Beginner Kettlebell Workout

So, you’ve brought yourself a kettlebell and got all excitable about this at home fitness buzz? You learnt a couple of moves and then a few weeks later that kettlebell is gathering dust in the corner… Sounds familiar??

Or perhaps you have seen the kettlebells in your gym but not really known what to do with them? Don’t worry, today I am going to give you a nice beginners kettlebell workout and next week I will give you a more advanced workout so you will be able to dust off that kettlebell and give it a swing! (See what I did there?!) I even braved doing a video for you lovelies! 

First let’s start off with why Kettlebells are such a versatile piece of equipment and why I recommend that anyone who wants to purchase some of their own equipment should start with a kettlebell or two.

Why use kettlebells?
– You can get a whole body workout from this one piece of equipment. Yep your whole body can get worked out!
– It is one piece of equipment – and it doesn’t take up a lot of room! This means there is no need for a bunch of different pieces of equipment!
– Kettlebells give you a pretty good bang for your buck as they are reasonably priced. Kmart sells them for under $20 and if you need something a bit heavier you can get bigger sizes from Number one Fitness.

Beginners Kettlebell Workout        

 [Click HERE if you just want the Video]

// Toe Taps
Lie your kettlebell down on the ground so the handle is facing away from you. Bring one foot up and rest your toes on the base of the kettlebell. Now jog on the spot replacing the foot that was on the kettlebell with your other foot. Only your toes should be tapping the base of the kettlebell and you shouldn’t be trying to put your weight through the kettlebell, it is merely tapping the kettlebell.

// Goblet Squat
Hold the kettlebell in both hands and into your chest as though you are holding a large goblet from back in medieval times. Start with your legs about shoulder width apart and squat down as low as you can go (you will get down further over time), until your legs are almost parallel to the ground and then come back up to upright standing position.

// Upright Row
Stand upright with the kettlebell held in both hands dangling down in front of you. It should be sitting around about part way down your thighs (or there abouts depending on the length of your arms and body), pull both arms up towards your shoulders until the kettlebell comes up to about chest height and then control it on the way back down to the starting point.

// Bicep Curls
Hold your kettlebell in one hand down by your side (or both hands if you have two kettlebells of equal weight), bring your arm up until your wrist almost reaches your shoulder, keeping your elbow tucked into the side of your waist at all times. This tucking of the elbow will help ensure you keep correct form. Control the weight on the way back down to the side of your body. Your wrist should be facing forwards when holding the kettlebell at the bottom of the movement and will be facing your bicep or shoulder at the top of the movement.

// Shoulder Press
Grab either one or two kettlebells (of the same weight, otherwise do each side individually), bring your arm out to the side of your body and then bend upwards at the elbow. You should have a 90 degree angle in your arm. Then simply push in an upwards motion with one (or both arms depending on whether you are doing a single or double arm shoulder press) arm and then return to the starting position.

Make sure you check out the video below if you are unsure of any of the exercises, I showed a couple of reps of each exercise at both a side on and a front view.

Perform 20 of each of the exercises (10 each side for single sided exercises) and then repeat 3-5 times depending on your current fitness levels and the time you have available to exercise. Rest for a couple of minutes in between each round of all 5 exercises.

Have you ever used kettlebells in your workouts before?