One weight wonder: kettlebell workouts to try at home

It can be tricky to maintain weight training when you don’t own a Kardashian style state-of-the-art gym at home. One can dream.

If you’re trying to keep up your weight training from home (due to lockdowns or just fancy keeping active at home too), without spending a fortune on exercise equipment, then we have the workout just for you, and better yet – you only need one piece of training equipment to do it!

The kettlebell is a wonderfully versatile piece of training equipment to have at home. They require little space needed to work out and can target multiple muscles at once which can surprisingly help build your cardio endurance whilst building a strong physique!

The shape of a kettlebell provides a greater challenge for your grip and core stability as you swing, press, or pull the weight compared to a standard barbell or plated weight. They are also easy to find, you can usually purchase one from your local department store or sports store.

According to online coach and personal trainer Tom Morgan for Men’s Health, “you don’t need anything more than one kettlebell in combination with your body weight to effectively train for strength, build muscle, and conditioning.”

When it comes to choosing the right weight for your kettlebell, we suggest a weight that is light enough for you to do a range of motions with, but heavy enough so that you near muscle fatigue at the end of a sequence of reps.

Here is our full-body kettlebell workout inspired from the team at Coach Magazine:

Kettlebell Swing

1. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart but not as wide as you would in a sumo squat.
2. Bend your knees and grab the kettlebell with both hands whilst keeping your back straight and gaze looking forward.
3. In one motion, drive your hips forward as you straighten your legs and swing the weight up to your shoulder height.
4. Return to the start position and repeat without losing momentum.
5. We recommend 3 sets of 20 repetitions.

Sumo Squat

1. Begin holding the kettlebell with both hands and standing with your feet nice and wide and your toes pointing slightly outwards.
2. Push your hips backwards and slowly lower into a squatting position, keeping your chest up whilst squatting as low as you can go without losing your form.
3. Push through your heels and move your hips forward to return to the starting position.
4. Remember to keep your knees tracking over your toes as you squat to avoid injury.
5. We recommend 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Single-arm Kettlebell Row

1. Begin in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Place the kettlebell in front of your feet and take a big step back with your right leg.
3. Pick up the kettlebell with your right hand whilst resting your left arm on your left knee.
4. Keeping your back in a fixed position, pull the kettlebell up to your hip before lowering it just before it touches the ground.
5. Do 10 reps before switching to your left hand.
6. Repeat this three times.

Single-arm Kettlebell Floor Press

1. Begin by lying on your back on the ground with your legs bent and feet on the ground.
2. Hold the kettlebell at chest level with both hands.
3. Engage your core and press the weight up to the ceiling before bringing it back close to your chest.
4. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.

Kettlebell Squeeze

1. Begin by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold the kettlebell against your chest before extending it in front of you so your arms are straight and parallel to the ground.
3. Squeeze your hands as tight as you can, holding the kettlebell out in front of you for a count of 2.
4. Bring the kettlebell back in and repeat.
5. Do 3 sets of 6 reps.

Kettlebell Russian Twist

1. Sit on the ground with your knees bent at 90-degrees.
2. Lean back so your torso is at a 45-degree angle to the floor.
3. Hold the kettlebell with both hands against your chest.
4. Twist at the waist to rotate your torso and move the kettlebell from left to right without letting it touch the floor.
5. For an increased challenge, lift your feet off the ground slightly.
6. Do 3 sets of 20 reps.

Don’t forget to stretch after your workout, our very own High-Performance Manager, Matt Pine has the perfect 5-minute stretching routine for you to try.

Looking for that extra bit of motivation?

We have a range of weekly group fitness classes on offer, check out our classes here. Or to learn more about fitness and wellbeing and connect with like-minded people, visit the Wellness Hub.