How to Construct a Kettlebell Workout Template

By Nathan Donahue
Here are some ideas:

1. Upper body push - military press, push-ups, jerk, push press, windmill press
2. Upper body pull - clean, row, renegade row, high pull, snatch
3. Lower body push - squat, rack squat, pistol squat, any jumping movement
4. Lower body pull - swing, clean, snatch, deadlift
5. Twist - rack twist, t-push-up, figure 8 to a hold, over head twist, windmill, figure 8 between the legs
6. Lunge - suitcase lunge, lunge with under hand pass, overhead hold and lunge, rack lunge

Obviously I am just scratching the surface with exercise selection here because the possibilities are endless. What I want is to give you a simple template for your workouts.

So here is the template:

1. Pick one drill from each movement
2. Determine sets and reps based on goals, weight of available kettlebell(s), time, and total volume that week or month
3. Determine rest periods based on 2

A typical workout for someone trying to lose with a lighter kettlebell might be something like this:

4 rounds of circuits, resting 3-4 minutes between rounds. 5-10 reps per drill. Keep the kettlebell moving during the circuit.

• Military Press
• High Pull
• Rack Squat
• Swing
• Rack Twist
• Rack Lunge

This would be a quick workout so the trainee could do some volume with whatever dynamic drill they choose afterwards if they are fresh enough.

A typical workout for someone trying to gain strength might look like this:

3-5 sets per drill, keep the reps under 5. Rest as much as needed between sets. Use the heaviest weight possible that can be handled with proper form.

• Push Press
• Snatch
• Pistol Squat
• Two Kettlebell Swing
• Two Kettlebell Windmill
• Overhead Lunge

To be honest the exercises could be the exact same, the only difference between someone trying to lose weight versus someone trying to gain strength is the sets, reps, rest time and total volume. Simply put, train in the six planes of movements, but up the pace and workload to lose weight or slow it down and use more weight to gain strength.