7 Fundamental Kettlebell Exercises you NEED TO KNOW !!
As many of you reading this may know, I am a big fan of the kettlebell. This one simple tool has so much versatility. Not only can you work every single muscle in one’s body but you can also use the kettlebell to create gorilla-like strength, you can use it for cheetah-like speed and the bells work for sled dog-like endurance. In my opinion there is no other gym tool that allows for this level of versatility. I truly believe that one kettlebell can be all someone needs to get into the best shape of their life.
In today’s post I am going to share with you a list of exercises that I think everyone should be performing.
Whether your goals are fat loss, strength, muscle building or just general fitness. Some form of each of these would serve well in your gym program.
Note how all these exercises are multi-joint exercises meaning they work more than just one muscle. This makes the exercises more demanding (more calorie burning) more natural and more time-saving
I consider these 7 movements… The fundamentals
1 – The Kettlebell Swing
Dan John world renowned strength coach calls the kettlebell swing “a fat burning athlete builder ‘’
The kettlebell swing is a ballistic movement designed for power. It utilises the posterior chain, which includes the glutes, hamstrings, lats, and core.
2 – The Kettlebell Military Press
If you want to build some boulder shoulders then the KB military is your answer. Not only does the military press work all heads of the shoulder but the natural groove of the lift allows for a far happier, healthier shoulder position to press in compared to dumbbells and barbells.
“In some parts of Russia, pressing a 32 kg kettlebell is a rite of passage from boyhood to manhood.” – Pavel Tsatsouline, “Enter The Kettlebell”
3 – The Kettlebell Clean
The kettlebell clean, similar to the swing, is also a posterior chain ballistic movement. The beauty of the kettlebell clean is that it is a transitional movement from lower body to upper body. It’s the movement that allows for Kettlebell flows, kettlebell complexes, kettlebell chains to happen. For example if I wanted to perform a set of swings followed immediately by a set of presses I would perform a set of swings, then I clean the bell into the rack position, so that I can go straight into a press, all without putting the bell down.
4 – The kettlebell Squat (racked or goblet)
The squat is a quad dominant movement. Squats build strong lower body muscles as well as strength in the joints, ligaments and tendons. Other benefits to squatting include better posture, natural hormone production boost and improved mobility.
5 – The Turkish Get Up
World famous physiotherapist calls the turkish get up loaded yoga. The turkish get up or TGU for short is a full body mobility and stability exercise that works the body in its natural neuro-developmental patterning.
The reason I love the TGU is it gets you strong from the ground all the way up. As an adult we neglect time on the floor and if we don’t use it we lose it. This is the reason falls in later life are such a concern
The TGU is the ultimate anti-fall exercise
6 – The Kettlebell Snatch
The kettlebell snatch is considered the Tzar or King of kettlebell exercises. Similar to the kettlebell swing, It serves as a ballistic exercise for the posterior chain. The key difference is the projection of power. With the swing the projection of power is in the horizontal plane but with the snatch it is in the vertical plane. For me the kettlebell snatch is my go-to exercise for increasing power in sports. Not only that but a 5 minute 100 rep snatch test is the maker of being able to dig deep and push past adversity. The snatch is the ultimate in building resilience.
7 – The Kettlebell Loaded Carry
The loaded carry is one of the most functional exercises you could do. We carry our kids, suitcases, backpacks, luggage bags etc. Arguable life has a lot of carrying.
Some of my go-to carries include the overhead carry, the rack carry and the KB suitcase carry. These single sided carries work many of your postural stabilisers and light up your core musculature. Its lower body mobility combined with upper body stability.
Bonus
8 – The Chin Up and Pull Up
Probably the best back exercise, it’s also great for core activation and teaches your body to maintain good alignment.
To Conclude
Spending time mastering these fundamentals open many many doors for training. Not only will you be a functional badass but you will have a whole gym in just one kettlebell. You will have access to complexes, chains, ladders and many other training methods that the kettlebell has to offer.
If you are interested in learning these fundamentals from the only gold standard StrongFirst qualified trainer in NZ then click the link below for details