Kettlebell Training Program

If you are interested in designing your own workout program with kettlebells, you must understand that this can be quite challenging.

Even experienced exercisers who have an understanding of the proper way to execute various exercises can struggle with creating a simple, but effective training program.

You must understand that when you are creating a workout program to fit your particular fitness goals, you must give it some thought.

You don’t want to get into it and then get frustrated at the lack of results- or worse, become injured. The best way to have an effective program is to keep it balanced and simple.

Following, you will find three different kettlebell training programs that you can do on your own. These are for those individuals who have continual goals of increasing overall strength and conditioning as well as overall fitness.

Of course, these exercises encourage fat loss and lean muscle build up- which may give you that perfect body you crave. The first workout is a balance of strengthening and conditioning. The second one is more focused on conditioning.

The final one is focused mostly on strengthening. Most classes fall between one and three- but it’s always good to have a day every now and then of simple, fun conditioning.

You will find that each of these have something in common. They all involve your whole body. By keeping your whole body involved in the workout session, you reduce your risk of serious imbalances and weakness in some areas/strength in others.

Keep in mind that you don’t want to do too many high repetition presses and pushups- it will hurt your back and shoulders. The horizontal rowing, pull-ups farmer’s walks, and rows will get you in trouble too. There is a method to the madness- these exercises are not random, their placement is purposeful.

Three Safe Kettlebell Training Programs

Following are three safe kettlebell workouts that you can rotate and play with yourself. As mentioned, Workout One will focus on both strength and conditioning. Workout Two will focus more on conditioning. Workout Three will focus more on strengthening.

Workout One: Strength and Conditioning

Start by choosing a kettlebell weight that will be challenging- yet allow you to perform each movement with perfect form. If the rep range that is suggested is too easy for you, try using a heavier kettlebell next time you do it. You should not fail at this. Your focus with workout one should be on working 75 to 80 percent of your max efforts.

1A. Turkish Get Up (two reps per side)

2A. One Arm Swing (10 reps per side)

Rest for thirty seconds and repeat two to three more times.

1B. Push-up (five to 8 reps)

2B. Goblet Squat (five tosix reps)

3B. One Arm Row (five tosix reps per side) or Pull-Ups (four to six reps)

4B. Snatch (10 reps per side)

Rest for thirty seconds and repeat two to three more times.

Workout Two: Conditioning

Start by choosing a kettlebell weight that feels “easy” so that you will be able to cultivate a perfect form. Set a timer for five seconds. You’ll be spending a total of 30 seconds on each of these movements. Some of them will require five seconds per side. Allow yourself to rest for a full 30 seconds between each movement.

1A. Push-Press (fifteen seconds per side)

2A. Two Handed Swing (thirtyseconds)

3A. Jump Squats (thirty seconds)

4A. High Pulls (fifteen seconds per side)

Allow yourself to rest for thirty seconds to 1 minute and then repeat two to three more times.

1B. One Arm Swing/Snatch (fifteen seconds per side)

2B. Burpees (thirty seconds)

3B. Double Farmer’s Walk (thirty seconds)

Allow yourself to rest for thirty seconds to 1 minute and then repeat two to three more times.

Workout Three: Strengthening

Typically, when you focus on strengthening, you still want to consider the workout a practice session. Therefore, you want to make sure you use a kettlebell that’s heavy enough that you have perfect reps.

1A. Single Leg Deadlift (five reps on each side)

2A. Clean & Press (three to five reps per side)

3A. Renegade Rows (five reps per side)

4A. Double Swings (8 reps per side)

Allow yourself to rest for 20 seconds to 1 minute between each exercise to refresh yourself before the next one. You can repeat this set three to five more times.

1B. One Arm Row/Pull-Up (three to five reps)

2B. Single Leg Squats (three to five reps per side)

3B. Double Cleans (8 reps)

Allow yourself to rest for 20 seconds to 1 minute between each one so that you can be refreshed before the next one. This set should be repeated three to five more times.

When you are deciding which one to use, make sure that you choose the volume that you know your body can handle. If you are an athlete or you do other types of exercise, you may want to consider doing lower volume.

On the other hand, if you want to build muscle, you may want to build up to doing five sets instead of the two to three sets that has been suggested here. If possible, do joint mobility on a daily basis.

We hope that you are able to enjoy the workouts provided here. Try them out for four to six weeks and keep a journal to record your workouts. Make sure that you listen to your body- if it’s saying “enough”- try decreasing the weight or reps.