5 best kettlebell exercises for beginners to build muscle and strength

New to kettlebells? These five best kettlebell exercises should be your go-to

These are the five best kettlebell exercises and the only introduction you'll need to kettlebells. If you're a beginner looking to expand your fitness repertoire, using unfamiliar equipment in the gym could feel intimidating, so why not lock down these stable kettlebell exercises now?

As a fitness instructor, I encourage clients to train with kettlebells for various reasons. Firstly, they're versatile, and can be used for most exercises and workouts to target and strengthen your major muscle groups like your chest, core, legs, back and shoulder muscles. Kettlebells also help you develop better functional movement patterns and technique, but it takes some skill to use them properly.

That's why learning how to use a kettlebell properly and getting to grips with the basics early on could help you maximize your results when lifting them. That's why we also cover how to hold a kettlebell properly to keep you safe.

If you plan to kettlebell swing your way to better fitness, these five exercises will target most of your muscles, build strength, muscle mass, and power, and improve your cardio fitness when used regularly. If you already consider yourself a seasoned swinger, find out what happened when our fitness writer did 100 kettlebell snatches a day for a week, or read on for the best kettlebell exercises for beginners and why you should try them.

Kettlebells are a strength and conditioning exercise fit for any workout routine and exercises like rows, presses, and cleans. Whether your goal is to build strength across your entire body or boost your cardio fitness, the benefits of kettlebells are endless.

And you only need one weight to reap the benefits of kettlebells. Working one side of your body at a time (known as unilateral training) could improve core activation, coordination, and balance, and strengthen your weaker muscles while helping to build power and muscle.

According to research by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning, consistent biweekly kettlebell workouts could improve maximal and explosive strength. For example, coaches could use kettlebell training to improve power in athletes who sprint or powerlifters perfecting their one-rep max squat. Moreover, research by the Journal of Human Kinetics found that kettlebells work well in functional resistance training to build neuromuscular power by recruiting multiple muscle groups.

If you’re new to working out with kettlebells, I believe these are the five best kettlebell exercises for beginners, tried and tested by us. I also recommend the best cross-training shoes to support your workouts.

It's no surprise that kettlebell swings take the top spot for the best kettlebell exercise for beginners, but there's plenty you can do to increase difficulty. For example, American swings require you to swing the weight up to shoulder height to increase shoulder activation and test your control. Alternating swings adopt the unilateral training approach we mentioned earlier.

My tip: Focus on the hip hinge. Avoid squatting or sending focus into your arms. Remember to squeeze your glutes as the kettlebell reaches shoulder height. I recommend learning how to do kettlebell swings here.

How:

It might sound complicated, but once you nail your form, the clean and press can translate into any workout style, from full-body strength training to cardio.

My tip: Keep your biceps close to your ear as you press upward.

How:

Recently, I did the farmer's walk every day for a week, and I believe it's one of the best kettlebell exercises for building strength all over. Here's how to nail it.

My tip: Avoid leaning backward or favoring one side and keep your core braced.

How:

Kettlebell rows work the muscles in your back, including your lats (the large muscles down the side of your back), middle and lower traps, rear delts (backs of your shoulders), and deeper back muscles, but also your core muscles, biceps, hamstrings, and glutes. You could row one weight or two, depending on your ability.

Tip: Graduate to two weights when comfortable. Learn how to do a dumbbell row here.

How:

The deadlift is a staple functional exercise and hits most major muscle groups in one fell swoop (or lift, I should say), and learning proper kettlebell skills also translates to dumbbells. You can expect to work the muscles in your posterior chain — namely your back, glutes, hamstrings, and core muscles.

Tip: Learn how to deadlift in detail to set up for success.

How:

Next up: For more kettlebell content, our writer did 100 kettlebell swings a day and I tried this 30-day kettlebell challenge.

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Sam Hopes is a level III fitness trainer, level II reiki practitioner, and resident fitness writer at Future PLC, the publisher of Tom's Guide. Having trained to work with mind and body, Sam is a big advocate of using mindfulness techniques in sport and fitness, and their impact on performance. She's also passionate about the fundamentals of training and building sustainable training methods. When she's writing up her experiences with the latest fitness tech, you’ll find her writing about nutrition, sleep, recovery, and workouts.

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