Intro into Kettlebells

About the Workout

This basic kettlebell split is heavily influenced by Mark Wildman’s Nerd Math series

Mondays and Fridays are focused on increasing your endurance, while Tuesdays and Thursdays are focused on increasing strength and building muscle.

Long Swings

The kettlebell swing is the most basic kettlebell movement. In the "long" variation, your aim is to do a certain number of repetitions within a minute; when done, rest until the end of the minute and then start again. Continue for 10 minutes.

If you are new to kettlebells, I suggest you start with a fairly light weight. Great video tutorial

Heavy Swings

The movement in heavy swings is exactly the same as in the long variation, but the weight is heavier, and there are fewer sets and fixed breaks. Perform swings for 30 seconds with the specified weight at a steady pace, rest for two minutes, and repeat.

Turkish Get-Ups

Turkish get-ups are a fundamental movement of kettlebelling. They focus on small stabilizing muscles and develop a solid movement foundation.

In this program, I list total repetitions, so if you see 6 reps, do 3 with the bell in your left hand, then 3 in the right. I suggest you always start with your non-dominant hand — it’s less likely you will fail your last reps this way.

If you have never done Turkish get-ups before, start without weight at all and learn the movements, then add weight. It also might be wise to spend a day or two going through this video series.

Clean and press

The clean and press is another great unilateral full-body kettlebell exercise. This move builds strength, muscle, and power. The clean requires a powerful hip extension, strong legs, and explosive force. Once racked, the press builds upper-body pressing strength and shoulder stability.

If you have never done kettlebells before, it makes sense to learn cleans first. Spend the first week doing cleans only and add presses starting the second week.

Here is a good instructional video on cleans, and here is one about the clean & press

Long Squats

Kettlebell squats not only train your legs and glutes but also, like everything in kettlebells, the core. There are 3 main variations of squats, pick your poison. As with long swings, your aim is to complete a certain number of reps in one minute, and then rest for however much time remains until the end of the minute.

Heavy Squats

The same squat variations are available to you here, but, as with heavy swings, you will perform fewer sets with heavier weights and a fixed break.