You just need 1 kettlebell and 20 minutes to build-upper body strength and boost your metabolism

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Grab a kettlebell and get moving.

Man performing a biceps curl using kettlebell with left hand
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Having access to a gym and racks of weights is great, but it’s by no means a necessity if you’re looking to get stronger and fitter.

If you have just one kettlebell at home, this 20-minute workout from Roxanne Russell, better known as Workout with Roxanne on YouTube, can help you strengthen your whole upper body.

It’s suitable for all fitness levels — if you’re a beginner, just make sure you pick a fairly light weight, with Russell suggesting 13 to 17.5lbs as a good place to start.

If you don’t already have weights at home, our guide to the best kettlebells will help you pick the right one for you. It’s a great bit of kit to have at home for workouts that make you stronger and boost your metabolism and cardiovascular fitness.

Watch Workout With Roxanne’s 20-minute kettlebell workout

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The workout video includes a warm-up and cool-down, which are well worth doing to help you get the most from the exercises and recover faster afterwards.

During the main section of the workout itself, you’ll be doing 13 exercises, working for 50 seconds and then resting for 30 seconds.

Many moves are unilateral exercises where you work each side of the body in turn. This is a great way to ensure that both sides are equally strong, rather than relying on your stronger side to do the bulk of the work.

If you notice a strength imbalance with some of the moves, like the shoulder press or rows, you can strengthen your weaker side during future workouts to even out your body.

The sets are long in this workout, so don’t be afraid to take extra breaks if required or switch to a lighter weight if you have one.

As ever, make sure you don’t rush through your sets. You’ll get the most from this workout by moving with control and engaging the right muscles, rather than pushing to do as many reps as possible and risking your technique getting sloppy.

Russell recommends checking your form in a mirror or filming yourself to check that your technique is on point. If you’re unsure, use a lighter weight while you get used to the exercise.

Throughout the workout, Russell gives useful form tips to follow, along with motivation. She does the workout with you as well, so you can copy her form as closely as possible.

Once you have a kettlebell at home, there are lots of other great workouts you can do, like this five-move full-body session or this 15-minute standing abs workout.

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Nick Harris-Fry
Nick Harris-Fry
Senior Writer

Nick Harris-Fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear.


Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 and became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 25min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK.


Nick is an established expert in the fitness area and along with writing for many publications, including Live Science, Expert Reviews, Wareable, Coach and Get Sweat Go, he has been quoted on The Guardian and The Independent.

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