you came for disappears.
That is worth understanding as a programming principle rather than a rule about this one workout. The weight, the reps, the rest and the pace all decide what a session trains. Change one of them, and you have changed the outcome, whatever the exercise list says. In this case, the pace is the point, so the weight serves the pace.
What it works
It’s a full-body complex. It hits the biceps, forearm rotators, back muscles, gluteals, quadriceps, calves, and deltoids, and the pace keeps the heart rate high throughout.
The gorilla cleans are the cardio buster, and they always are. Two kettlebells, hip drive, no rest between reps, and your heart rate goes where you’d expect.
The grip work is the part people underestimate. Six exercises with two kettlebells held throughout means the forearms never get a break, and for a lot of people the grip is what gives out before anything else does.
Programming the Mjölnir complex
How you arrange it decides what it trains, and there are two versions worth running.
For strength endurance: 4 minutes on, 2 minutes off
Work through the complex continuously for 4 minutes, take 2 minutes of active recovery, and repeat for 4 blocks. That is 16 minutes of work in a 24 minute session.
Continuous work with no rest inside the block is what trains strength endurance, because the muscles have to keep producing work while they are already tired. Your elbow flexors will tell you first: the curls are the limiter in this complex, and how long you last is largely their decision. The 2 minutes between blocks is what lets you come back and do it again rather than finishing the first block with nothing left.
Active recovery means keep moving. Walk, shake the arms out, breathe. Standing still lets everything stiffen up before the next block.
For conditioning and pace: EMOM
Perform one round of the complex at the top of the minute and rest whatever is left of that minute before the next one starts. The faster you move the more rest you earn, which keeps the pace honest and stops the quality dropping round after round.
This version protects every rep, so the gorilla cleans stay explosive and the presses stay crisp all the way through. It trains something different from the 4 on, 2 off version, and the sensible thing is to know which one you are doing rather than switching between them by accident.
If fat loss is your goal, either version is a time-efficient way to spend your training minutes. You’re burning a lot per minute and loading the body while you do it. Diet still does the heavy lifting on fat loss, but this is the kind of session that makes those minutes count.
Who this complex is for
None of this is something you just do when you first walk into the gym, or even when you’ve been going to the gym for a while but never learned how to work with kettlebells. This complex requires you to understand how to clean, rack, grip and transition, and it requires good squat mobility and an already strong back.
If you can’t hold a comfortable double rack position, the presses and the cleans will be unpleasant rather than useful. If your squat mobility isn’t there, the squat at the start of each round will be the thing that ends your set. Both are worth fixing before you run this, not during it.
Frequently asked questions
What weight should I use for the Mjölnir complex?
2 x 12 kg is what I use for it, and it suits most people who have the technique to perform the complex. The test is whether you can move every rep fast. If the curls or the presses slow down, the kettlebells are too heavy for what this complex is trying to do.
Can I do this complex with one kettlebell?
Not as written. The gorilla cleans and the seesaw press both need two kettlebells, and the whole rhythm of the complex depends on having one in each hand. A single kettlebell complex is a different piece of programming.
How many rounds should I do?
In the EMOM version, start with a number of rounds you can complete with every rep still fast, then add rounds once that holds. Stop when the reps change, not when the round count says so.
Is this a strength workout?
It’s strength endurance rather than strength. Strength training needs a heavy kettlebell, few reps and full rest between sets so every rep can be produced fresh. This complex is the opposite arrangement: a light kettlebell, plenty of reps, minimal rest, which trains your ability to keep producing work while tired. Both are worth having. If maximal strength is what you’re after, look at the kettlebell strength exercises instead. Of course, you could go heavier, do one set, rest, and repeat for 4 rounds. However, it still won’t make it pure strength, as you can usually row more than you can curl.
How long should the AMRAP blocks be?
4 minutes of work, 2 minutes of active recovery, repeated for 4 blocks. Adjust the number of blocks before you adjust the work interval, since the 4-minute block is what produces the effect.
What is a gorilla clean?
A double kettlebell clean where the kettlebells alternate: one is racked while the other is dropped and cleaned, so there’s always one kettlebell moving and one in the rack. It’s one of the more demanding conditioning exercises you can do with two kettlebells.
More complexes
If you like what you see, then check out the Asgard Kettlebell Strength Complex, the Midgard Advanced Kettlebell Complex, and many other kettlebell videos on our YouTube channel. If you want an awesome book just about kettlebell complexes then you should check out our very own Kettlebell Complexes Made Simple, available as a direct downloadable ebook or as a paperback on Amazon.
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