WHEN YOU THINK of a gym or a weight room, there's likely a very specific image in your head. An open space filled with heavy iron, benches, cable setups—and if you're in a big box, plenty of cardio stations and machines. Most of the weights are probably barbells, both on squat platforms and benches, or dumbbells, sitting stacked along the wall on a rack.
But there's another strength training implement you should add to that vision. Kettlebells are some of the most versatile, efficient tools you can have in your exercise repertoire—and they can provide plenty of advantages for your specific fitness goals. Thanks to the implement's unique shape, which places the rounded load beneath the handle, kettlebells are perfect for swings, snatches, presses, and carries from different positions that you wouldn't attempt with dumbbells.
You can work your arms, of course, but also your legs, chest, back, core, posterior chain—really, you can use kettlebells to train your whole body. There's also an entirely distinct training modality that has gained popularity thanks to the utility of kettlebells: the flow. Using techniques like flows can be a great way to switch up your training to experiment with less rigid routines, adding some fun to your gains.
Curious about which size weight you should start with? We've got the answer here. No matter how you use a kettlebell, it helps to have a game plan.
Check out these workouts for some great examples of standalone routines for your training. You'll need a pair of kettlebells for this total-body session that tasks you to count down from 10 to perform a range of fundamental movements. If you do the workout right, you'll stack up 120 total reps.
Start the timer for five minutes. Perform each exercise for 10 reps with little to no rest in between. Immediately progress to the next movement, this time performing 8 reps for each exercise.
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