The other day, I got bored. And like the fitness nerd I am, when I get bored, I turn to workout programming.
My latest exercise baby is this 15-minute kettlebell abs workout that only requires one bell to complete. I like to use the TRX bell from our best kettlebells guide, but you can use any you like — we also like the Amazon Basics model from the same guide, which is cheap enough to throw around with little care.
I do get out and about from time to time, I promise. But nothing fills me with a greater sense of achievement than seeing my late-night scribblings transform into a workout that pushes my clients to their physical and mental limits. Trust me, this one will test your mental strength and physical power.
What is the kettlebell workout?
Where possible, I will always test workouts myself first. I rolled out my exercise mat just days ago and got to work, adjusting it until happy, then collapsing into a sweaty heap afterward. And now you can try it, too.
The goal is to strengthen your core and work muscles all over. Of course, these gains don’t come from a single workout, so you’ll need to add this routine to your existing program or repeat it over the coming weeks and months to notice improvements.
If you choose to repeat it over time, try to adopt the principles of progressive overload, increasing the load as you get stronger and more familiar with your technique.
Here are your kettlebell exercises.
1. Kettlebell single-arm clean and press
Clean the kettlebell up to your shoulder, following the video above if unsure. Adopt a strict press without the use of your legs. That means keeping your legs locked out and using your core, shoulders, arms and chest to lift the weight overhead.
Press out at the top, control the weight back to your shoulder first, then back to the floor. Keep your core engaged and your back neutral without rounding into the spine. Switch sides.
2. Kettlebell goblet sumo squat
Pick up your kettlebell with both hands and drive it up to your chest. Try to hold the bell by the horns; you can also turn it upside down if this hurts your wrists. Step your feet out wide with toes pointed slightly outward, then perform a deep squat. Drive through your heels to stand and squeeze your glutes. That's one rep.
In the video above, I use a dumbbell, which you can also switch to if you struggle with the grip.
3. American kettlebell swing
The American swing is one of my favorite exercises for strengthening your core while working a whole host of muscles, including your shoulders, upper back and chest, glutes, hips and hamstrings.
Instead of stopping at the eyeline, drive the weight overhead and shelf it over your shoulders, using your upper body to stabilize the load. Control the descent of the weight back down between your legs. For every rep, use a snappy hip drive and plenty of core and glute engagement to push the weight, not your arms.
How to perform the kettlebell workout
You can forget sit-ups, crunches and typical ab exercises for now, because this workout hits the whole body while strengthening your core muscles.
Isolation exercises like sit-ups can certainly help you drill down into your abs, but compound exercises like the ones above recruit multiple large and powerful muscle groups like your glutes, quads and back muscles and are extremely effective and efficient, providing more bang for your buck.
And while this isn't marketed as a calorie-burning workout, exercises that hit more muscle groups at once tend to require (and burn) more energy than ones that focus on a small, solo muscle group.
This is a kettlebell complex, meaning your exercises should flow from one to the next without rest, almost like a sequence. For example, once you place your bell on the floor after the second clean and press, you’ll lift it straight into the goblet sumo squat.
Perform reps as a building ladder. Start with one rep of each exercise — for the clean and presses, one rep per arm — build to two reps, then three and so on.
Rest when you need, preferably between sets rather than the exercise reps themselves. As the reps build, your endurance, stability and strength will be tested more and more.
Single-sided exercises improve your body’s ability to handle uneven loads. The heavier you load, the more your body must work to stabilize and balance the weight, ramping up the intensity levels.
At the end, I challenge you to add a finisher into the mix to finish your muscles off. Perform 10-15 kettlebell jump-over burpees as fast as possible without rest as a “buy-out.”
To do this, lie the kettlebell on its side, then jump laterally over it and perform a burpee. Jump to the other side and perform the next burpee. Stay low to the ground without fully standing after every rep, moving straight into your next jump.
Remember to set a 15-minute timer and work through as many reps as you can manage until the time cap.
More from Tom's Guide
- Forget sit-ups — build a stronger core and boost your balance with this 25-minute standing abs workout
- You don't need the gym to build a stronger core — use these 3 dumbbell abs exercises instead
- Ditch the bench press — use this 8-minute push-up workout to strengthen your chest at home or the gym
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