Key Takeaways

– The kettlebell goblet squat is often used to teach good squat technique, as it helps you to keep an upright torso and sit back with your hips.

– The goblet squat trains the core and upper back in addition to the lower body.

– If you have trouble doing the kettlebell goblet squat, a landmine squat could be a more effective alternative. Adding a curl at the bottom of the movement, or doing it as more of a lunge pattern at a 45-degree angle may help too.

We’ll start by showing you how to execute the kettlebell goblet squat with great form, tell you all the muscles it works and how, and then provide some alternative exercises you can use to become a sound and strong squatter.

Let the game begin!

How To Perform The Kettlebell Goblet Squat

(See 02:00 in the video.)

Step 1. Hold a kettlebell in front of your chest by the sides of its handle. Draw your shoulders back and downward (think: “proud chest”), and tuck your elbows in close to the bell—try to get your forearms as vertical as you can. Stand with your feet between hip- and shoulder-width apart, and turn your toes out a bit—up to 30 degrees if you need to.

Step 2. Tuck your tailbone and draw your ribs down so that your pelvis is parallel to the floor. Take a deep breath into your belly, and brace your core. Actively twist your feet into the floor, but don’t let them move. Think of your legs as screwdrivers, or that you’re standing on grass and trying to twist it up beneath you. You should feel the arches in your feet rise and your glutes tighten, creating tension in the lower body.

Step 3. Keeping a long spine from your head to your pelvis, push your hips back and squat down, as if sitting down into a chair. Squat as low as you can while keeping your head, spine, and pelvis aligned. Push your knees apart as you descend. You should feel most of your weight on your heels to mid-foot area. If you feel your lower back beginning to round, stop there, and come back up. Keep your torso as vertical as possible—you shouldn’t have to lean forward or work extra hard to hold the bell upright. Avoid bending or twisting to either side.

Step 4. Drive through your feet as you extend your hips and knees to come up.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Goblet Squat

(See 01:00 in the video above.)

First and foremost, the goblet squat is an excellent teaching tool for learning the classic squatting movement pattern correctly. When most people begin squatting, whether with their bodyweight or a barbell on their back, they have trouble sitting back on the descent and activating the muscles of their hips. They tend to lean forward excessively to maintain balance, and that can lead to a range of problems: squatting too shallow, rounding the lower back, letting the knees collapse inward, allowing the heels to rise off the floor, etc.

In the goblet squat, you hold a load in front of your body, and it acts as a counterbalance. As a result, you’ll feel more comfortable opening your hips and sitting back with them—you don’t feel like you’re going to fall backward when you begin the descent, because the weight of the kettlebell is gently pulling you forward. This allows you to squat deeply with an upright torso, and that makes it possible to activate the greatest amount of muscle throughout your legs, while minimizing shear forces on the spine. As you descend, your elbows naturally travel inside your knees, which is a reminder to push your knees out to make room for the elbows. Doing so helps your knees to align with your toes, and that prevents the knee pain so often associated with knees that collapse inward.

Positioning the kettlebell in front of the torso makes your core brace your spine more or less automatically, so you can argue that the goblet squat builds strong abs as well. Furthermore, holding the weight in front of the chest asks a lot of the shoulder and upper back muscles, and fighting to maintain good shoulder alignment strengthens your posture. This can pay big dividends if you go on to train more challenging types of squats, such as the back squat and front squat. It can also help make you stronger at presses and pullups/rows too.

Due to the vertical torso position, the goblet squat is much easier on the lower back than a back squat is. If you recently injured your low back doing back squats, or just can’t get the hang of them, the goblet squat is a great squat variation to regress to in order to clean up your form. In this regard, it has a lot in common with the front squat, and goblet squats are often used to build up to training front squats. With the lighter loads used, however, the goblet squat is more user-friendly and easier to master.

Because the goblet squat is relatively easy to master, it works well in circuits and other fast-paced workouts that train the whole body. You can pick up a kettlebell, knock out a set, and move on to the next thing. Only the most advanced athletes or lifters could be as efficient with back squats and other barbell variations, so it’s no wonder why the goblet squat is popular in exercise classes and for home-gym training.

Muscles Used In the Kettlebell Goblet Squat

(See 06:45 in the video.)

The kettlebell goblet squat is really a full-body exercise, but it’s treated mainly as a lower-body lift. Here are the muscles it recruits, from the top down.

Upper back (traps, rhomboids)

Deltoids

Lats

Wrist flexors and extensors

Rectus abdominis, and deep core muscles

Spinal erectors

Quadriceps

Glutes

Hamstrings

Calves

While the goblet squat does work a lot of muscle, it’s not a great choice for someone looking to make big muscle gains—at least not long-term. It will certainly help to improve your squat technique and strengthen your back, legs, and core, but as you progress your loading on the goblet squat, you will reach a point where your upper body can’t support the weight anymore, while your legs still feel strong. At this stage, it’s wise to advance to front squats or back squats, which will let you go heavy enough to ensure that your quads gets trained to the fullest.

However, that isn’t to say that goblet squats can’t be done with heavy weight, especially if kettlebells or dumbbells are all you have to train with. Some lifters have done reps with well over 100 pounds, which makes for an impressive test of overall body strength. But the difficulty and awkwardness of getting such heavy weight into position makes moving on to a different type of squat a more practical progression.

How To Stretch Before Doing The Kettlebell Goblet Squat

(See 07:39 in the video.)

The kettlebell goblet squat is as beginner-friendly a squat as there is, but it still requires mobility in some key muscle groups to perform correctly. You can loosen up your ankles, hips, and quads beforehand with these drills from Shane Heins, Onnit’s Director of Fitness Education. Perform one round of each movement below in sequence. Do reps of each move for 30 seconds, and then repeat for 3 total rounds.

Ankle Roll On Edges of Feet

Step 1. Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart and place your hands on your knees. Begin circling your knees outward (left knee counter-clockwise; right knee clockwise) while rolling on the outer edges of your feet. Raise  your heels as your knees come forward, and move slowly and smoothly.

Step 2. Perform your reps in one direction, and then repeat in the opposite direction. If you have trouble keeping your balance, hold onto a sturdy object for support.

Bent-Knee Hip Circle

Step 1. Hold onto a sturdy object for support. Tuck your tailbone under and draw your ribs down, so that your pelvis is level with the floor, and brace your core. Raise one leg in the air in front of you with your knee bent. Allow a soft bend in the leg that’s supporting you. 

Step 2. Rotate your leg 90 degrees out to your side, and then begin turning your toes toward the floor as you draw the leg behind your body. Return your foot to the floor. That’s one hip circle.

Step 3. After 30 seconds, switch legs.

Kneeling Hip Extension

Step 1. Kneel on the floor in a tall position—shoulders and hips stacked over your knees. Your toes can be pointed into the floor. Place your hands on your ribs and pelvis and draw your ribs down so that the two areas pull closer together. Your pelvis should be level with the floor. Brace your core, and squeeze your glutes.

Step 2. Keeping a long spine, begin leaning back slowly, so that you feel tension in your quads. Go as low as you can control, and then extend your knees to kneel tall again. Over time, work to lower yourself a little further.

Kettlebell Goblet Squat Variations

(See 13:09 in the video.)

If you have a tough time maintaining an upright torso while you squat, or your squat lacks depth, try the 45-degree goblet squat, which uses more of a lunge pattern to stretch out your hips and train a tall posture.

45-Degree Goblet Squat

Step 1. Hold the kettlebell in the goblet squat position and place one leg 45 degrees out and behind you, as if stepping back into a deep lunge.

Step 2. Squat, driving your front knee over the center of your foot and lowering your body as far as you can. Complete your reps and repeat on the opposite side. Aim for 3 sets of 5 on each leg. Then test out your goblet squat and see if it feels better.

Kettlebell Goblet Squat With Curl

This movement helps you get more comfortable in the bottom position of the squat. At the bottom, you extend your arms in front of you and then curl the weight back up. No, it won’t build your biceps, but it will get you more time in that deep squat position so you can focus on keeping your torso upright, your knees out, and your pelvis neutral.

Step 1. Set up as you did to perform the regular kettlebell goblet squat.

Step 2. Squat down. When you’re as low as you can safely go, hold the position. Extend your elbows, lowering the weight until it’s just above the floor.

Step 3. Curl the kettlebell back up to your chest, and come back up out of the squat. That’s one rep. Do 3 sets of 5 reps.

Kettlebell Goblet Squat Alternatives

(See 16:35 in the video.)

If you don’t have a kettlebell, a barbell and plates will allow you to get a similar effect to the goblet squat, and offer some other advantages as well.

While the goblet squat is ideal for beginners, some people will find that they still have trouble keeping their torso upright while performing it. In this case, using a barbell in a landmine unit can be a great solution. With a landmine squat, the load is held in front of the body the same as it is with a goblet squat, but the bar is anchored to the ground and travels on an arc. This all but guarantees that you’ll stay tall while you squat, because if you bend too far forward, the bar will poke you in the chest.

Step 1. Load one end of a barbell into the cylinder of a landmine. (If you don’t have a landmine, the corner of a room can suffice; just protect the walls with a towel.) Hold the opposite end of the bar with both hands and stand in your squat stance. Twist your feet into the floor to create tension in the lower body as described in the goblet squat directions above.

Step 2. Lower into the squat as deeply as you can, and then extend your hips and knees to come back up.

Read more about safe, user-friendly squatting in our guide to the landmine squat.

The post Kettlebell Goblet Squat: How To Do It & Get Ripped appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Genovese’s original sculpture now adorns an exclusive, limited-edition run of real, usable, 55-pound (25 kg) kettlebells, and $100K of the proceeds from their sale will go to one of Rogan’s favorite charities, Fight For The Forgotten, a non-profit that benefits displaced indigenous people in Africa. But the road to get here was a winding one. Below, Genovese tells the story of how the Joe Rogan Kettlebell came to be and the process of sculpting incredible works of art.

ONNIT: How long have you been sculpting? 

GENOVESE: I’ve been sculpting as a time-killer since I was a little kid. I don’t have any formal training in it, but my mom would make Christmas ornaments out of salt dough when I was little, and I was fascinated by them. I’ve always been obsessed with little objects—ornaments, or action figures. I went to school for film, but when I graduated I had no money to make movies. I got my creative outlet through sculpting. I started making pieces for myself in 2005 and selling a few commissioned pieces here and there, and it became a sincere business in 2017. 

Around that time I had a few big life changes. I was working in the film and television industry in New York, and then I went back to my hometown in Cape May, New Jersey, and thought about what I was going to do with my life. Sculpting just gave me so much joy, and I wondered what would happen if I spent all my time doing it. So I started sculpting around the clock. I sold a few of my sculptures on Etsy but they weren’t commissioned—they were just things that I wanted for myself. I would just think, “This is a cool idea; I want that,” and then I’d sculpt it. 

I was almost telling my autobiography through art. I was doing characters in movies and pop culture that told a story to me, or spoke to a certain change in my life. 

How did you decide to sculpt Joe Rogan? 

I was listening to a lot of podcasts while I sculpted. In 2017, I listened to The Joe Rogan Experience around the clock, so I sculpted a little object to represent that obsession—just a little bust of Rogan with his headphones on looking shocked, like his mind was being blown. Then I sent it to The Comedy Store [in Los Angeles, where Rogan often performs]. I happened to have a friend who goes there all the time and knew people there, and he said that if I sent the bust to them, he would know whom to get it to and that maybe Rogan would get hold of it. I sent the bust, but I didn’t hear anything back. 

Fast forward to 2019. I started to wonder if my friend had clowned me and had just taken the bust for himself, so I made a whiny post on Instagram about how I sent the bust but never heard anything back. The post was really directed at my friend because I thought he’d stolen it, but within a week of my posting, Joe posted a picture of the bust. I don’t know if it was a coincidence, or if someone saw my post and got the bust to him, but he had gotten a hold of it somehow. 

When Rogan posted that image, my followers on Instagram doubled—and so did my Etsy sales. That let me know I could turn sculpting into a full-time job. I moved out to Tucson and went all in. My dad lives here and he’s a talented gemstone artist, and I like the desert. It’s like living on a Star Trek planet [laughs]. 

So how did that original design evolve into the Joe Rogan Kettlebell? 

Onnit saw my whiny post about how I never heard back from The Comedy Store, and they commented on it. I then reached out to Onnit directly and said I would love to design kettlebells for you guys, because I liked the Monster bells you sell. I had an idea for a Rogan kettlebell but I didn’t want to give it away—I wanted Onnit to hire me first! 

Anyway, we lost touch for a while. Then, in 2022, I was planning on doing a bust of another comedian. I went to a meet-and-greet with him and he was so rude to me that I changed my mind. Instead, I started working on the Rogan kettlebell sculpture immediately. During the pandemic, Rogan was posting a lot about his home workouts, and I saw a lot of photos of him making that workout face when he did his kettlebell training. I saw it so much I decided to sculpt his expression into a kettlebell.  

Is it true that the sculpture actually started out as a bust of Bruce Lee? 

I had sculpted a bust of Bruce Lee and had it lying around, and he was making a similar face to the one Rogan made in his workouts. I thought I could save some work by adapting it [laughs]. So I turned Bruce Lee into Joe for the kettlebell. Now that I think about it, maybe that’s what Joe was doing all along—making a Bruce Lee face. 

What happened after you sculpted it? 

I posted it online and [comedian] Bert Kreischer—who was already following me—saw it and shared it with Rogan. Then Joe shared it. In 24 hours, I got more than a thousand requests for that kettlebell. I sent Joe a message, thinking he’d probably never see it, but I told him I’d gotten all these requests and I’d really like to sell it. But I didn’t want to do it without his blessing, because it’s his likeness. If I’m making 10 of something, I don’t think about asking permission, but people wanted me to mass produce this thing, so I wanted to ask Rogan if it was OK. I never expected to hear from him, but he got back to me immediately. He said, “You have my blessing to do it, but I want it to be a real kettlebell,” not just a sculpture. 

I started looking around for people who did cast iron, and the quotes they were giving me were just insane. I quickly realized it would take too long and cost too much, so I went back to Joe and asked if Onnit would release it. He said, “Give me a minute.” He asked someone at Onnit, and five minutes later Rogan got back to me saying Onnit would do it, and here’s the number to call to connect with them. 

How does the final version of the Rogan kettlebell compare to your original sculpture? 

It’s bigger! Onnit said it will weigh 55 pounds [editor’s note: the bell is 7.67 inches wide and 11.8 inches top to bottom]. They upscaled it so it’s lifesize—approximately the size of a real head [laughs]. 

During the kettlebell’s sale, Onnit is donating $100K to Fight For The Forgotten, a charity that benefits displaced people in Africa. How does it feel to have your art associated with such a huge humanitarian effort?

That couldn’t make me happier. If I had financial independence, I would donate everything I could from my own art’s proceeds to causes that matter to me. The fact that Rogan and Onnit do that really makes me feel good. I’m thrilled that the kettlebell will benefit Fight For The Forgotten, and I hope we sell so many kettlebells that people keep placing orders for more. 

What goes into making these sculptures? Shed some light on your process. 

I gather as many photo references of the person or the object as I can possibly find. As many angles as I can get. If it’s a person, I need a perfect profile shot to get the shape of their face, and I need them taken with a lens that’s over 50mm, because you get photographic distortion if you have a wide-angle lens, and that will screw up the face. 

From there, it’s really just brute force. I attack the clay and keep working it and working it until I think it looks good. Anything you try to represent artistically is really just a combination of abstract shapes. I look at a face and I go, “What’s the shape of this part of the nose? What’s the proportion of the eyes to the ears?” You do a million calculations in your brain. I just have a knack for it. I can’t explain it. I’d be the world’s worst teacher. It’s mostly just obsession and not giving up until I’m satisfied. 

The busts all start as a plumbing pipe that’s screwed into the base. Then I just build up clay around it most of the time. They’re cast in either stone—gypsum—or a polyurethane resin and metal powder. That gives the piece a beautiful metallic effect, like cast iron or cast bronze. 

I usually shoot a time-lapse film when I’m making the sculptures, but, unfortunately, I didn’t with the one that became the Rogan Kettlebell because I was getting tired of filming them and I figured it would just sink into obscurity. I thought, “I’ll just make this and post it and everybody will have a laugh and move on.” [Laughs] 

How many hours do you put into these sculptures, and what do they sell for? 

A full-size bust takes anywhere from 75 to more than 200 hours to sculpt. I do everything by hand, and it’s a lot of standing. Making a belt buckle might take 20 hours at most. I have one big room in my house that I turned into my studio. I’m like a vampire—I sleep during the day and sculpt at night.  

Mini-busts weigh three to six pounds and cost $300–$800. A full-size bust is twice as big and will cost in the thousands. If you want a one-off sculpture with exclusive rights to it, that’s around 10 grand. 

Have you sculpted any other famous people that you’ve actually gotten to interact with? 

Apart from Rogan, another thing I’m known for is doing an action figure of [comedian] Tom Segura with a broken arm. He’s notorious for making fun of people who get injured on video, and then he broke his arm playing basketball a couple years ago. So I sculpted an action figure of him with a broken arm. But he actually found out about me before that because I painted a portrait of his mom. He’s always bringing her on his podcast and showing her terrible things; she’s appalled by them and I just thought she had the funniest reactions. I thought it would be a nice gesture to paint his mom and send it to him. He loved it and shared it on his show and followed me on Instagram. But I think that was after Rogan and I did the deal on the kettlebell.  

We read on your Instagram that you destroy the originals of everything you sculpt. Don’t you think they might be worth a fortune someday, and isn’t it hard to part with your creations? 

Yeah, I do destroy them. At first it was because I just didn’t have the money to keep buying clay. Now it’s become more of like a Buddhist thing. Monks used to make art out of sand and then wipe it away. I like the idea of the impermanence of art and deleting the original, because that’s what’s going to happen over time anyway. 

That said, I have the molds, so I can duplicate these sculptures as many times as the mold survives. Also, I do have full-size busts of Jerry Garcia and Jimi Hendrix that I’ve kept, and I may continue to hold on to one of them. 

How can people place orders for your work? 

You can place orders on Etsy. I’ve been making a documentary feature so I shut the store down for a while, but it will be open when the Rogan Kettlebell comes out. I sell my sculptures mostly as stickers, busts, and belt buckles. 

What’s next for you? 

I went to film school and wanted to make documentaries, but I had to stop because I had no money. The movie I was working on when I stopped, which I’m picking up again now, is a feature documentary called Gem Show, and it’s about the gem and mineral trade and the crazy characters you meet in that world. My dad is the main character, and it’s mostly a personal story about my relationship with him and how he’s battled alcoholism and drug addiction his whole life. He went sober out of nowhere a few years back and wanted to make this movie. I followed him around the world for several years with a camera to different mines and gem cutters. I was exploring the nature of being an artist and how the sacrifices for trying to achieve excellence affect your life. You can either choose your passion or walk away from it. The elevator pitch for it would be Uncut Gems meets Tiger King, because my dad is a Tiger King-like character. It should come out in the next year or so. Film is still my greatest passion. If I had financial independence, I’d still sculpt but I’d mostly make films. 

Sign up now to enter our drawing for a chance to purchase the limited-edition Joe Rogan Kettlebell. Participants will be notified the week of September 16.

Learn more about the Fight For the Forgotten at their website, and Christopher Genovese on Instagram (@freakshopgallery). 

The post Q&A With The Creator of The Joe Rogan Kettlebell appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Here, we present some of the most common and effective kettlebell deadlift variations.

What Is The Kettlebell Deadlift and What Are The Benefits of Doing Them?

(See 00:31 in the video above.)

“The deadlift itself is a hinge movement,” says Shane Heins, Onnit’s Director of Fitness Education. “You fold at the hips to pick objects up from down below.” If that motion looks familiar to you, it should—you probably do it every day, from picking up your gym bag to lifting your little brother/sister, or son/daughter, into the car seat. The point is, few exercises prepare you for the sport of life like the deadlift does.

That’s not to say it can’t prepare you for actual sports too. The deadlift trains the muscles that extend the hips—the glutes and hamstrings—which are the source of speed and power for virtually all explosive movements (yes, the quads get some work too, extending the knees in concert with the hips). Deadlifting also involves the upper and lower back, as well as the forearm and gripping muscles, so deadlifts of any kind are really full-body exercises.

When you swap out a barbell for a kettlebell, things get even more interesting. Deadlifting with a barbell is hell on your grip, but the challenge increases with a kettlebell, both because the diameter of the handle is thicker and the weight’s center of gravity is lower. That makes the kettlebell much harder to control, upping the strength requirement from both your hands and your core. Another point: the shape and length of a barbell makes it only suitable for lifting right in front of you, with your palms facing your body. A kettlebell, however, can be positioned between your legs, to the outside of one leg, or at varying heights depending on your goals. You can also grip it with your hands at a 45-degree angle or palms facing in, so the kettlebell is a bit more versatile.

Heins argues that the kettlebell is “much more closely related to the types of objects you’ll deadlift, and how you’ll deadlift them, in your day-to-day life.”

How To Do The Single-Leg Kettlebell Deadlift

(See 01:17 in the video.)

The single-leg kettlebell deadlift works the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back one side at a time, which allows you to train them through a greater range of motion than you could with conventional two-legged deadlifts. We recently posted a thorough article tutorial on the single-leg deadlift and all its glory, so check that out separately.

How To Do The Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

(See 01:49 in the video.)

Prolonged bouts of sitting cause the hamstrings to shorten, reducing their flexibility. The Romanian deadlift helps to stretch them back out again, while also working the glutes through a full range of motion. Doing an RDL with a kettlebell is a good way to prepare your body for more dynamic hip hinge movements like the kettlebell swing, as it strengthens the same muscles and works you through the same range, but without the momentum that puts the lower back at some risk.

Step 1. Set a kettlebell on the floor just in front of you. Place your feet hip-distance apart. Draw your shoulders back and down (think “proud chest”), pull your ribs down, and brace your core. Unlock your knees.

Step 2. Keeping a long spine from your head to your tailbone, drive your hips back as far as you can so your torso folds over. Let the movement come from your hips (do NOT round your lower back). Stop when you run out of range—your shoulders should end up above hip level. Grasp the kettlebell with both hands.

Step 3. Keeping your proud chest position, drive through your heels as you extend your hips and knees to stand up tall. Now you’re in position to BEGIN your reps.

Step 4. Bend your hips back as you did above to lower the weight to just above the floor—don’t let it rest on the ground. You may need to stand on some mats or other elevated surface to do so. The goal should be to keep constant tension on your muscles, and stopping the weight on the floor allows them a momentary rest.

How To Do The Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift

(See 02:43 in the video.)

If your hamstrings are tight, you may have an easier time doing the sumo deadlift than the RDL. The sumo requires less of a hip hinge, but it also lets you work with heavier weights, and it gets the adductors (inner-thigh muscles) in on the action to a greater degree than other deadlifts.

Step 1. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width, and turn your toes out 45 degrees. Actively drive your knees outward. Assume a proud chest position.

Step 2. Hinge your hips back while keeping a long spine, and grasp the kettlebell with both hands.

Step 3. Drive through your feet to extend your hips to stand tall. Think about pulling through the crown of your head.

How To Do The Kettlebell Suitcase Deadlift

(See 03:42 in the video.)

Lifting a kettlebell on one side of the body alone “starts to tap into that corset of core musculature from the hips to the shoulders,” says Heins, “while also challenging your grip.” Most of life and sport activities load the body asymmetrically, so it pays to train this way.

Step 1. Set the kettlebell to the side of one leg with the handle turned vertical (so you can pick up the bell as if it were a suitcase). Place your feet at hip width, get a proud chest, and draw your ribs down. Brace your core.

Step 2. Hinge your hips first and then bend your knees just enough to reach the kettlebell. Maintain a long spine as you do this. (Think about the logo on your T-shirt—it should be visible to anyone standing in front of you.)

Step 3. Drive your feet through the floor and extend your hips to stand tall. Lift the weight evenly. Because you’re loading your body unevenly, it will be difficult to keep your shoulders square and your torso straight, but avoid any twisting or bending.

Be sure to perform the exercise for an even number of reps on both sides.

How To Do A Double-Kettlebell Deadlift

(See 05:16 in the video.)

Deadlifting two kettlebells at once really forces you to brace your core and coordinate an unstable movement. It’s tough on your grip, and allows you to lift heavier than most other kettlebell deadlift variations, increasing the muscle-building potential.

Step 1. Place two kettlebells on the floor and stand with them between your legs, feet a little wider than your hips. Draw your shoulders back and put a soft bend in your knees.

Step 2. Hinge your hips to reach the kettlebells. Be sure to really push your hips back, bending your knees only as needed to grasp the bells.

Step 3. Drive your feet through the floor and stand tall. As you return the kettlebells to the floor, think about sitting your hips back rather than just bending forward.

Stretching Before Deadlifting

Perform the following mobility routine from Onnit-certified coach Eric Leija (@primal.swoledier) before you take on any of the deadlifts listed here. It will stretch out your hips, glutes, and hamstrings for the work to come, and raise your core temperature for safer training.

How To Modify Your Deadlift For Your Goals

(See 06:42 in the video.)

“It’s easy to fall into the trap of ’I see the movement being done this way and this is the only way I can ever do it,’” says Heins of the deadlifts we outlined above. But he wants to remind you that the beauty of kettlebells is their versatility—you can use them in a variety of ways that help you accomplish exactly what you want with your training at whatever level you find yourself.

For instance, if you want to improve mobility in your hips and hamstrings, Heins says you can perform the double kettlebell deadlift with a single leg. If you want to go really heavy on your double deadlift, do it with a sumo stance. Want to build rock-solid balance and stability? Do the suitcase deadlift single-leg style. And if you find that you don’t have the mobility to perform a deadlift safely, do it from an elevated surface (such as a box or mats) to cut down on the range of motion. “I’d rather see you cut range than get hurt trying to force a range you don’t have yet,” says Heins.

So get creative and play with these variations to find what suits you best. As long as you observe the basic form pointers—flat back, proud chest, moving at the hips instead of the low back—you’ll have an almost infinite number of kettlebell deadlifts to work on.

How To Incorporate These Exercises Into Your Workouts

(See 09:21 in the video.)

Deadlifts generally let you go pretty heavy, so Heins says they work well when serving as the main strength exercise in your workout. After you’ve warmed up and done any plyometric (explosive) or high-skill exercises, such as jumps or cleans, a double-kettlebell deadlift or sumo deadlift is a great movement to strengthen the lower body. Do sets of 3–5 reps if you have access to really heavy kettlebells, while 8–12 reps is fine for moderate ones.

“You can also use deadlifts for circuits for conditioning,” says Heins, or muscular endurance. “The kettlebell lets you notch back the weight you’re working with so you can do the deadlift for higher reps and with shorter rest periods,” something that isn’t so practical when using a barbell and plates. Romanian deadlifts are a good choice in this case, as are double-kettlebell sumo deadlifts done with lighter bells. Heins says that the latter is a good way to focus on opening up range of motion in the hips and adductors.

Yet another use for deadlifts is for simulating more athletic and real-world movements, like lifting uneven loads. You can place suitcase and single-leg deadlifts pretty much anywhere in your workout to train your ability to stabilize your body as well as even out muscle imbalances between sides. “These don’t need to be high repetition or heavy,” says Heins. “Work with a weight that allows you to hold structural integrity and perform reps with the utmost beauty.”

Learn about another deadlift variant that works with kettlebells, dumbbells, or a barbell in our guide to the B-stance RDL.

The post The Best Kettlebell Deadlift Exercises For Your Workout appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Benefits Of Using Kettlebells To Work Out Your Legs

(See 00:44 in the video above)

“Kettlebells are easier to manage than barbells and plates,” says Shane Heins, Onnit’s Director of Fitness Education. If you don’t have access to a gym, or you need to train in hotel rooms due to frequent travel, the kettlebell is the more practical option than conventional free weights. Furthermore, you don’t need a wide array of poundages to get a good workout for any body part. One 16-kilo kettlebell can make for a pretty grueling routine.

The shape and design of the kettlebell allows you to move it in ways that can’t be done with other implements. This means you can train your legs while holding the weight aloft, in front of you, while rotating, and otherwise moving in multiple planes in order to get a unique training effect that prepares you for the movements you’ll make in everyday life and sports. The offset load, however, is what made kettlebells famous. “The bell’s center of gravity is set at a distance from its handle,” says Heins, meaning that you’ll have to work much harder to control the weight than you would with a dumbbell. That raises the stakes on every exercise you do, increasing the benefit to your stability and overall body control.

Why And How To Do The Single-Leg Kettlebell Deadlift

(See 01:27 in the video)

“Just because we have a greater sense of evenness when standing on two legs doesn’t mean both sides are doing their part evenly,” says Heins. Everyone has strength imbalances between sides, and while you’ll probably never smooth them out completely, it’s worth it to at least try to minimize the discrepancy. The single-leg deadlift strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and adductors in each leg in turn, while improving your balance and body control on one leg. Single-leg training also lets you work through a greater range of motion, and that helps with mobility. All of these things are important for preventing injury, as lopsided strength and mobility between limbs can set you up for accidents. You’ll also find that when each leg works better on its own, the two will come together to produce more force on your bilateral exercises, such as conventional deadlifts and back squats.

Here’s how to perform the single-leg kettlebell deadlift with good form.

Step 1. Hold a kettlebell with both hands at arm‘s length in front of you. Retract and depress your shoulders—think: “proud chest.” Now stand with feet hip-width apart and pick your left foot up off the floor an inch or two (just high enough so it doesn’t scrape the floor when you begin your reps).

Step 2. Soften your right knee so there’s a slight bend, and begin pushing your hips straight back as if to touch a wall behind you. This motion is called a hip hinge, and it’s the same type of movement you’d perform in any deadlift variation.

Step 3. Push your left leg back and straighten it as you hinge at the hips, and try to keep the leg moving in a straight line, as if you were aiming to touch a target that was directly behind you. If you have trouble balancing, you can gently tap your left foot to the floor as you go, but try to keep it elevated. The left leg will serve as a sort of kickstand that supports you while you train the right leg.

Keep a long spine from your head to your tailbone as you bend your hips—don’t let your back round forward. Stop when you feel a good stretch in your right glutes and hamstrings.

Step 4. Extend your hips to come back up to standing tall, touch your foot down to reset, and repeat for reps. Afterward, switch legs and do your reps on the left leg.

Heins says to grip the floor with your foot as much as possible. (If possible, do the exercise in socks or bare feet so you can make better use of your toes). “Your weight should shift to your heel as you hinge,” says Heins. “Push your foot into the floor, and that will create stability up the chain.” Also, avoid twisting your hips and shoulders to either side. Strive to keep both square to the floor at all times.

Single-Leg Kettlebell Deadlift Alternatives

(See 06:20 in the video)

If you’re fairly new to lifting or don’t have a lot of single-leg work under your belt, your biggest challenge may be keeping your balance. In this case, try what Heins calls the sliding single-leg deadlift, where you’ll rely more on the kickstand leg to provide stability.

Sliding Single-Leg Deadlift

(See 06:40 in the video)

Step 1. Set up as you did for the single-leg deadlift but keep the toes of your left foot on the floor and raise your heel.

Step 2. Now bend your hips back and slide your left foot gently along the floor. Maintain contact with the floor throughout the set so you keep balance.

If even the sliding single-leg deadlift feels like a high-wire act, regress the movement one step further to the staggered-stance deadlift (also called a B-stance deadlift). All you have to do is split your legs and hinge the hips. The staggered stance takes a lot of balance out of the equation but still allows you to emphasize one leg over the other, so you get the benefits of unilateral training.

Staggered-Stance Deadlift

(See 07:05 in the video)

Step 1. Stand with your left foot a bit behind the right one so your left toes are in line with your right heel.

Step 2. Perform your hip hinge as normal, using the left leg only to maintain balance.

Yet another option is to hold the kettlebell at your chest rather than at arm’s length. By keeping the weight closer to your body, you’ll have better control of it and can focus almost exclusively on the deadlift motion itself. “The chest-held single-leg deadlift is a good way to instigate sitting back deeper into your hinge,” says Heins.

Chest-Held Single-Leg Deadlift

(See 08:02 in the video)

Step 1. You know the drill… Do any of the single-leg deadlift movements described above but with the bottom of the kettlebell held tight to your sternum and your chest proud.

Sample Kettlebell Leg Workout

(See 09:30 in the video)

Here’s a workout that incorporates the single-leg deadlift with other movements that build strong, balanced, and muscular legs.

DIRECTIONS

Perform the exercises as a circuit, completing one set of each in sequence without rest in between. Afterward, rest 2 minutes, and repeat the circuit for 3–5 total rounds.

1. Single-Leg Deadlift (Any Variation of the Above)

Reps: 10 (each side)

2. Kneeling Leg Extension

(See 10:23 in the video)

Reps: 5–10

Step 1. Get on your knees and hold a light kettlebell at chest level. Flatten the top of your feet into the floor. (You may want to put a towel or mat under you to protect your knees.)

Step 2. Keeping your hips locked out, SLOWLY bend your knees, allowing yourself to fall backward under control until you feel a big stretch in your quads. Stop before you lose control of the movement, and extend your knees to come back up.

Not only is this a challenging exercise, but it can be hard on your knees and quads if you’re not warmed up, so ease into this slowly after you’ve done a thorough warmup (see the video below!).

3. Single-Rack High-Knee March

(See 10:52 in the video)

Reps: 10 (each side)

Step 1. Hold the kettlebell in your right hand at shoulder level and stand with feet hip-distance apart.

Step 2. Drive your right foot into the floor while you raise your left knee up as high as you can. Lower it, and repeat on the other leg. After 10 reps, switch the kettlebell to your left hand.

4. Modified Sumo Squat To Figure-Four

(See 11:24 in the video)

Reps: 3 (each side)

Step 1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and turn your toes out as far as you can. Hold the kettlebell with both hands in front of your chest.

Step 2. Squat as deeply as you can, pushing your knees out as you descend. Keep your chest facing forward and maintain a long spine from your head to your tailbone—don’t let your pelvis tuck under (stop short of where it does).

Step 3. Extend your hips and knees to stand up tall again and then turn your body to your left, raise your right leg in front of you, and rest it against your left leg in a figure-four position. Depending on your mobility, you can rest the leg above the knee or against your shin—either is fine.

Release the right leg, return to the modified sumo stance, squat, and repeat the figure-four on the other side.

How To Stretch Your Legs Before Working Out

Perform the following mobility routine from Onnit-certified coach Eric Leija (@primal.swoledier) before you take on the workout above. It will stretch out your hips, glutes, and hamstrings for the work to come, and raise your core temperature for safer training.

How Often Should You Train Your legs?

(See 12:28 in the Single-Leg Kettlebell Deadlift video)

You can perform the workout outlined above three days per week on non-consecutive days. Heins says you could do it Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and perform your upper-body work on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Discover more single-leg training options, such as the B-stance hip thrust.

The post A Pro’s Kettlebell Leg Workout With The Single-Leg Deadlift appeared first on Onnit Academy.

What Is The Advantage of Using Kettlebells Over Dumbbells? – 00:19

The two implements are similar but different. See why kettlebells are the athletes’ choice.

How Do You Hold A Kettlebell Properly? – 01:18

Tips on getting the most control of your movements.

What Kettlebell Weight Should I Use? – 01:43

Find out which weight increment is right for you, whether you’re a man or woman.

What Kettlebell Exercises Should I Start With? – 02:14

A basic beginner’s routine.

How Can I Use A Kettlebell To Burn Fat? – 02:39

Here’s how to set up a kettlebell workout to promote fat loss.

How Can I Use A Kettlebell To Build Muscle? – 03:08

Here’s a strategy for gaining muscle and strength.

Can I Start Training With Kettlebells, Or Do I Need Something Easier? – 03:25

Find out the prerequisites for kettlebell training… or not?

How Can I Keep From Smacking My Wrist With The Kettlebell? – 04:08

How to clean a kettlebell safely.

What Should I Look For In A Kettlebell? – 04:42

A quick buyer’s guide for bells, including features to look for.

Are Kettlebells Good For Athletes? – 05:14

Here’s what kettlebells can do for sports performance.

How Can I Learn To Do Kettlebell Flows? – 06:04

Connect your exercises to create flow routines that challenge your body while giving your mind the freedom to express itself.

For more kettlebell exercises and beginner-focused training tips, check out our Full-Body Kettlebell Workout for Beginners.

The post Kettlebell Training FAQs appeared first on Onnit Academy.

What Is The One-Arm Kettlebell Clean?

The one-arm kettlebell clean delivers many of the same benefits of the Olympic weightlifting clean, but is less technically demanding. It builds full-body explosiveness and power by training simultaneous extension of the hips and knees, which is a movement required in every power sport. As a result, the one-arm kettlebell clean can enhance vertical jumping ability and general speed.

Because you work one side at a time, the one-arm kettlebell clean trains you to resist rotation at the torso, which makes it an excellent core strength exercise. As with all kettlebell movements, it will build grip strength as well.

The one-arm clean can serve as a transition point after you’ve mastered a simpler move like the kettlebell swing and deadlift and before you take on advanced lifts such as the kettlebell rotational clean and kettlebell rotational clean to bent press. The one-arm clean will teach you to take a kettlebell from the floor to the rack position (shoulder level) safely, setting you up for a variety of press, squat, and swing techniques.

How To Do The One-Arm Kettlebell Clean

(See 01:10 in the video above.)

Step 1: Place a kettlebell on the floor in front of you. Stand with your feet straight and set between hip and shoulder-width apart. Now actively screw them into the floor so you feel your hips and glutes fire up—imagine twisting up turf beneath your feet, or using them to spread a bunched-up carpet apart. Your feet shouldn’t move but your lower body should become tense. Bend your hips back and bend your knees a bit to reach the kettlebell. You want a stance that’s somewhere between a high hip hinge and a vertical squat. Aim for an athletic position—”The kind you’d take if you were about to tackle someone in football,” says Shane Heins, Onnit’s Director of Fitness Education. Draw your shoulder blades back together and down—think: “proud chest.”

If the kettlebell is still too low to reach, you can elevate it on a box or a bench.

Step 2. Pull your elbow back as if performing a row, drawing the kettlebell back toward your hip. At the same time, extend your hips and knees to generate momentum and stand up tall. Allow your wrist to rotate as you row the bell. Pat it with the other hand to help you wrap the kettlebell around your wrist. To finish the clean, drive your elbow forward and punch through so your forearm is vertical.

Step 3: Make sure your wrist is straight and aligned with your forearm.

Don’t dismiss the wrap. It may seem like a crutch that only beginners use, but it’s a great way to reinforce the mechanics you need to clean correctly WITHOUT banging the weight against your wrist. Heins says he still uses the wrap technique often in his own training, even though he’s capable of cleaning heavy kettlebells without it.

Step 4:  Reverse the motion by unraveling the kettlebell around the forearm, lowering your elbow to straighten your arm, and hiking the bell between your legs quickly to begin the next rep. Complete all your reps on one side and then repeat on the other.

If you have trouble performing the clean smoothly, simply break it down into its component parts and do them one at a time (see 6:04 in the video). Start in a high hinge (bend your hips back and keep your knees closer to straight), row the bell and cup it with your free hand, and extend your hips to stand up tall. With the bottom of the bell facing forward at your side, it may look like you’re holding a toy rifle of some kind (Heins jokes that it’s the “Master Blaster 3000”). From there, use your hand to wrap the bell and punch your arm through so it’s vertical. When you’ve got that movement down, doing it fluidly to perform a real clean will feel more natural.

Muscles Worked in the One-Arm Kettlebell Clean

– Quads

– Hamstrings

– Glutes

– Calves

– Shoulders

– Upper back

– Forearms

– Core

One-Arm Kettlebell Clean Benefits

– Improved total-body power

– Increased explosiveness

– Grip strength

– Enhanced vertical jump

– Core, shoulder, and posterior chain strength

How to Use the One-Arm Kettlebell Clean

Due to the total-body nature of the one-arm kettlebell clean, it can suffice as a workout by itself. Go heavy for strength (say, five sets of five reps on each side), or test your conditioning by setting a timer for a few minutes and seeing how many reps you can do in that time.

You can also use it to key up your central nervous system before a heavy workout. Two or three sets of 3–5 reps can help you better recruit musculature for a strength and power workout. Of course, the clean works as a jumping-off point for dozens of other kettlebell exercises. Bringing the weight from the floor to the rack position sets you up for overhead presses, squats, lunges, and so on. You may use the clean to begin a kettlebell flow, or as part of a total-body circuit.

One-Arm Kettlebell Clean Regression

If you have difficulty completing the clean without hurting your forearm, practice the half-kneeling, one-arm clean. The mechanics are the same; you just start in a half-kneeling position on the floor. Once you’re comfortable with that, you can progress to the half-kneeling dead start, and then move on to the standing dead start, followed by the assisted clean, and finally the full one-arm kettlebell clean. You can find this entire sequence HERE.

One-Arm Kettlebell Clean Progression

When you’ve got the one-arm kettlebell clean down, try advancing to a one-arm kettlebell clean with rotation. This will prepare you to perform the more twisty and multi-planar movements that the clean is intended to set you up for. (See 09:05 in the video.)

Step 1. Reach down to grasp the kettlebell and reach your free arm behind you. Twist your wrist so that the palm of the working hand is facing away from your body.

Step 2. Clean the bell, rotating your wrist and and rotating your torso backward to the same side you’ve cleaned to, but keep that hip braced straight and facing forward (don’t let it twist back when your torso does).

Step 3. Rotate in the opposite direction, twisting your torso 45 degrees to face the other hip (while keeping that hip braced and forward).

Step 4. From there, rotate back in the direction of the working side—the first rotation you performed—and then unravel your wrist and let the kettlebell down.

If you need a refresher course on kettlebell basics, see our Full-Body Kettlebell Workout for Beginners article.

The post The Expert Guide To The One-Arm Kettlebell Clean Exercise appeared first on Onnit Academy.

Traditional kettlebell zealots favor the so-called Russian swing, where the weight is swung to around chest level with arms bent, while maverick coaches argue for the version that’s perhaps become more popular in America—swinging the weight clear overhead with arms extended.

We say both have their place and that, ultimately, the argument for one at the exclusion of the other is, like so many political debates, mere propaganda. We asked Onnit Director of Fitness Education, Shane Heins, to compare and contrast the two exercises so you can choose which side you wish to align yourself.

What’s The Difference Between The Russian Kettlebell Swing and The American Kettlebell Swing

(See 00:10 in the video above.)

“The father of modern kettlebell training who revitalized its use in the West is Pavel Tsatsouline,” says Heins. Beginning around the turn of the century, Tsatsouline—a coach of Eastern European origin—taught and popularized kettlebell training mechanics around the U.S. Pavel primarily demonstrated the Russian version of the swing, raising the bell to between waist and chest height, because that’s the way it was traditionally taught in Russia, the kettlebell’s motherland.

Heins notes that swinging in this fashion is less challenging to learn and more accessible to most people than swinging the weight overhead (the American style), and so this technique caught on. The swing in general gained a following because it was a simple way to add power to a training program—a quality that most general population fitness seekers ignore—as well as a good way to teach hip hinging. (Most of us bend at the waist and spine when we need to learn to drive our hips back).

“As awareness of kettlebell training grew, practitioners started exploring other variations of the swing,” says Heins, “with CrossFitters promoting a swing style where the arms travel overhead.” This has since come to be known as the American swing. “Naturally, controversy ensued about which version was the safest and most effective,” says Heins, “but if you really look at them, they’re essentially the same exercise, with some minor differences that make one a better choice for some people and the other the right choice for others.” To assure you that there really shouldn’t be any bad blood between the two sides, Heins notes that Pavel—the “Russian coach”—has also taught the American swing, and featured it in his programs. Peace at last…

How To Do The Russian Kettlebell Swing

For a really intricate look at the mechanics of the Russian swing (often just called the “kettlebell swing”), see our complete guide to the kettlebell swing. (Also, watch the video above, beginning at 3:30.) Once you’re familiar with the concept of the swing, it really boils down to two steps.

Step 1. Stand with feet between hip and shoulder width. You can place the kettlebell on the floor in front of you if you have experience hiking the weight back into position, or you can simply begin from a standing position—either are OK. In both cases, once the kettlebell is in hand, soften your knees and bend your hips back and allow the kettlebell to swing back in the triangular space between your knees and your crotch. You must begin each rep with the kettlebell in this triangle—any lower than your knees and you risk back injury and improper reps. Keep a long spine from the top of your head to your tailbone as you bend at the hips, and keep your head in neutral—focus your eyes on a spot about 10 feet in front of you on the floor.

Step 2. Drive your feet into the floor and extend your hips, tucking your pelvis under as you lock your hips and knees out and stand tall. Use your back muscles to keep your shoulders pulled down (away from your ears). Allow the power from your hips to raise the weight up to roughly chest level—don’t lift the weight with your shoulders. Your arms should stay tight to your sides at the top of the swing, but allow your elbows to bend as needed.

Take a few reps to gradually swing the kettlebell to its full height and find your rhythm.

Benefits of the Russian Kettlebell Swing

(See 14:30 in the video.)

The Russian kettlebell swing uses a shorter range of motion and doesn’t require good overhead body mechanics, so it’s ideal for using heavy weight and developing power. To be clear, you’ll be able to train heavier and build more hip extension strength and power with the Russian swing vs. the American one. Since it serves as a foundation for the American swing, it only makes sense for beginners to master the Russian version first.

How To Do The American Kettlebell Swing

The great challenge for many people when it comes to the American kettlebell swing is the overhead position. Can you raise your arms overhead without hyperextending your back? Can you get your arms vertical, or is your range of motion limited? Do you have any shoulder injuries that might make raising a weight straight overhead painful or uncomfortable? If the answer to any of the above is yes, then Heins suggests you hold off on the American swing for a bit while you work on shoulder and T-spine mobility and otherwise address any restrictions you have. Otherwise, if you’re good to go, here’s how to do it right (see 10:43 in the video).

Step 1. Set up exactly as you did for the Russian swing, and begin the exercise by swinging the weight back between your legs and then extending your hips.

Step 2. Instead of keeping your arms tight to your sides and bending the elbows, allow the power generated by your hips to let you drive the kettlebell overhead, extending your arms instead of holding the weight back. Let the kettlebell travel overhead—it should feel weightless as it goes vertical—and then control its descent back down.

Be careful that you keep your ribs pulled down, pelvis tucked, and core tight. If you allow your ribs to flare, you will hyperextend your back and will lose control of the swing as it moves overhead.

Benefits of the American Kettlebell Swing

The American swing takes the kettlebell over a greater range of motion, which is more challenging to total-body stability. Your core, as well as your overhead range, will be tested. It’s a great way to build strength in the shoulders as well as mobility that supplements any kettlebell pressing movements you do, and a fun variation to employ in general once you’ve got the Russian swing under your belt. What you sacrifice in power in the American swing you can make up for in work capacity. Because the range of motion is longer and the overhead position more precarious, the American swing doesn’t lend itself to heavy loads like the Russian one does. But it can be done for high reps and short rest periods, building your conditioning.

Should I Use The Russian or American Kettlebell Swing?

In the real Cold War between the U.S and the U.S.S.R., both sides were right… or, at least, thought they were right. The conflict between the Russian and American kettlebell swings, fortunately, is much easier to resolve. Try both, as both have their merits. If you’re a newbie to kettlebells, conquer the Russian swing. Likewise if you have shoulder troubles. But if you’re healthy and seeking a tougher conditioning workout with light weight, give the American version a go.

The post Kettlebell Cold War: American Vs. Russian Kettlebell Swing appeared first on Onnit Academy.

What Is The Kettlebell Windmill?

(See 00:27 in the video above.)

Unlike barbells with globes on each end or gladiator boots, the windmill hasn’t been lost to history. Modern kettlebell practitioners still regard it as a cornerstone exercise due to its diverse benefits and applications. To understand the windmill, you have to first study up on the basic hip hinge movement.

A hip hinge is a fundamental movement pattern and lays the foundation for all the body’s major power moves. Keeping a long spine from your head to your tailbone, you bend your hips back until your glutes and hamstrings are stretched—this prepares them to shorten explosively, and when they do, you can jump, run, shoot, hit, or otherwise burst forward with tremendous power. (Picture any deadlift variation, a glute bridge, or a basic athletic “ready” position—they all feature a hip hinge of various degrees.)

Mastering the hinge also trains your body to use the strength and mobility of your hips to support your weight when you bend, as opposed to letting your lower back take the brunt of it, and that helps protect the back from injury.

A kettlebell windmill starts with a hip hinge, but rather than bend your hips straight back, you’ll bend them about 45 degrees to one side. This intensifies the stretch on your posterior muscles, one side at a time, while preparing you to move in the frontal (side to side) and transverse (rotational) planes as well as front to back—a boon to virtually any athlete, as sports require multidirectional movement.

On top of the hip hinge, you have to maintain the lockout position of an overhead press to complete a kettlebell windmill. Holding your arm overhead with a heavy weight in hand makes for a great challenge when you begin to arc your body down into the hip hinge, and the combination strengthens everything from the shoulder through the core and hips.

How To Perform The Kettlebell Windmill

(See 07:10 in the video.)

Step 1. Hold a kettlebell with your left hand at shoulder level. Stand with your feet between hip and shoulder-width, and turn your feet 45 degrees to the right.

Step 2. Keeping your knees locked straight, kick your left hip out and back about 45 degrees, pressing the kettlebell overhead as you do so. Your spine should stay long and straight from your head to your tailbone.

You should now feel your left leg supporting the majority of your weight. Your shoulder should also be drawn down—don’t shrug as you press. There should be a significant gap between your head and your arm when the weight is overhead.

Step 3. Stand up straight. NOW you’re ready to really begin the windmill. Keep your eyes on the kettlebell throughout the movement. Kick your hip out again and begin hinging, pushing your hips back at that 45-degree angle as far as you can while maintaining that long spine position.

Drive your knuckles up toward the ceiling as you lower your torso down. STOP packing your shoulder down and let it move. Thinking about the movement as punching the ceiling will help create space in the shoulder joint that allows the rotation that lets you complete the movement safely.

Step 4. Slide your right hand down your right leg so it acts as a guardrail while you hinge. Lower your body as far as you can without losing your straight spine position—aim to touch the floor with your fingers (but if you’re new to windmills, don’t expect to be able to do this right away).

Step 5. To stand up straight again, drive up through your fist, imagining there’s a cord tied to it and it’s pulling you up.

Note that the windmill may be too hard to do with your knees locked. You may also have trouble keeping your arm overhead or achieving any significant range of motion. This is perfectly normal if you’re new to rotational training, so don’t be discouraged. Check out the Kettlebell Windmill Variations section below for alternatives that will help you build up to doing the classic windmill.

Benefits of Training With The Kettlebell Windmill

(See 01:10 in the video.)

The kettlebell windmill is a strength program, rehab clinic, and anti-aging treatment all rolled into one. Here are the key selling points.

Lateral strength and mobility

“We lose lateral movement capacity as we age,” says Shane Heins, Onnit’s Director of Fitness Education. That is, our ability to move side to side declines, largely due to lack of use. Even if you’re a young buck, you may already notice that it’s harder for you to bend and twist and shuffle your feet laterally than it was when you were a school-age kid, and you have much less control over those movements than you do bending and flexing front and back. “Loss of this range leads to pain in the shoulder, low back, hips, and knees,” says Heins, because, when your movement is limited, some joints and muscles take on more load than they’re supposed to in picking up the slack for the parts that don’t move so well. Know someone who suffers from sciatica? They probably don’t move very well side to side.

Think about it like this: if your body can’t give an inch laterally, it’s going to have to work that much harder moving front to back, and that increases the risk for injury. Say you’re playing football and an opponent tackles you. Do you think you can absorb the hit better if your body can roll with the impact, or if you have to take it straight on because you’re too stiff to go with the flow?

As you’ll see when you practice it, the kettlebell windmill stretches the crap out of your sides, hips, core, and leg muscles, restoring some of the range that may be slipping away from you. With that restoration comes a greater capacity to move and express strength with movement.

Increased rotation

When you begin to open up your ability to move laterally, you improve your capacity for rotation as well. Proper twisting and turning generates power just as hip hinging does, so it promotes athletic performance, and it also takes pressure off the spine.

Better shoulder function

The shoulders have the most mobile joints in the body, but they’re also the most unstable. Balancing a kettlebell overhead while you contort your body underneath it requires your rotator cuff muscles to brace your shoulder hard to keep your arm in a safe position. As you develop stability, you’ll reduce your risk of shoulder injury, and establish a more solid foundation for strong overhead and chest pressing of any kind.

Slow the aging process

We’re not exaggerating. “As we age,” says Heins, “loss of access to overhead range of motion is one of the primary sources of ongoing decline.” Because we don’t play sports as often and gradually reduce our activity levels, we do less and less overhead reaching, “and not being able to reach overhead minimizes how often we extend our spine back and flex it laterally.” It’s a chain reaction that leads to less movement overall, and that in turn leads to a less active lifestyle and all the risks associated with a lack of activity (i.e., early death!).

The windmill, then, is pretty much an anti-aging hack, maintaining the skill of full shoulder flexion as well as hip hinging and lateral movement so that you remain mobile in 360 degrees, no matter how many years go by and where your fitness journey takes you.

What Muscles Do I Use When Doing Kettlebell Windmills?

(See 03:05 in the video.)

It’s also not an exaggeration to say that the kettlebell windmill works darn near every muscle you own. Even your neck muscles must work in a stabilizing capacity. Here’s a list of the big (and some small) movers that you can count on to get trained by windmills.

• Deltoids (shoulders)
• Rotator cuff
• Trapezius (upper back)
• Rhomboids (middle back)
• Lats (the big muscles on the sides of your back)
• Triceps
• Forearms
• Core (obliques in particular, the muscles on the sides of your abs)
• Glutes
• Hamstrings
• Adductors (groin)
• Calves

Kettlebell Windmill Variations

(See 10:50 in the video.)

The kettlebell windmill can be very challenging when you’re not used to hinging your hips at a funny angle. You probably won’t have the range of motion to do a full, strict windmill at first, but that’s fine. Some slight modifications will allow you to do the basic movement safely and still get most of the benefits. If the classic windmill isn’t working for you, start experimenting with these variations.

Bent-Leg Windmill

(See 11:12 in the video.)

Do the windmill as directed above but allow both knees to bend as you kick your hip out. This will reduce the stretch on your side and give you more range of motion. As you come up, lock your knees out again.

Bent-Arm Windmill

(See 12:30 in the video.)

Do the windmill as directed above but start by moving your arm away from your body (about 90 degrees, rather than straight in front of your torso). Now kick the hip out and—with straight knees or bent—begin to hinge while keeping the weight held strong.

The key here is to aim to keep the kettlebell at the SAME HEIGHT as it was when you were standing with it at shoulder level. It’s your body that moves—not the bell. Bend your hips and focus on getting under the kettlebell, rather than lifting it above you. Once your elbow is locked out, stand up straight. Many people can’t press overhead without compromising form, and the bent-arm windmill trains you to ease into an overhead position with good body mechanics.

Kettlebell Windmill To A Block

It’s important to standardize your range of motion on every rep you do. If you cut some reps short and go deeper on others, it’s very hard to know if you’re really progressing on the exercise. By placing a yoga block, bench, or mat on the floor at the lowest elevation you can reach with your free hand, you get feedback on your depth. Every time your fingers touch the surface, you’ll know you hit the optimal range of motion that’s available to you right now.

Don’t use the block to rest your hand. Just touch it at the bottom of each rep (while keeping your eyes on the kettlebell overhead). When you hit depth, feel free to adjust your hip and shoulder position if you need so the exercise feels right.

Half-Kneeling Kettlebell Windmill

If you have a lot of trouble controlling the kettlebell overhead or getting your hips to hinge, regress the windmill to a half-kneeling position.

Step 1. Kneel on the floor on one knee and bend both knees 90 degrees (basically, the bottom of a lunge). Turn the toes on your front foot in a few degrees, and turn your rear leg (the lower leg) about 90 degrees inward.

Step 2. Now kick your hip out and perform the windmill, reaching for the floor. The range of motion is much shorter, so you should be able to feel a good stretch in your hips and place your palm on the floor without much difficulty. When you’ve mastered this, go back to the variation with a block, and then move up to the bent-knee or bent-arm options before you try the full-range windmill again.

What Weight Kettlebell Should I Use?

(See 14:38 in the video.)

While that Google search we mentioned in the beginning will bring up pictures of strongmen using gargantuan loads on windmills, we don’t recommend pushing yourself that hard to start out (trust us: those guys didn’t either). The windmill is all about technique, so use a weight that’s light enough to allow you to perform several sets of 5–8 reps to start with, but is also heavy enough to give you feedback on your shoulder and hip position. In other words, you should use enough load to make you work and balance and get into the deepest range of motion you can comfortably control, but not go so heavy that you’re straining to get through the set. Heins says that, for men with little strength training or kettlebell experience, that probably means a kettlebell that’s 8–12 kilograms; 6–8kg for women.

More experienced men, however, may be able to handle 12–16 kilos, while lady veterans might take on 8–12 kilos.

For more info on choosing kettlebell weights, see our guide, What Is The Best Kettlebell Weight To Start With?

How To Stretch Before Exercising

(See 03:27 in the video.)

Do the following mobility exercises before you practice the kettlebell windmill. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps each.

Side Hip Root

(See 03:38 in the video.)

Step 1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Bend your hips back at a 45-degree angle while raising your arms in front of you. Keep your feet flat on the floor and try to push into your hips enough that you really feel a stretch in the outer corner of your glute. The end position will look like you’re sitting on a high stool; you should have a soft bend in both knees.

Step 2. Extend your hips and row your arms back, as if pulling something toward you. That’s one rep. Repeat on the opposite side.

Child’s Pose With Twist

(See 04:34 in the video.)

Step 1. Get on your hands and knees and sit back on your butt. Reach your arms out at a 45-degree angle to your left side—your right should be a little in front of your left.

Step 2. Keeping your elbow straight, roll your right arm so your weight is resting on the knife-edge of your hand, and sit your hips back as far as you can (do it gently) while you rotate your torso to the left. You’ll feel a deep stretch in your lat and arm. That’s one rep. Complete your reps on that side, and then switch sides and repeat.

Arm Screw

(See 05:47 in the video.)

Step 1. Extend your arms out to your sides 90 degrees with palms facing up. Shrug your right shoulder and turn your palm over, twisting your arm as if you were wringing out a towel. Add to the rotation by reaching and twisting the opposite direction with your other arm.

Step 2. Reverse the motion and repeat on the opposite shoulder. Over time, add more rotation by twisting your torso in the direction of the arm you’re working and actively driving your arms apart so that you feel a stretch between your shoulder blades.

Master another kettlebell hinge movement with our guide to the kettlebell swing.

The post How To Do The Kettlebell Windmill Exercise Like A Pro appeared first on Onnit Academy.

What Is The Gorilla Row?

(See 00:27 in the video above.)

The gorilla row is a variation on the bent-over row you’re probably already aware of and usually see done with a barbell. You hinge at the hips and row the weight from the floor until your elbows are at your sides. The key difference with the gorilla row vs. a barbell bent-over row is that the kettlebells allow you to work one side at a time.

You’ll actively push one kettlebell into the floor while you row the other one, all while staying in that bent-over position. The movement can’t help but make you look something like a gorilla foraging for food, but it will also give you the back muscle strength to be king of your own (iron) jungle.

Gorilla Row Exercise Benefits

Any type of bent-over row is a good idea for stimulating total-body strength gains. Your lats and upper back work when you row the weight, but your lower back, hips, and core must also engage just to keep you in position and support your torso. Lifting the weight from the floor on each rep, as opposed to letting the weight hang just slightly above, as you do in some rowing variations, offers the added benefit of keeping the movement more strict, as well as training explosiveness. You can’t let your muscles’ stretch reflex bounce the weight up for you—you’ll have to pull the bell up with muscle power alone.

The gorilla row takes all of this to the next level by having you work unilaterally—one side at a time—which means you’ll be able to train your back through a greater range of motion, and you’ll have to resist any twisting or bending on one side while you row on the other, further heightening the core stability component. Of course, maintaining a deep hip hinge through it all is an important posture to master for lower back health and overall power and explosiveness (nearly all explosive movements involve hip extension, so you might as well master the setup for it).

How To Do the Gorilla Row Exercise Properly

(See 01:04 in the video.)

Step 1. Place two kettlebells on the floor and straddle them with your feet between hip and shoulder width. Hinge your hips back, keeping a long spine from your head to your tailbone. Allow your knees to bend as needed, but keep your lower back flat, not rounded. Grasp the kettlebell handles.

Step 2. Press one bell into the floor and brace your abs. Now row the opposite bell till your elbow is at your ribs. Lower it to the floor again, and repeat the row on the other side while you press the opposite bell into the floor.

The gorilla row is typically done by alternating sides, but you may choose to do all your reps on one side and then the other if you want to better isolate your back one side at a time.

For the best muscle gains, you should keep your shoulders square to the floor throughout the set. However, “You can also rotate your thoracic spine to get a little more mobility out of this exercise,” says Eric Leija, an Onnit-certified coach (@primal.swoledier) and the model in our video. “But you’ll get less lat activation, because the lat won’t be able to fully shorten.” So, if you’re an athlete like a fighter or baseball player who throws or twists a lot in their sport, you may want to allow your torso to turn a few degrees as you row. “But if you’re looking to put on a nice, thick back,” says Leija, “try to minimize that rotation.”

What Muscles Do Gorilla Rows Work?

(See 03:18 in the video.)

The gorilla row gives the following muscles a good drubbing:

–   Lats (the big muscles on the sides of your back)

–   Rhomboids (middle back)

–   Trapezius (upper back)

–   Rear delts (back of the shoulders)

–   Deep core muscles

–   Obliques (the ab muscles on your sides)

–   Rectus abdominis (your six-pack muscle)

–   Biceps

–   Forearms

–   Glutes

–   Hamstrings 

Dumbbell Vs. Kettlebell Gorilla Rows

(See 03:25 in the video.)

Due to kettlebells having handles that reach a few inches above their center of mass, they’re easier to grab a hold of than dumbbells when rowing weight from the floor. Unless you have a contortionist’s hip mobility, trying to grip dumbbells on the floor for gorilla rows will cause you to round your lower back, which you never want to do on a bent-over rowing movement for the sake of avoiding injury.

But, if dumbbells are all you have, you can still do the basic gorilla row movement and get plenty out of it. Simply elevate the dumbbells on a box, bench, or mats in order to raise them to mid-shin level. Now you’ll be able to bend over safely to grasp the handles.

How To Stretch Before Exercising

Warm up your upper back, lats, and core muscles with the sky reach to arm thread. Do this move as part of your warmup/stretching routine before any session that includes the gorilla row.

Step 1. Get on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees directly beneath your hips. Brace your core.

Step 2. Draw your right arm up and across your chest as you twist your right shoulder toward the ceiling and reach overhead. Be careful to keep your hips facing the floor.

Step 3. Reverse the motion, reaching your arm across your body and behind the support arm. Twist as far as you can, ideally until the back of your right shoulder touches the floor. Complete 6–10 reps on that side, and then switch sides and repeat. Do 2–3 sets total.

Gorilla Row Alternatives

If the gorilla row feels too advanced, or you can’t seem to perform it with a safe lower-back position, try these two alternatives that will train the back and core in a similar way.

One-Arm, Split-Stance Row

(See 04:54 in the Build Muscle With The Gorilla Row video.)

Step 1. Step forward with your right leg, as if getting into a lunge position, and extend your left leg straight behind you. Your front knee should be bent about 90 degrees and your back heel may be raised off the floor. Bend at the hips and brace your right forearm against your right knee. Press it into your leg—this will help create stability. Your body should form a long straight line from your head to your heel. Reach with your left hand to grasp a kettlebell on the floor.

Step 2. Row the kettlebell to your side while keeping your shoulders square to the floor. Complete your reps on that side, and then switch sides and repeat.

Renegade Row

(See 06:10 in the Build Muscle With The Gorilla Row video.)

Step 1. Get into a pushup position, resting your hands on a pair of kettlebells (or dumbbells). Turn the handles so they make an A-shape, which will help you balance on them better. Place your feet as wide apart as is comfortable. A narrower stance will make the exercise harder; a wider foot placement will make it easier. Take a deep breath into your belly and brace your core.

Step 2. Lean your weight to your right side, pushing that hand into the floor. Your left side will feel lighter. Now row the left-hand weight to your side, but avoid twisting your hips or shoulders. Lower the weight and repeat on the other side.

Discover other great lat and back exercises in our guide, How To Lat Spread Like A Bodybuilder.

The post Build Muscle With The Gorilla Row Exercise appeared first on Onnit Academy.

The following workout is brought to you by one of our favorite mad scientists—the Onnit-certified Eric Leija (@primal.swoledier)—who came up with it while experimenting in his own garage gym. The routine requires only a pair of moderate-weight kettlebells (16kg are good for most guys; 8kg for ladies), and a light resistance band (we like the mini available at elitefts.com), and trains your chest, shoulders, arms, and upper back muscles in under 30 minutes.

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A post shared by Eric Leija (@primal.swoledier)

How To Do The Kettlebell and Band Upper-Body Workout

The workout is organized into supersets, meaning you’ll do a set for two different exercises in sequence with little to no rest in between. That makes the workout go faster while challenging your conditioning (it’s also a shortcut to a big, juicy pump).

On its own, the resistance band allows you to target your stabilizer muscles in a way you couldn’t with iron alone, so don’t underestimate the sword pull and pull-apart exercises. But when added to the kettlebell, the band brings a new dimension to your strength training. Because the elasticity of the band pulls back at you when you stretch it out, you have to do your reps harder and faster to overcome the resistance than you would using kettlebells alone. This is great for building power, and for making lighter weights (if that’s what you have) feel a whole lot heavier.

DIRECTIONS

Perform the exercise pairs (marked A and B) as a superset. So you’ll do one set of A, then a set of B, and then rest 2–3 minutes. Repeat until all sets are done for the pair, and go on to the next pair. Finish with the bent-over band pull apart, which is done on its own for straight sets (do a set, rest as needed, and repeat).

1A. Kettlebell Band Floor Press

Sets: 4  Reps: 9–12

Step 1. Grasp the band in one hand by its loop end and wrap it around your back. Grasp the other loop with the other hand. Lie back on the floor and bend your knees 90 degrees, planting your feet flat. Take a kettlebell in each hand (it will be easier if you have a partner to hand the weights off to you), holding them along with the band loops. Your arms should be at 45 degrees to your sides with your triceps resting on the floor.

Step 2. Press the weights and band straight over your chest. Lower the weights back until your triceps touch the floor—don’t let your elbows crash down.

The kettlebell floor press works the chest, shoulders, and triceps just as any bench press variation does, but the shortened range of motion emphasizes triceps gains. It’s also a good substitute for full-range benching if your shoulders hurt.

1B. Banded Sword Pull

Sets: 4  Reps: 10 (each side)

Step 1. Hold the band with your left hand down at your side, just outside your waist. Brace your arm against your side.

Step 2. Grasp the other end of the band with your right hand, thumb facing forward, and raise your arm diagonally up and outward until it’s overhead. The movement should look like you’re pulling a sword from a scabbard and holding it aloft.

Similar to Y raises (which are done two-handed, and often with a band or dumbbells), the sword pull works the lower traps, which help to stabilize the shoulder and balance the effect of lots of chest and shoulder pressing. In other words, the sword pull is a good rehab/prehab movement that pairs well with the floor press.

2A. Banded Gorilla Row

Sets: 4  Reps: 8–12

Step 1. Twist the band into an X shape, and place your foot on one loop to anchor it down. Run the band through the handles of two kettlebells on the floor. Place your other foot on the open loop of the band. Your feet should be outside shoulder width. Bend your hips back, keeping a long, straight line from your head to your tailbone, and grasp the kettlebells and the band.

Step 2. Row the kettlebells to your sides, retracting your shoulder blades completely. Keep your lower back flat and your core braced, and avoid shrugging or hunching your shoulders as you pull.

If you have a strong back already, you may find that the kettlebells you have aren’t heavy enough to provide much of a challenge on bent-over rowing motions. The addition of a band fixes that, and allows you to train your rowing more explosively—a sight rarely seen, compared with how much explosive pressing athletes, powerlifters, and CrossFitters do.

2B. Banded Push Press

Sets: 4  Reps: 8 (each side)

Step 1. Stand on one loop of the band with your left foot, and hold the other loop in your left hand. Grasp a kettlebell in your left hand along with the band, and hold the weight at shoulder level.

Step 2. Bend your knees quickly, dipping your torso to gather momentum, and explode upward, pressing the weight overhead to lockout.

The push press by itself trains power, and allows you to lift heavier than when doing a strict press, which is great for strength. Adding a band will force you to keep your speed and explosiveness up as you fatigue.

3. Bent-Over Band Pull-Apart

Sets: 3  Reps: 15

Step 1. Grasp the band with hands at shoulder width and palms facing each other, or turned upward. Hold the band at arm’s length in front of you and bend your hips back until you’re in a bent-over position with your back straight.

Step 2. Raise your arms straight out to your sides, as if pulling the band apart, squeezing your shoulder blades together.

Another rehab/prehab exercise, the pull-apart really isolates the scapular muscles, which are responsible for good posture and protecting the shoulder joints.

See another kettlebell workout for a specific body part—aesthetic abs—with our Best Kettlebell Ab Exercises & Workout To Get Lean.

The post Kettlebell and Band Upper-Body Workout appeared first on Onnit Academy.