It’s a contrary tradition that encourages us to set novel fitness goals during the specific time of year within which we’re least motivated to move. 48% of Brits find it harder to stick to their normal training routine during the cooler months (never mind find the drive to take on new challenges), while 61% stop exercising altogether. So – in case no one’s told you this already – it’s totally fine to lay low during winter if that’s what your body needs.
However, if you are keen to make some headway on your strength goals for 2025 but, like many of us, aren’t feeling too enthused about facing freezing-cold gym commutes and overcrowded weights machines, you’ll be pleased to know you can build strength from the comfort of your living room. All you need is a couple of pieces of equipment and the most effective home kettlebell workouts.
By the way, improving strength training skills – and building strength in general – are super goals to work towards. “Strength training can feel especially empowering for women, as it opens up a typically male-dominated area of the gym that you may have been avoiding all your life,” says personal trainer and MINDFIT founder, Kiki Bustos. “It’s also important for women of all ages as it helps regulate oestrogen levels and therefore lessen the symptoms of PMS and perimenopause.”
“For women 30 and above it’s important to maintain bone density and muscle mass, which starts to decline from around this age. Let’s not also forget how important it is for injury prevention and rehab.”
Gym access is really helpful when the objective is to build strength and muscle, as the vast array of equipment allows you to easily scale your sessions to increase the challenge and continue progressing. However, for one reason or another, it’s not always practical to take your training to the gym. Enter: the most effective home kettlebell workouts to do from your living room, bedroom, or garden.
“The kettlebell is one of the most, if not the most, versatile pieces of exercise equipment that can be used for almost all styles of training,” says personal trainer Jorge Camacho. “They can be used to raise the heart rate, and therefore improve the cardiovascular health of a person. They challenge one’s coordination and balance, improving brain health and quality of life, and, additionally, challenge one’s strength, allowing for muscle growth, improved bone density and athleticism.”
Case in point: A study from last year found that kettlebell training helps to improve athletes’ performance in a variety of sports, by enhancing strength, power, endurance, explosive power, and postural coordination. In short: it’s an incredibly valuable and versatile piece of kit.
Keen to try it out for yourself? Keep scrolling for the most effective home kettlebell workouts, as recommended by top trainers, or stream the best 10-minute kettlebell workouts, 20-minute kettlebell workouts, and 30-minute kettlebell workouts, here. To boost power, give these kettlebell swing workouts a go. Or, if you’re eager to scroll through more strength training content, don’t miss our round-ups of the best strength training workouts for beginners, the many benefits of strength training and the best at-home strength training workouts period, here.
It’s official: These are the most effective home kettlebell workouts, according to top trainers
What is a home kettlebell workout?
Simply, a home kettlebell workout is a resistance training session you can do from pretty much anywhere, providing you have the key equipment: kettlebells.
If you aren’t yet familiar with the kit, a kettlebell is a weight that’s typically shaped like a ball with a large handle. Kettlebells come in a vast range of weights, and can be used to add load to anything from a squat to an overhead press.
If you’re planning on trying some of the most effective home kettlebell workouts, our experts recommend investing in at least two kettlebells; one lighter, for upper-body and accessory exercises, and a heavier one for lower-body and compound movements.
“Where many home workouts fall short is that people tend to have a very small selection of quite light weights,” says London-based personal trainer, Emily Taylor. “So, if you’re looking to purchase some kettlebells for your home workouts, I’d encourage picking weights that will really challenge you, and understand that as you get stronger over time, you might need to add some heavier ones to your collection.”
What are the benefits of home kettlebell workouts?
The benefits of doing home kettlebell workouts are vast and varied. “Kettlebells are extremely versatile bits of equipment you can use to train the whole body effectively, with just one or two different weights,” says Bustos. “You can train both strength and cardiovascular systems and, because it’s a free weight, you also train your core just by simply holding it during your workout,” she adds.
A new study, published in November of last year, found that kettlebell training may even help to slow down ageing. Participants aged 60-80 were required to complete training sessions twice a week for 12 months. At the halfway mark, participants’ muscle mass had increased, along with grip strength and upper leg strength. Grip strength, in particular, is important as we age, as it is directly linked with all-cause and disease-specific mortality in this population.
Some kettlebell exercises also require, and therefore help you to improve, skill and coordination, which is important for navigating everyday life and reducing your risk of injury. Additionally, this type of training can present mental health benefits.
“Mentally, it’s stress relieving, anxiety reducing, cathartic and empowering,” says Camacho. “The boost in self confidence and self efficacy improves general day to day mood and enables someone to face challenges with more confidence. And, on a more physical note regarding the brain, the release of myokines (a type of small protein released by skeletal muscle cells during muscle contractions) improves brain health, regulates metabolism and improves endocrine health.”
Then, there’s the plain old practicality of doing kettlebell workouts at home; investing in a few pieces of equipment is cheaper than paying a monthly gym membership, while axing the commute entirely allows more time to train, if you’re someone who struggles to find time to squeeze exercise sessions into your schedule. “There’s loads of great research on the benefits of ‘movement snacks’; small bursts of movement sprinkled throughout the day,” says Taylor. “Keeping a set of kettlebells within reach is a really good way to remind yourself to squeeze in a few reps of something – even if that’s just ten weighted squats in between work calls. Something is always better than nothing.”
That said, if you haven’t used kettlebells before, you have limited strength training experience, you’re returning to training post-pregnancy or injury, or you’re working towards very specific goals, it’s best to seek some tailored advice from a personal trainer.
What makes a home kettlebell workout effective?
‘Effective’ is subjective – it really depends on what you’re trying to achieve by doing at-home kettlebell workouts. If increased strength is the objective, Camacho advises incorporating six fundamental movement patterns (pushing, pulling, squatting, hinging, twisting, lunging), and gradually increasing the difficulty over time by adding more load, reps, sets, or altering the exercise itself, the tempo or rest time. This is known as progressive overload. “As long as you are improving your movement ability and increasing the difficulty of the session, safely, you can’t go wrong,” he says.
5 of the most effective home kettlebell workouts, according to top PTs
1. Full body kettlebell workout
What? A kettlebell workout that targets your full body and can be tailored to however long you have to workout.
Why? “Steph is an absolute pro, and this is one of my favourite kettlebell workouts,” says Camacho. “It isn’t a follow-along workout, but it’s simple and concise with excellent movements and performance of those movements.”
How long? You decide.
2. Quick full body kettlebell workout
What? A speedy, no-jump, full-body kettlebell workout.
Why? “I like that there’s lateral work (stepping to the side) in this session, which is lacking in some of the others,” says Camacho. “It also includes a solid range of movements, ranging from side lunges to overhead presses.”
How long? 10 minutes.
3. Beginner full body kettlebell workout
What? A full-body kettlebell workout that’s perfect for beginners or anyone easing back into fitness.
Why? “This workout has a great variety of solid movements and an excellent explanation of each one,” says Camacho. “Easy to follow along, it’s a good place to start for beginners.”
How long? 20 minutes.
4. Upper-body kettlebell workout
What? Want to build your upper-body strength this year? Then this home kettlebell workout is for you, promising to work your biceps, triceps and more.
Why? “This workout has a good variety of movements, a good warm-up and great demo videos to help you follow along,” says Camacho. “There are fewer technical movements, but it’s a great workout, with more intense ab work.”
How long? 20 minutes.
![20 Minute Upper Body Kettlebell Workout [Strength Training / Arms] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rgYyLxI3wIo/maxresdefault.jpg)
5. Full body supersets kettlebell workout
What? Last but by no means least, this session is a full-body kettlebell workout featuring supersets.
Why? “This is a very intense session, with heavy lower body emphasis and a lot of kettlebell swings,” says Camacho. “Make sure you are comfortable with your swings first, make sure your hips and hamstrings are doing most of the work, not your lower back.”
How long? 30 minutes.
Shop MC UK approved fit kit now:
Amazon Basics Cast Iron Kettlebell
Amazon’s Basics kettlebells are simple, sturdy and come in a range of weights, from 6kg-20kg.
This cushiony mat will provide extra comfort for your at-home kettlebell workouts (particularly during any lying down exercises!).
YANZHI Adjustable Kettlebell
Adjustable kettlebells offer a space-saving solution for your at-home training equipment. This one can be tweaked from 5lbs to 8lbs, 9lbs or 12lbs.
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