Function, power, strength and metabolic conditioning can be difficult goals to combine.  Enter the kettlebell.  You can use kettlebells to combine all of these skills into the ultimate kettlebell workout. It’s not just some crazy Russian training tool for acrobats, it’s actually one of the most functional pieces of equipment in the gym.  Kettlebells are designed to be used for total body exercises and seamless transitions between exercises.  Kettlebells are highly effective for training coordinated power through Olympic lifts, functional metabolic conditioning and warm-ups.

Kettlebells to Build Power

Olympic lifting with a barbell has a higher force output than any other form of resistance training.  Unfortunately mastering the snatch and the clean and jerk can take substantial time and be daunting.  Kettlebells provide a fast and easy way to practice coordination of these explosive movements.   Training these exercises unilaterally (single arm) and with lighter weights challenges your body to become balanced and symmetrical.  Once you’ve mastered the single arm variations try loading up both arms to challenge balance, coordination, and increase power even more.  Whether you’re looking to master form for these movements or simply work on power with some heavier weight to dominate that weekend warrior football league, kettlebells are a no brainer.

Kettlebells for Warming Up

Olympic lifting can certainly be an exhausting workout.  Doing some Olympic lifts as well as some signature kettlebell exercises can double as a great warm-up sure to wake you up at any time of the day.  Warming-up can seem tedious and frankly a bit girly at times.  Trading out your usual bodyweight calisthenics for some kettlebell speed work will take care of that.  Light Olympic lifts will be easy enough to not over fatigue muscles.  On the same token they will be enough to get blood flowing and get that synovial fluid going to lube those knee and shoulder joints.  Other kettlebell moves can be an excellent primer to your traditional muscle builders.  Try some of these exercises as warm-ups.

Lower body day: Kettlebell swings, starting in a shoulder width stance with both hands on the kettlebell drop the hips back like you would for a a squat and lower the upper body simultaneously.  Then explode forward through your hips using this momentum to swing the kettlebell up to shoulder height.  Be sure to make the lower body do the work by keeping loose arms and exploding through the hips while flexing the glutes to get maximal activation in the lower body.

Upper Body Push Day: Hang Clean and Press, starting from a hang position (Standing up straight) pull the kettlebell up to the shoulder drawing the arm underneath it and press it overhead for a dynamic shoulder warm-up.

Upper body Pull Day: Renegade row, placing two kettlebells on the ground alternately row them up while keeping the hips flat to the ground.  This exercise warms up the back and the core for exercises like the barbell row

Kettlebells for Circuits and Intervals

Cardio can get boring.  Even worse cardio can end up just being on an elliptical with no real functionality.  Implementing some circuits and intervals with kettlebells will not only shred calories but also have some carry over into everyday life and sports.  Exercises such as swings are excellent for training hip drive as well as lower body endurance.  Turkish getups will rock your core while building shoulder stability.  Olympic lifts will get your body firing as one unit and is sure to impresses the gym rats with the heavy weights you’ll be putting over your head.  Single leg deadlifts and tactical lunges will build stability in your hips, ankles and knees to improve overall balance.  Combining all these exercises into an entire work-out or even a circuit to finish off will have you gasping for air on the ground while your arms and legs beg for it to end.  To improve your athletic performance and conditioning give this brutal kettlebell workout a go:

Ultimate Kettlebell Workout

Directions: Start with intervals of 30 seconds on 60 seconds off so that you nearly hit failure at 30 seconds.

• Kettlebell Swings
  • See above under lower body warm-up
• Deadlift to upright row
  • Standing shoulder width apart put both hands on one kettlebell placed directly under you.  Keeping the chest up and back flat lift the kettlebell up explosively through the legs while lifting up the elbows towards your head so that the kettlebell comes up to shoulder height.

Move on to completing this circuit 3 times consecutively with no rest.

• Goblet Squats 15 reps
  • Holding the kettlebell with both hands at shoulder height against your chest proceed as you would for a normal squat keeping your chest up along with the kettlebell.
• Single arm Hang Clean and Press 10 reps per arm
  • Stand shoulder width apart and holding the kettlebell between your legs swing the kettlebell back and explode up through the hips brining the kettlebell up to shoulder height with your arm directly underneath it.  From there simply press the kettlebell overhead and bring it down in the reverse order and switch arms.
• Single arm Hang Snatch 10 reps per arm
  • Holding the kettlebell between your legs swing the kettlebell back and explode up using your legs while bringing the kettlebell straight up to a lockout in one smooth motion.  Be sure to keep the kettlebell as close to the body as possible.  From there lower it down in a controlled manner and switch arms
• Turkish getups 10 reps per arm
  • Laying with your back on the ground press up the kettlebell with your right arm to a lockout while having your right leg bent 45 degrees and the left leg straight out on the ground.  From there perform a sit-up keeping the kettlebell directly over the right shoulder and placing the left arm on the ground behind you.  Slide your left leg under your body so that you are in a lunge position with the kettlebell overhead.  Next, stand up to a lockout and lower yourself back down in the same fashion.  Then repeat for the left side.
• Waiter walks 20 yards per arm
  • Press one kettlebell overhead and lock that arm out.  With the kettlebell locked out overhead proceed to walk the 20 yards just as you would for a farmer’s walk and switch arms at the end.

Bonus Pushup challenge: Flip the kettlebell overs so your hand is on the bottom and you are balancing on the handles and perform a push-up.  Practice them a few times to get the stabilization down then proceed to win bets and girls numbers with this impressive yet not so difficult exercise.