1 Kettlebell, 8 Exercises
The kettlebell is very useful and is arguably one of the most, stand alone, versatile pieces of exercise equipment as it can be used to help develop strength, stability, endurance, explosive power and coordination. There are numerous exercises that can be performed depending on what your overall focus may be and below are just some examples of ones you can try out for yourself to provide you with a full body workout:
Kettlebell swing
Begin by standing slightly wider than shoulder width apart
With the kettlebell position on the ground out in front of the body, hinge at the hips towards the ground, grasp the kettlebell and and tilt it towards you
With straight arms, lift the kettlebell off from the ground and swing in-between the legs with the wrists making contact with inner thigh
Maintaining a neutral spine, rapidly extend the hips to accelerate the kettlebell forwards and upwards keeping the arms straight as you do.
As the kettlebell begins to lower, guide it back between the legs by hinging so as to load the hips before rapidly extending once again. Repeat movement as needed.
Single arm clean to lunge
Using one arm, perform the kettlebell swing
As the kettlebell rises up from the hips, curl the kettlebell around the arm so that it rests on the outside of the upper arm in a front rack position
With opposite leg perform a reverse lunge before standing up and repeating the entire movement as many times as needed
Single arm push press
Begin by standing in an upright position with the kettlebell resting on the outside of the upper arm in a front rack position
Perform a dip and drive action by bending slightly at both the knees and the hips and rapidly extending to accelerate the kettlebell upwards
As you extend the knees and hips, simultaneously press the kettlebell into the air until the arm is fully locked out
Lower the kettlebell back down to the start positioning making sure to cushion it on its way down by performing the dipping action
From here you can then drive again into the following rep
Single arm, single leg bent over row
Grasping the kettlebell in one hand, hinge over whilst simultaneously lifting the leg on the same side behind you in an extended position
As you hinge make sure to keep the arm straight and allow the kettlebell to lower towards the floor
Whilst holding this position, pull the kettlebell up towards the body then lower back to a straight arm position
Repeat the previous step as many times as needed
Turkish get up
Begin by lying on your back the with one arm straight, holding the kettlebell up in the air and the other rested out to the side, the leg on the side of the KB bent with foot flat on the floor with the other leg resting in an extended position
Keeping the KB raised upward throughout, lift the torso and roll onto the elbow then the hand of the resting arm
Lift the hips up off the ground
Tuck the extended leg beneath the body so as to rest on the knee
Lift the body upright so as to no longer rest on the hand
Stand into a fully upright position
Return to the start position by reversing the previous steps
Lunge swing throughs
Begin by grasping the KB in one hand
Adopt a lunged position making sure that the back knee is hovering just off of the ground
Whilst maintaining this position swing the KB beneath the front leg and pass in to the other hand
Repeat this action for the required number of reps before switching stances so that the other leg is forwards
Plank reaches
Assume a plank position with the kettlebell resting out in front of the body roughly an arms length away
Whilst holding a plank begin to tap the the kettle bell with one hand at a time in an alternating manner making sure to keep the rest of the body still and stable throughout the movement
Repeat for the required amount of time/reps
Kettlebell russian twists
Begin in a seated position on the floor with the kettlebell placed beside you
Lean the torso back and lift both legs up off the floor whilst keeping them straight
Whilst holding this position, grab the kettlebell with both hands and begin to pass it from side to side
Do this for the required number of reps or time
