I don’t know what drew you to the kettlebell, but for me, it was definitely kettlebell juggling. Seeing these heavy objects fly and flip through air just seemed impossible! (Just search up videos of kettlebell juggling and prepare to be amazed). So I gave it a try…then I realized I really needed to be comfortable around the kettlebell- its shape, it’s weight distribution- in order to start juggling it. I was a beginner, and needed to build a strong foundation of movements before trying to progress further. In the world of fitness, it’s easy to be enticed by flashy and complex exercises. However, as the saying goes, “Before you learn to run, you must first learn to walk.” The same principle applies to kettlebell training. While the advanced moves may grab your attention, it’s important to recognize the importance of mastering the basics and building a strong foundation. In this article, we will recommend the top 5 best basic kettlebell exercises that not only provide a solid foundation, but also open the door to more complex and rewarding workouts. Let’s take a look at these foundational exercises and let them pave the way for more advanced kettlebell movements.

1. The Kettlebell Swing

How to Do It:

Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart and the kettlebell slightly in front of you.
Stand over the kettlebell, hinge at your hips, and bend your knees slightly, grabbing the handle with both hands.
Keep your spine neutral, brace your core, and look forward.
Stand up with the kettlebell, and begin by swinging it backwards between your legs (kind of like your hiking a football, but with your body a bit more upright).
Flex your glutes and perform a standing hip thrust, to swing the kettlebell forward through your legs while keeping your arms straight.
Propel the kettlebell up to shoulder height.
As the kettlebell reaches its peak, let it swing back down between your legs.
Repeat the motion in a fluid, pendulum-like manner for Reps

Why It’s a Good Basic Kettlebell Movement:

The kettlebell swing teaches you how to generate power from your hips, engaging your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles. It’s the bread and butter of most kettlebell workouts and the initial movement to begin generating momentum with the kettlebell. It also improves your grip strength and cardiovascular endurance. Getting good at the swing teaches your body how to manage ballistic movements, and sets up the foundation for more complex movements like the kettlebell snatch and clean.

Next Progressions:

Once you’ve mastered the swing, you can progress to the one-arm kettlebell swing or even the double kettlebell swing as a next step. Or even consider trying out the clean, and then the snatch.

2. The Goblet Squat

How to Do It:

Hold a kettlebell by horns, with your pinkies closest to the globe. Keep it close to your chest with both hands, with your elbows pointed downward.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly turned out.
Keep your chest up, shoulders back, and core engaged.
Initiate the squat by pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground or deeper your flexibility allows.
Push through your heels to return to the starting position.

Why It’s a Good Basic Kettlebell Movement:

The goblet squat is an amazing exercise for building lower body strength, stability, and mobility. It targets your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core while also improving your squatting technique. With the weight in front of your body, your back muscle have to be more engaged in order to maintain the proper upright position, which is ideal for squatting mechanics. Mastering this movement sets you up with the necessary strength to and coordination for more advanced squat variations like the kettlebell front squat and overhead squat.

Next Progressions:

Progress to the kettlebell front squat (I wrote it down below, as a bonuses exercise!) by holding the kettlebell at shoulder height with one arm, in rack position, challenging your upper body and core even further. And look at that! It’s the same as the top position of the kettlebell clean! To master to top portion of the snatch, do a single arm overhead squat.

(Bonus Progression) Kettlebell Front Squat

How to Do It:

Start with the kettlebell in the rack position, close to your chest, with your palm facing inward.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, engage your core, and maintain a strong neutral spine.
Initiate the squat by pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground or deeper if your flexibility allows.
Push through your heels, keeping an upright position to return to the starting position.

Why It’s a Good Basic Kettlebell Movement:

The kettlebell front squat builds upon the goblet squat by further challenging your upper body and core stability. It helps you develop strength and mobility while preparing you for more advanced kettlebell squat variations, such as the overhead squat.

Next Progressions:

The kettlebell front squat is a stepping stone to the challenging kettlebell overhead squat, which requires even greater shoulder mobility and stability.

3. The Turkish Get-Up

How to Do It

Begin by lying on your back with your left knee bent and your left foot flat on the ground.
Hold a kettlebell in your right hand with your arm fully extended toward the ceiling.
Keep your eyes on the kettlebell, engage your core, and roll onto your right side.
Use your left hand for support and push your body up to a seated position.
From the seated position, push through your left hand and lift your hips off the ground.
Slide your left leg back, so you are kneeling on the ground.
Stand up while keeping the kettlebell extended overhead.
Reverse the movement to return to the starting position.

Why It’s a Good Basic Kettlebell Movement:

Honestly, this one’s kinda complicated (look up some videos, because it’s kind of hard to describe in text- and we’ll try to link up some videos soon!). However, it IS foundational. This was THE exercise that really helped me value the kettlebell as a piece of equipment. It was just so unique, and the strength I gained in different body positions was amazing! The Turkish Get-Up challenges stability, strength, and mobility throughout your entire body. It enhances shoulder stability, core strength, and hip mobility while teaching you to move smoothly and maintain control under load.

Next Progressions:

By the time you have mastered some heavy Turkish Get-ups, just get comfortable with some ballistic kettlebell movements and you’ll be ready for some unique and advanced kettlebell exercises! In fact, I think the Turkish get-up is so essential, I’ve written a deep dive tutorial here.

4. The Kettlebell Clean

How to Do It:

Begin with the kettlebell on the ground between your feet.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hinge at your hips, and bend your knees slightly to grasp the handle with one hand.
Keep your core engaged, chest up, and back straight.
Explosively drive your hips forward and pull the kettlebell up, letting it “clean” into the rack position on the outside of your forearm. Thinks about explosively performing an upright row with one arm, then turning the arm under the kettlebell to “catch” it on your shoulders.
Catch the kettlebell with your elbow bent and your hand close to your chest. Your elbow should be pointing a bit forward, with your arm perpendicular to the ground if you’ve done the move well.
Try to “meet” the kettlebell with your arm under it, rather than letting it “crash down” into rack position.
Lower the kettlebell back to the starting position with control.

Why It’s a Good Basic Kettlebell Movement:

The kettlebell clean is a foundational exercise that helps you develop explosiveness, coordination, and strength transfer from your feet all the way up. It teaches you to generate force from your hips and transfer it smoothly to your upper body. Mastery of the clean paves the way for more advanced movements like the kettlebell snatch and jerk.

Next Progressions:

Once you’ve perfected the clean, you can progress to the kettlebell snatch, which involves lifting the kettlebell overhead in a single, fluid motion. Or as a stepping stone, try the kettlebell jerk to get the kettlebell overhead.

5. The Kettlebell Press

How to Do It:

Start by holding a kettlebell in the rack position, close to your chest, with your palm facing inward.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, engage your core, and maintain a strong neutral spine.
Press the kettlebell overhead while keeping your elbow close to your body.
Fully extend your arm at the top, locking out your elbow.
Lower the kettlebell back to the rack position with control.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions on each arm.

Why It’s a Good Basic Kettlebell Movement:

The kettlebell press builds shoulder strength and stability. It teaches you to control the kettlebell in a full range, from chest to overhead. It also reinforces the importance of maintaining a strong core and a neutral spine while lifting overhead. If you get this love down, with control, you’ll be able to add more explosive overhead movements, like the push press or snatch, because you’ll have built the muscular stability to control the kettlebell overhead.

Next Progressions:

The kettlebell press serves as the foundation for the kettlebell push press, where you incorporate leg drive to assist in pressing heavier weights overhead. Which I added as another bonus exercise below!

(Bonus Progression) Kettlebell Push Press

How to Do It:

Start with the kettlebell in the rack position, close to your chest, with your palm facing inward.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, engage your core, and maintain a strong neutral spine.
Bend your knees slightly, then explosively drive through your legs to assist in pressing the kettlebell overhead.
Fully extend your arm at the top, locking out your elbow.
Lower the kettlebell back to the rack position with control. Repeat for reps.

Why It’s a Good Basic Kettlebell Movement:

The kettlebell push press builds upon the foundation of the kettlebell press by incorporating leg drive, allowing you to press heavier weights overhead. You’ll see the weights and/or reps go up pretty quickly with this one, as long as you’ve built a solid foundation with the regular kettlebell press. This movement not only enhances shoulder strength and stability but also teaches you to generate power from the legs, and transfer it through your upper body, which is a crucial skill for more advanced exercises.

Next Progressions:

Once you’ve mastered the kettlebell push press, you can explore the kettlebell jerk, where you combine the leg drive from the push press with a slight dip underneath the kettlebell as it is explosively moving upwards, so you “catch” it with a locked out arm.

A Basics Workout!

You know we wouldn’t leave you without a structure to practice these movements with! We provided this simple workout to give you chance to get a feel for these 5 basic kettlebell exercises. Instead of the usual circuit format of kettlebell training, we’ve organized it into more traditional sets and reps, since the primary goal is to learn the movements. Trust me, your body will appreciate the short rest between sets!

Warm-up: Spend 5-10 minutes warming up with light cardio and dynamic stretches to prepare your muscles and joints for the workout.

Exercise 1: Kettlebell Swing

– Perform 3 sets of 15-20 reps with a moderate-weight kettlebell.

– Rest for 1 minute between sets.

Exercise 2: Goblet Squat

– Perform 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions with a challenging weight.