Kettlebell

Two-Handed Swings


 

This is an explosive movement that will develop your hamstrings. This is not a shoulder exercise and deltoid involvement should be minimal.

Place the kettlebell slightly in front of your feet, which should be shoulder width apart. Making sure your back is flat and your hips and butt are pushed back, grab the bell with both hands, allowing the bell to swing through your legs and behind your knees, EXPLOSIVELY reverse the movement, swinging the bell to approximately chest height. The base of the bell should be facing straight ahead at chest level, and the handle should be gripped firmly, not allowing the handle to rotate in your hands. Repeat movement for reps or timed sets. This exercise can be done one-handed as well.

Double-Clean


 

Place two kettlebells in front of your feet, which should be shoulder width apart. Grab both kettlebells and following the form described in the above two handed swing, swing the bells between your legs, using a hip snap and not your deltoids. Drive the bells straight up and to your shoulders as fast as possible. Be aggressive in this movement, but do not allow the bell to flop over your hand and onto your forearms. You want to rotate or punch your hand through the handle. Practice this move often, as this movement will set you up for a variety of kettlebell exercises.

Overhead Press


 

Clean both kettlebells to your shoulders. From the rack position, hold the kettlebells tight to the midsection, actively engaging the abdominals; press both kettlebells straight up into a lockout position overhead. To be efficient as possible, make sure you press the bells straight up from the rack position, and not waste energy from the bells being pressed outward. Lower the bells using your lats to the rack position and repeat. You can also lower the bells to the ground and clean the bells before every rep or just return to the rack position after every press.

Front Squat


 

Clean both kettlebells to the shoulders using the instructions for the double clean. Find a comfortable foot stance, making sure feet are aligned and not staggered. As you begin the descent, push your hips/butt back, keeping your back flat and eyes looking straight ahead, lower yourself to a position that you are comfortable with. (Ideally you should be able to squat to parallel or lower) Repeat movement for desired number of reps.

Unilateral Stiff Legged Dead Lifts


 

Grab a kettlebell with both hands, and hold it in front of your body. With chest elevated and shoulders and back retracted, swing back one foot while keeping the other firmly planted into the ground. The leg going back should be fully extended until it reaches parallel to the ground. Once parallel is reached, slowly lower the bell, without touching it to the ground. Avoid rounding the lower back. To help with stabilization squeeze the hamstring and the glute muscles of the leg in contact with the ground. Repeat for desired reps. Work both sides for equal number of reps/sets. As you progress, try to avoid having the leg that goes back come into contact with the ground at all during your set.

Double Row


 

Place the kettlebells between your feet. Using two kettlebells, take a shoulder width stance and take a solid grip on the bells. Keeping your back flat and eyes looking straight ahead, drive your elbows and the bells toward your midsection, squeezing/contracting your lats at the top of the movement. Slowly and under control, lower the bells to full arm extension. Repeat for reps.

Renegade Rows


 

Place two kettlebells shoulder width apart. Put yourself in the push up position, holding yourself up, with one kettlebell in each hand. Push one kettlebell into the ground and pull the other from the ground, using your elbow and contracting your lats at the top of the movement. Lower the bell under control and alternate. Minimize the amount of twisting your torso does. The key here is to drive the kettlebell that remains on the ground, INTO THE GROUND.

If you cannot do ten full pushups with good form, wait until you can before you try this exercise.

Do not perform this exercise with anything less than a 25 lb bell as the base of the lighter bells are smaller, thus creating a stability issue.

This is an excellent chest, deltoid, lat and abdominal movement exercise and should find a place in your fitness arsenal. This would be a good movement to include in a full body