The Kettlebell Exercise (20-Minute Routine for Newbies)

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING KETTLEBELL CIRCUIT 3 TIMES:

• 8 Halos (each side)
• 10 Goblet Squats
• 8 Overhead Presses (each side)
• 15 Kettlebell Swings -OR- Romanian Deadlifts
• 8 Bent Over Rows (each side)
• 6 Front Rack Reverse Lunge (per side)
  

And because we like to have fun around here, we made a graphic where superheroes do the workout.

Here’s the Beginner Kettlebell Workout as an infographic:

Our Beginner Kettlebell Workout is what’s called a circuit (you can learn all about circuit training here). That’s just a fancy term for doing a workout like so:

• 1 set of exercise A, go immediately to
• 1 set of exercise B, go immediately to
• 1 set of exercise C, and so on…
• Repeat from the top!

Your long-term goal should be to do 3 full circuits, back to back, for a complete workout.

4 if you’re on fire, like in NBA Jam.

If you can only go through it once or twice, that’s okay too!

And if you need to take a break at any time between sets or after a circuit, do it! The most important thing is performing each rep with great technique – so if you need a breather to recover and give it your best effort, take it!

Prior to jumping into the kettlebell circuit, don’t forget to do some mobility warm-up (you can see our warm-up routine here):

Nothing too crazy, just something to “grease the groove” and get your body used to movement so you don’t pull any muscles once you start swinging the kettlebell.

In other words, prepare your muscles and joints to move some weight around!

A few minutes of running in place, air punches and kicks, some jumping jacks, and arm swings, should get your heart rate up.

After that, do a couple of reps of movements that mimic what you’ll do in the workout (i.e. do bodyweight squats to prep for goblet squats, etc.), and your muscles and joints will be warmed for the full Kettlebell Workout.

You can do all of the Beginner Kettlebell Workout with one single bell, from anywhere.

We’ll go over each move in our next section, so you can perfect your kettlebell technique.

When you’re done, do some light stretching to cool down. A couple of yoga poses would suffice. Make sure you drink water too.

Feel free to follow this routine at least once a week and up to 2-3 times a week, with a day off between.

Remember, you don’t build muscle when you’re exercising, you build muscle when you’re resting.

Your muscles are broken down when you strength train, and then they rebuild themselves stronger over the following days of recovery!

If you just can’t sit still, feel free to do some fun exercises, go for a walk, or do one of these off-day activities.

Don’t forget to download our Beginner Kettlebell Worksheet, which covers the above sequence from Coach Matt.

You can print it out and track the number of sets and repetitions you complete, which will help ensure you progress in your training.

You can grab yours free when you sign up in the box below:

Grab Your Beginner Kettlebell Routine Worksheet!

• Complete this workout at home or gym with 1 kettlebell.
• Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing kettlebell exercises.
• Build strength, burn fat, level up your life!

How to Hold A Kettlebell

In the video above, Coach Matt walks you through the proper technique for holding a kettlebell.

Give it a quick watch before we break down all the exercises found in our beginner workout.

Let’s go over each exercise in the 20-Minute Beginner Kettlebell Workout: 

#1) KETTLEBELL HALOS

1. Grab the kettlebell with two hands on the handle.
2. Raise the kettlebell above your head.
3. Move around your head like you’re tracing a halo.

Tip from Coach Matt: with your halos, remember to keep the movement smooth. You don’t want to accidentally slam your head with the bell.

#2) KETTLEBELL GOBLET SQUAT

Tip from Coach Matt: for the goblet squat, focus on depth. It’s more important to practice doing a full squat than to pump out reps. If you can’t make 10, don’t stress it. Do what you can.

#3) KETTLEBELL OVERHEAD PRESS

1. Grab the kettlebell with one hand, with the handle going down your palm (if the handle is too close to your fingers it’ll pull your wrist down).
2. Press straight up with your fist driving the movement (your fist would be pointing up the entire time).
3. Reverse the movement and bring the kettlebell back down. Then repeat.

Tip from Coach Matt: lower the bell under control by slowly hugging your elbow to your side. Tightening your lat this way will create a more stable position for the press.

#4) KETTLEBELL SWING -OR- ROMANIAN DEADLIFT

If you’ve never done a deadlift or a Romanian deadlift (RDL) before, we recommend starting with this variation, as it will set you up for success in the kettlebell swing later.

Here’s a detailed demonstration of how to do an RDL with dumbbells. With a kettlebell, all the same principles apply; you just hold the kettlebell with both hands.

1. Grab the weight and stand tall with knees slightly bent.
2. Keeping your back in a straight line, pivot from the hips and push your hips back towards the wall behind you. (Imagine you are slamming a car door shut with your butt while your arms are full of groceries.)
3. Stop the movement when your hips stop moving backward. (Lots of people will continue to drop their chest even when the hips are no longer moving.)
4. Press your feet through the floor and stand back up in one motion.
5. Repeat.

Once you’ve mastered the RDL, it’s time to move on to the Kettlebell Swing.

1. Get down into a bent-over, flat-back position and grab the kettlebell with both hands from the handle.
2. Swing the kettlebell behind you, then get ready to jump up.
3. Jump up (without leaving the ground) and swing the kettlebell up. You should be standing tall at the peak of the movement.
4. Reverse the movement and bring the kettlebell back down and behind you.
5. Repeat.

Tip from Coach Matt: during the kettlebell swing, focus on hinging your hips. The swing is like a deadlift movement, so you should feel it in your hamstring and glutes.

#5) BENT OVER ROW

1. Get down into a bent-over, flat-back position and grab the kettlebell with one arm.
2. Pick up the kettlebell by driving your elbow up into your rib cage.
3. Lower the kettlebell back down by reversing the movement.

Tip from Coach Matt: try to keep your back straight and stomach tight during the row. This will help engage your legs for stabilization as you pull the kettlebell toward your stomach.

#6) FRONT RACK REVERSE LUNGE

1. Grab the kettlebell with one hand and rest the weight between your arm and chest.
2. Step your leg back (the same side your kettlebell is on) and lower down until your shin is parallel-ish with the ground (or as low as you can).
3. Spring back up to your starting position.

Tip from Coach Matt: for the lunges, again keep your back straight. This reduces pressure on your lower back.

Boom! There you have it.

The 6 best kettlebell exercises for beginners. 

If you want someone to review your form on any of these kettlebell movements, or you’re looking to level up your kettlebell game, our coaches can do just that! Our spiffy mobile app lets you send a video of your exercises directly to your coach, who will provide feedback so you can perfect your technique.

Have a Nerd Fitness Coach check your form with a kettlebell. Learn more here!

So that you need to purchase a kettlebell, eh?

They arrive in all kinds of supplies, in all kinds of shapes, and in all kinds of sizes.

Which one you decide will come right down to your private desire, your funds, and your expertise with kettlebells.

Let’s ponder the next when selecting the correct kettlebell:

#1) Commonplace vs.Competitors. A typical conventional kettlebell will likely be forged iron, and because the weight goes up, the scale go up.

For instance, a 16kg (35 lb.) bell will likely be bigger than a 6kg (15lb) bell. This isn’t true for aggressive kettlebells.

Irrespective of their weight, aggressive kettlebells may have the identical dimensions for bell form, base, and deal with width.

So the 16kg will look similar to the 6kg. This may be useful to be sure to are constant together with your method.

#2) Weight. Typically, decide a weight that lets you full a exercise with good kind.

When doubtful, begin with a lighter weight, as you’ll be able to at all times enhance the burden/dimension later. When you’re forcing me to select one for you, realizing NOTHING about you, I’d say take into account buying a 16kg (35 lbs) if you happen to’re a male or 12kg (25 lbs) if you happen to’re a feminine.

Now, this isn’t a precise science, and we’re all distinctive snowflakes. When you suppose you’re stronger than common, go heavier. Not fairly there? Go lighter.

#3) Ballistic vs. Grind. You’ll usually hear the phrases ballistic and grinding in kettlebell exercise discussions, for quick and gradual actions respectively.

Ballistic actions can be fast, just like the kettlebell swing.

Grinding actions can be gradual, just like the overhead press. For ballistic actions, you may really need a heavier kettlebell, to assist with momentum.

For grinding actions, much less weight could be as a way to assist with management.

For now, if you’re simply beginning out, go forward and stick to 1 kettlebell. Department out as you advance in expertise.

#4) Deal with. That is the place high quality comes into play. You’ll be doing many, many repetitions together with your kettlebell.

If the deal with has tough edges, you’ll really feel each one of many actions minimize into your hand.

Not enjoyable.

High quality issues in relation to handles. So we’ll chat about superb manufacturers in a second. I’ll finish our dialogue on handles by saying they’re usually standardized at 35mm for thickness.

Use this as your baseline for variations when evaluating bell grips.

Okay, let’s speak about kettlebell manufacturers:

Can You Lose Weight with Kettlebells?

If you’re trying to lose weight, a kettlebell and the workout routines above would be a great part of the plan!

The other part of the plan should be your nutrition.

No joke.

It’s by far the biggest factor for success.

So will you lose weight training with kettlebells?

Maybe!

If you fix your diet AND begin to incorporate our kettlebell routine a few times per week, you’ll will find yourself building muscle, losing fat, and getting stronger!

So how do you fix your diet?

Great question.

Here are some basic tips though (as we cover in our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating):

1. If your goal is weight loss, you have to eat less than you burn each day. This can be through eating less and burning more (from the kettlebell workout above)
2. Processed foods and junk food make it really tough to lose weight: They have lots of calories and carbs, low nutritional value, don’t fill you up, and cause you to overeat.
3. Vegetables are your friend. If you don’t like veggies, here’s how to make vegetables taste good.
4. Liquid calories are sabotaging your efforts. Soda, juice, sports drinks: they’re all pretty much high-calorie sugar water with minimal nutritional value. Get your caffeine from black coffee or tea, fizzy-drink fix from sparkling water.
5. Not losing weight? Track your calories and work on consuming slightly less each day. We tackle this point in-depth in our article “Why can’t I lose weight?”
6. Eat more protein! Protein helps rebuild muscle, and can help you stay under your calorie limit because it’s satiating and filling. Here’s exactly how much protein you should be eating every day.

Those tips should get you started, but if you want more specific instruction and guidance, check out the NF Coaching Program – Your Coach will build a routine tailored to your individual needs and what equipment you have available:

Download the Kettlebell Worksheet!

Like most things in life, the important aspect of any exercise regimen is starting it.

No matter what strength training program you choose, start TODAY.

You don’t need to get strong before you can play with a kettlebell. You can play with a kettlebell to get stronger!

Here’s that Beginner Kettlebell Workout one more time to recap:

1. Halos: 8 reps each side
2. Goblet Squats: 10 reps
3. Overhead Presses: 8 reps
4. Kettlebell Swings -or- Romanian Deadlifts: 15 reps
5. Bent Over Rows: 8 reps each side
6. Front Rack Reverse Lunge: 6 reps each side

Here are the next two steps you can take with our community if you dig what we do! 

Whether you are brand new to your fitness journey, or ready to take it to the next level, we have your back!

Get strong as hell with Kettlebells in the NF Coaching Program. Learn more here:

2) Join the Rebellion! Join our free community with a biweekly newsletter, and I’ll send you our Beginner Kettlebell Worksheet.

Simply sign up in the box below, and let us know what you think of it!

Grab Your Beginner Kettlebell Routine Worksheet!

• Complete this workout at home or gym with 1 kettlebell.
• Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing kettlebell exercises.
• Build strength, burn fat, level up your life!

For the Rebellion!

-Steve

PS: If you are using Kettlebells to get started with Strength Training, make sure you read the other articles in our Strength Training series! 

PPS: As a reminder, this infographic shows you the Beginner Kettlebell Workout: