You don’t need the gym to build stronger arms, shoulders, back and chest muscles — this 15-minute workout strengthens the upper body just by using the best kettlebells and five exercises.
The workout should be performed using a submaximal effort, meaning you won’t max out across the 15-minute time cap. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t aim for high intensity — try to work at around a seven or eight out of 10 at all times and ramp it up during the last few minutes.
Check out how to do each kettlebell exercise below, the benefits and a 15-minute workout you can try from the gym or home.
What are the 5 kettlebell exercises?
These five moves are designed to work muscles all over your body, engage your core, and strengthen your upper body. Here's how to do each one, with tips on how to perfect your form, get the most from your training and avoid injury.
1. Kettlebell single-arm clean and press
The single arm clean and press recruits the legs, glutes, hip flexors, core, shoulders, arms and back, and the press strengthens the pecs, anterior deltoids and triceps. Performed at speed, the clean and press will increase your heart rate and help develop your technique on the kettlebell.
- Place a kettlebell between your feet and position your feet shoulder-width apart
- Use an overhand grip on the kettlebell, hinge at the hips and maintain a soft bend in your knees
- Engage your core
- Slightly send the kettlebell between your legs, then drive the kettlebell upward
- Pull the bell toward you with a bent elbow and catch it on your shoulder in a front rack position. Snap your hips forward and squeeze your glutes as you stand
- Avoid flipping the bell over your wrist and allow it to rotate onto the upper arm. Keep your elbow locked close to your body
- Press the kettlebell overhead, keeping your wrist and elbow stacked over your shoulder
- Lock out the arm, then lower the bell back to your shoulder and reverse the motions back to the floor.
2. Kettlebell upright row
You can hold one bell with both hands or a kettlebell in each hand to perform upright rows depending on how much weight you want to use. Kettlebell upright rows strengthen the lateral and anterior deltoid muscles, biceps and the middle and upper back, specifically the trapezius and rhomboids.
Remember to gently pull your shoulder blades together and squeeze your back muscles in a rowing motion. Avoid internally rotating your shoulders while you row.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a kettlebell in front of you with an overhand grip
- Bend your elbows and drive the kettlebell upward toward your chin, keeping the bell close to your body
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement, pause, then lower the kettlebell back down to the starting position.
3. Kettlebell gorilla row
The gorilla row hits the lats, traps, rhomboids, posterior deltoids and biceps. As you hinge forward at the hips, your hips, core, lower back and hamstrings are also active.
- Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart
- Hold a kettlebell in each hand on the floor between your feet
- Hinge forward at your hips, softly bend your knees and send your bum backward. Maintain a flat back and keep your chest parallel to the floor
- Brace your core, then row your right arm back, drawing the kettlebell toward your hip
- Pause, then lower your arm and repeat on the other side
- Alternate between sides without twisting to one side.
4. Kettlebell Arnold press
The Arnold press uniquely targets all three deltoid heads, making it the perfect well-rounded exercise for strengthening the whole shoulder. A standing Arnold press also recruits your triceps, pecs and core muscles, improving trunk engagement at the same time.
- Stand with your legs hip or shoulder-width apart
- Hold a kettlebell in each hand with your elbows bent and palms facing toward you at shoulder height
- Press the kettlebells overhead as you rotate your palms away from you
- Lock out the arms at the top and pause
- Reverse the movement back to your starting position.
5. Kettlebell devil press
The devil press combines a chest-to-floor burpee and snatch, so it’s technically a full-body compound exercise that raises your heart rate and tests speed, strength and endurance.
You can alternate arms if you prefer using one weight, but remember to keep the hip hinge snappy and drive with powerful movement.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Engage your core, grip both kettlebells and jump back into a high plank position
- Lower into a deficit push-up between the bells with your chest and hips aligned
- Press back upward, then jump both feet forward just wide of the bells
- Lift your chest, pull both shoulders down and keep your back flat, hinging at your hips
- Send both kettlebells through your legs
- Push your hips forward, extend your legs and drive the kettlebells overhead using a kettlebell snatch motion
- Reverse these steps back down, swing the bells through your legs, then place them on the floor in the starting position.
5-move kettlebell workout to try
I’m a sucker for a kettlebell flow and kettlebell complexes (when you sequence exercises together back to back) are brilliant for accessing your flow state.
Once you find your technique and feel comfortable with each move and the sequence, your body will naturally fall into step, and you might even find it meditative. There’s research published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology that suggests the meditative nature of repetitive movements can even improve your working memory and cognitive function.
To do this workout, you’ll perform one rep of each exercise back to back without rest. Start with a single-arm clean and press per side, then grip one or two weights and perform a single upright row.
From here, bring the kettlebell or bells to the floor and initiate the gorilla row, performing one row on each side. From the ground, move straight into a devil’s press, then from the overhead position, bring the bells to your shoulders and move straight into an Arnold press. That’s one round.
On the next round, add a rep per exercise. You’ll need to set a 15-minute timer and work continuously, only ever resting between rounds and never between exercises. Try to keep each movement fully controlled and well-oiled rather than rushing your reps or lifting too much weight.
As I mentioned, work submaximally using a medium-heavy set of kettlebells that keeps your form tight without maxing out. You should feel gassy by the end of each round without needing more than 30 seconds of rest at a time.
More from Tom's Guide
- 4 reasons you’re not building muscle in the gym — according to a strength and conditioning coach
- Forget sit-ups — you only need 10 minutes and 3 moves to build a stronger core and boost your posture
- You just need 20 minutes, 1 kettlebell and Joe Rogan’s 5-move workout to build full-body strength and core power
