5 CrossFit Workouts You Can Do With Only a Kettlebell
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Crush It With a Kettlebell
Kettlebells have recently become more popular in the U.S., and with good reason.”Obviously, you can swing them, but you can also use them for deadlifts, clean and jerks, snatches, presses, farmer’s carries, overhead walks, and goblet squats,” says Kara Webb, the second-place finisher at the 2017 CrossFit Games. “The kettlebell can essentially be utilized as additional load to any unloaded movement to add an extra challenge.”With that in mind, we present five kettlebell-centric workouts from the top brains in CrossFit.Note: The weights presented here are “Rx,” or the recommended weight for an experienced, advanced-level athlete. The first time you attempt these workouts, try it with a lighter weight—remember, those reps add up fast—and experiment with the weights each time you do the workout.
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The Up-and-downer
2 rounds, as fast as possible, of:20 Kettlebell Clean and Jerks (10 each arm) at 24kg (16kg for women) 10 Burpees20 Kettlebell Snatches (10 each arm) at 24kg (16kg for women) 10 BurpeesWebb‘s workout is ambitious. It calls for two Olympic lifts with kettlebells (if you need a little help with that technique, check out our guide here). With the burpees in-between each movement, you’re definitely going to feel smoked, but look on the bright side: It’s only two rounds.
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Death by Kettlebell Swings
Start by doing 1 kettlebell swing in 1 minute. Add 1 more kettlebell swing each minute.This workout, from Pete O’Donnell, a level-3 certified coach at Reebok CrossFit One, is going to sneak up on you. In 60 seconds, do one kettlebell swing. For each minute after, add another swing: minute 2 is 2 swings, minute 3 is 3 swings, etc. When you can’t complete the requisite number of kettlebell swings within a minute, you’re done.
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500
5 rounds, as fast as possible, of:10 Kettlebell Swings at 24kg (16 for women) 2 Pushups 15 Kettlebell Swings at 24kg (16 for women) 4 Pushups 25 Kettlebell Swings at 24kg (16 for women) 6 Pushups 50 Kettlebell Swings at 24kg (16 for women)Rest 1:00″A single kettlebell opens up a whole world of options over bodyweight-only workouts,” says Sam Orme, the owner of CrossFit Virtuosity in Brooklyn. “Try this workout (stolen from Dan John’s 10,000 Kettlebell Swing Workout) that somehow magically works out to 500 kettlebell swings in a single session.”
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What Goes Up
3 rounds, as fast as possible, of:30 Kettlebell Snatches at 24kg (16 for women) 30 Burpees”When performing the KB snatch, it’s important to maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement,” says Denise Thomas, a trainer at Reebok CrossFit One and a member of the CrossFit HQ Seminar Staff. “Be sure to extend the legs before pulling with the arms to better take the load overhead. Finally, err on the side of caution when you lower the weight to ensure quality over speed.”
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A Kettlebell Circus
12-minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible):21 Kettlebell Swings at 24kg (16 for women) 15 Goblet Squats at 24kg (16 for women) 9 Sumo Deadlift High Pull at 24kg (16 for women)This WOD was recommended by Tia-Clair Toomey, the 2017 Fittest Woman on Earth. You may not be familiar with the sumo deadlift pull. If not, check out our guide here (though you’ll be using a KB instead of a barbell). If the form feels a little off, there’s no shame in decreasing the weight. Remember: 12 minutes is a long time to be working, so choose a manageable weight and pace yourself.
Kettlebells have recently become more popular in the U.S., and with good reason.
“Obviously, you can swing them, but you can also use them for deadlifts, clean and jerks, snatches, presses, farmer’s carries, overhead walks, and goblet squats,” says Kara Webb, the second-place finisher at the 2017 CrossFit Games. “The kettlebell can essentially be utilized as additional load to any unloaded movement to add an extra challenge.”
With that in mind, we present five kettlebell-centric workouts from the top brains in CrossFit.
Note: The weights presented here are “Rx,” or the recommended weight for an experienced, advanced-level athlete. The first time you attempt these workouts, try it with a lighter weight—remember, those reps add up fast—and experiment with the weights each time you do the workout.
The Up-and-downer
2 rounds, as fast as possible, of:
20 Kettlebell Clean and Jerks (10 each arm) at 24kg (16kg for women) 10 Burpees
20 Kettlebell Snatches (10 each arm) at 24kg (16kg for women) 10 Burpees
Webb‘s workout is ambitious. It calls for two Olympic lifts with kettlebells (if you need a little help with that technique, check out our guide here). With the burpees in-between each movement, you’re definitely going to feel smoked, but look on the bright side: It’s only two rounds.
Death by Kettlebell Swings
Start by doing 1 kettlebell swing in 1 minute. Add 1 more kettlebell swing each minute.
This workout, from Pete O’Donnell, a level-3 certified coach at Reebok CrossFit One, is going to sneak up on you. In 60 seconds, do one kettlebell swing. For each minute after, add another swing: minute 2 is 2 swings, minute 3 is 3 swings, etc. When you can’t complete the requisite number of kettlebell swings within a minute, you’re done.
500
5 rounds, as fast as possible, of:
10 Kettlebell Swings at 24kg (16 for women) 2 Pushups 15 Kettlebell Swings at 24kg (16 for women) 4 Pushups 25 Kettlebell Swings at 24kg (16 for women) 6 Pushups 50 Kettlebell Swings at 24kg (16 for women)
Rest 1:00
“A single kettlebell opens up a whole world of options over bodyweight-only workouts,” says Sam Orme, the owner of CrossFit Virtuosity in Brooklyn. “Try this workout (stolen from Dan John’s 10,000 Kettlebell Swing Workout) that somehow magically works out to 500 kettlebell swings in a single session.”
What Goes Up
3 rounds, as fast as possible, of:
30 Kettlebell Snatches at 24kg (16 for women) 30 Burpees
“When performing the KB snatch, it’s important to maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement,” says Denise Thomas, a trainer at Reebok CrossFit One and a member of the CrossFit HQ Seminar Staff. “Be sure to extend the legs before pulling with the arms to better take the load overhead. Finally, err on the side of caution when you lower the weight to ensure quality over speed.”
A Kettlebell Circus
12-minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible):
21 Kettlebell Swings at 24kg (16 for women) 15 Goblet Squats at 24kg (16 for women) 9 Sumo Deadlift High Pull at 24kg (16 for women)
This WOD was recommended by Tia-Clair Toomey, the 2017 Fittest Woman on Earth. You may not be familiar with the sumo deadlift pull. If not, check out our guide here (though you’ll be using a KB instead of a barbell). If the form feels a little off, there’s no shame in decreasing the weight. Remember: 12 minutes is a long time to be working, so choose a manageable weight and pace yourself.
