Kettlebell Workouts for Men Series - Part 8

Kettlebell training has gained massive popularity in recent years and for good reason. The kettlebell is an extremely versatile piece of training equipment, and can be used to reduce body fat and build muscle mass. Amanda Perkins who works with Kettlebell Kings as a senior writer has written and developed a fantastic and informative series focused on different kettlebell workouts. This includes teaching points on how to perform each exercise successfully and safely and links to helpful video examples

In the eighth edition of our Kettlebell Workouts for Men series, we’re going to cover explosive exercises that will give you a full body workout. The goal for this workout is to complete all reps as quickly as possible. Ideally, the goal is to complete this workout in 30 minutes.

We recommend using a 12-14 kg (25-30 lb.) kettlebell for the workout. For the first block, the goal is to complete the reps as quickly as possible with 30 seconds to a minute of rest. The second block will have you complete two one-minute sets with a one minute break in between.

Block 1: Bodyweight

For this block, complete the exercises as fast as possible, only taking short breaks to maintain an elevated heart rate.

Burpee: 10 reps

Areas Worked: Legs, Back, Arms, Chest

·         Start standing, then lower in a squat and reach your hands down to the touch the floor in front of your feet.

·         Once the hands touch the floor, jump the feet back to come into a plank position.

·         Jump your feet back up to your hands, then straighten up and jump off the floor.

Push Up: 20 reps

Areas Worked: Chest, Arms, Shoulders, Back

·         Start in a plank position with your hands below your shoulders and your back and hips in a straight line.

·         Lower down until your chest grazes the ground, without losing core engagement.

·         Push yourself back up, driving with the arms and the chest and keeping your back and hips in alignment.

Air Squat: 10 reps

Areas Worked: Legs, Core

·         Stand with your feet about hip width apart. For improved ankle mobility, work barefoot if conditions allow.

·         With your arms extended out in front of you, squat down until your knees are at a 90-degree angle.

·         Rise back up, driving through the heels to return to the starting position.

Sit Ups: 20 reps

Areas Worked: Core

·         Lay down on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

·         Peel your shoulders and upper back off the floor, then sit all the way up to bring your chest to your knees.  

·         Lower your body back down to complete the rep.

Block 2: Kettlebell Work

For this block, we will focus on a minute of intense work each set, then taking a break of somewhere between 30 seconds to a minute.

Swing: 2 sets, 1 minute each

Areas Worked: Legs, Shoulders, Core, Back

·         Stand upright with your feet about hip width apart and a kettlebell on the floor about two feet in front of your feet.

·         Hinge at the hips to grab onto the handle with both hands while maintaining a neutral spine. Set the shoulders down and away from the ears to engage the lats and upper back.

·         Swing the kettlebell back between your legs, then powerfully extend your hips by driving the floor away and contracting your glutes and abs. Let the kettlebell float to shoulder height.

·         Let the kettlebell drop back down along the same path, only flexing at the hips once the arms reach your waist.

Goblet Squat: 2 sets, 1 minute each

Areas Worked: Legs, Core, Arms

·         Stand with feet about hip width apart. Bring the kettlebell into the goblet position, grabbing hold of the handle on either side.

·         Squat down while keeping the chest up and weight in the heels. An easy way to determine proper depth is to bring the elbows to the inside of the knees. The spine should stay neutral.

·         Drive into the ground to come back up to standing position, contracting the glutes and fully extending the hips.

Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhRe8s4HisA

Kettlebell Overhead Press: 2 sets, 1 minute each

Areas Worked: Arms, Shoulders, Chest

·         Clean the kettlebell into the rack position: elbow tucked in, hand fully inserted through the handle, and kettlebell resting on the V of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

·         Press the kettlebell overhead, extending your arm fully and stacking the weight of the kettlebell over the elbow, shoulder, and hip.

·         Lower the kettlebell back down to the rack position.

·         Switch arms after 30 seconds.

Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNaydSXGBMU

Bent Row: 2 sets, 1 minute each

Areas Worked: Arms, Back, Shoulders

·         Hinge at the hips with your knees slightly bent, back neutral, and a kettlebell on the floor beside you.

·         Grab the kettlebell with one hand. Pull the shoulder blade back and bring the elbow of the arm holding the kettlebell just past the body and toward the belly button.

·         Lower the kettlebell back down to the floor.

·         Switch arms after 30 seconds.

Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYo0S9cD6as

While the workout may take you over 30 minutes at first, you can add it into your weekly rotation of workouts and shave time off as you progress. Since limited equipment is required to do the movements, this workout is easy to do at home or when time is limited. Keep an eye out for the next part of the Kettlebell Workouts for Men series on our blog.

About Kettlebell Kings

Kettlebell Kings is a premium-quality kettlebell and kettlebell content provider, based in Austin, Texas. You can view our equipment, kettlebell how-to’s, and get expert advice at https://www.kettlebellkings.com and https://www.kettlebellkings.com/blog/.