The Top 10 Kettlebell Workouts For Weight Loss

Maybe a kettlebell workout is something you haven’t tried. But, these 10 kettlebell workouts for weight loss are definitely ones you should consider if you want to blast fat.

Kettlebells are a great way to exercise anywhere and burn off fat! They can also add an excellent variety to your gym workout routines as they combine a little cardio with strength training. Even though a kettlebell may seem light to someone who works out often, repetitive motion is always a workout.

It’s important to maintain good form when you use a kettlebell. Like lifting any weights, you run the risk of injury when you don’t do it properly. Whenever you work out with a kettlebell, you want to keep your back straight.

Good posture is a must!

Also, keep your shoulders down so you don’t tense the muscles around your neck. And lastly, keep your chest lifted. This means you should pretend there’s a string on your chest pulling up to the sky at all times so your shoulder blades are flat.

Another vital tip for using kettlebells is to move rhythmically but slow enough to maintain control. It’s crucial that you don’t fling the weight around.

Now that you know the basics of using a kettlebell… Here are the top:

10 Kettlebell Workouts for Weight Loss 

#1 Kettlebell Twists

Here’s a serious workout for you.

This move works your abs without the bell, but when you add the bell you’re talking a serious burn!

Start by sitting on the ground with your legs parallel in front of you. Now lift your legs into the air and, while holding the kettlebell at your chest, twist from side to side. It may help to lock your feet (crossing your feet so that the tops of them are facing each other). This can keep you more balanced. If your abs just aren’t holding up with this move, you can lower your feet to touch the ground and keep you steady, but keep your knees bent.

The endurance on this move is absolutely killer!

It’s a phenomenal workout for building abs and burning calories and fat. You’ll want to do three sets of one solid minute to get the maximum burn. That’s a total of three minutes.

#2 Kettlebell Half Squat

This move works your legs and your glutes! 

It’s leg workouts for mass and will leave you burning!

Hold the kettlebell around the top grip area (or horns) in front of your chest. Place your weight on your heels and bend your knees as if you’re about to sit down in a chair. Sometimes with squats, it helps to slowly sit in a chair first to remember what motion you make and then step away from the chair and do the half squats. These are half because you aren’t sitting all the way down.

To blast fat and lower belly fat, though, you’ll need to do one full minute of these. These 60 seconds may start out easy, but end up searing in those legs and glute muscles! But that nonstop motion for a full minute is what’s helping burn those calories and burn off the fat. Three reps of 12 just wouldn’t target the fat enough with this move, so endurance is needed.

#3 Kettlebell Lunge and Loop

More work for the legs here and it requires a little more balancing. Start by standing up straight with the kettlebell in your right hand. Then step forward about two or three feet with your right foot and bend your knees so that your right leg is making about a 90-degree angle. Pass the kettlebell underneath your right leg from your right hand to your left hand. Then step your left foot forward to stand parallel and straight up again.

For a high-calorie and fat burning workout, do 25 of these for each leg. So that’s 25 right leg lunges and then 25 left leg lunges. Don’t alternate legs because then you’re giving each leg that little break which disrupts the overall burn you’re striving for.

#4 Kettlebell High Pull Burpee

Burpees are already a great fat burner, so add a kettlebell for maximum results! Stand straight with your feet about hip-width apart and hold the kettlebell with your right hand. Bend over as if doing a squat and swing the kettlebell between your legs, then use the momentum and stand up straight again lifting the kettlebell above your right shoulder.

When you’re holding the kettlebell above your right shoulder, keep your elbow bent, so the bell will be about as high as your head, not higher. Your palm should be facing forward. Now lower into a squat and drop down to do a burpee push-up, still keeping the bell in your right hand. Jump the feet up to your hands and carefully come up.

Be careful not to jerk around in this move and think less about the pace. Traditionally when we do burpees, we’re trying to keep the momentum so strong that we may falter a little on form. But when you add a weight, you can’t forgo the form. That extra weight can definitely increase the risk of potential injury, so keep your form top notch!

And, yes, do so even if that means performing it slower.

For a full fat-burning workout, 25 of these will really have you breaking a sweat – and that’s just what you want!

#5 Kettlebell Squat and Swing

This is likely the most popular kettlebell move and that’s because you can’t do it with many other weights. Since the kettlebell has a handle you can hold, you can swing it unlike other weights.

To do this move, stand straight up with your feet hip-width apart. Hold the kettlebell with both hands by the horns, and with your palms facing you. Now sit down into a squat and swing the bell between your legs. Then stand straight up and thrust the bell forward and upward so your arms come straight out in front of you.

Repeat.

Just like with many of these moves, the first few seem easy. But keeping it going is when it gets tough. Sixty swings will have you burning the calories you want to take off the fat!

But you’ll need to do more after.

After the first set of 60, the second set of squat and swing involves changing hands. So start with the kettlebell in one hand and when you thrust upward and forward, switch hands. Do 60 of those. That’s a total of 120 fat-burning swings.

#6 Kettlebell Alternating Push-ups

Here’s an arms workout for your fat-burning kettlebell moves. Start in a low plank stance with your forearms flat on the ground and your legs straight back (your whole body is off the ground except your forearms).

The kettlebell should be next to your left elbow.

Now push one arm up to a full plank stance and then the other arm up so that you’re now in a full traditional plank. Use your right hand to grab the kettlebell and move it to the right side, so that when you go back to the low plank stance it will be next to your right elbow. Then lower one arm so your forearm is on the ground and then the other so you’re back in a low plank stance.

Now repeat, but use your left hand to grab the kettlebell and move it to the left side.

The faster you go on this one, the more fat you’ll burn. If you hang out in a low plank stance for 10 seconds, you’re kind of losing that momentous calorie burn. But even if you have to go at a slow pace, you can still burn fat by doing three reps of 15.

#7 Kettlebell Push Press

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold the bell with one hand, but grab it so that your hand is underneath the horn and your palm is facing up. Bend into a squat then quickly stand straight up and lift the bell all the way up so your arm is completely straight.

Repeat.

Another variation of this move is to start with the kettlebell on one shoulder, bend the knees and then use the momentum when you stand straight again to lift the kettlebell up and make your arm completely straight. The first one involves a lower bend and more momentous push, particularly for people with smaller arm muscles so they can use that full stand momentum to push the bell upwards.

This move is all about the contraction and explosion of your body.

This takes a lot of energy and that means burn, burn and burn! After you’ve done one arm, you’ll need to switch to the other arm. So to get a max burn, perform 30 push presses on each side for a total of 60 push presses.

#8 Kettlebell Squat Pull-up

This is another big arm workout. Start with your feet hip-width apart and the kettlebell between your legs. Bend into a squat position and grab the horns of the bell with your palms facing the floor. Lift explosively, standing straight up and using your arms to continue lifting the bell so that your hands and elbows are as high as your shoulders.

Squat and repeat the process.

It’s incredibly important to maintain good form on a move like this because if you don’t focus on using your arms and legs, you’ll end up using your back and that’s a horrible strain for your lower back. Keep your back straight at all times!

Do not curl over!

It’s all in the legs and arms with this one, so make sure you always keep a straight back.

A move like this involves a lot of your body and will certainly bring up the cardio level on the workout. So to max your fat burning, a solid minute of this will get you burning fast.

#9 Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up

This is a slow and controlled move that works your whole body. First, lay down on the ground on your back. Hold the kettlebell in your right hand with your arm straight up. Your palm will be facing the bar of the bell, away from the weight.

Now, sit up using your left hand as a stabilizer, and bend your right knee so that your right foot is now next to your left knee. Shift forward and use your right leg as the stabilizer when you move into a kneeling stance on your left knee. So your right leg is making a 90-degree angle with just your right foot on the floor, and your left knee is actually on the floor. You’re kneeling on your left knee, and your arm is staying completely straight up the entire time.

Now stand up completely straight so you’re now on both feet and they’re hip width apart. Your right arm should have stayed completely straight up the entire time. Now reverse the move to lie back on the ground.

Repeat. After that, switch sides.

While it seems like a complex move, it really boils down to control. It’s a powerful exercise that requires fluidity, balance, and strength. The workout it gives your entire body will cause the burn!

For maximum fat burning, you’ll want to do 15 on each side.

#10 Kettlebell Mountain Climbers

This move will finish off the fat burning like no other!

Mountain climbers are already a great calorie burning technique but add the kettlebells for even more of a burn.

Get into plank stance while on top of the kettlebells – your hands should be holding onto them for support as if they’re the floor. The top of the kettlebells will be lined up so that the bar is vertical. So when you grip the bells, your palms should be facing each other underneath your shoulders. Now kick your right leg up to your chest as if you’re running and then switch legs and keep repeating in fast motion.

Three sets of one solid minute will do the trick for this move. Burn fat fast by kicking up that cardio. And, by using the kettlebells as your source of balance, your body is at a new angle, giving you some new gym workouts.

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Conclusion 

If adding variety to your workout is what you’re after, then these 10 moves should fit the bill. Some of these may look or even start off easy, but they will work. These kettlebell moves are sure to blast the fat you want to eliminate so get busy!

By Alyssa Bright