You don’t need the gym to build strength, try this 10-minute kettlebell workout instead

a photo of a man bending to pick up a kettlebell
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Not everyone looking to maintain a strong and healthy physique has the time or desire to spend hours in the gym, and that's ok. You can still get results outside the gym — you just need to find effective and efficient workouts that will challenge you and keep you motivated. If you need a bit of this in your life then we think you'll like this full-body workout that only takes 10 minutes to complete and minimal equipment.

The routine comes from trainer and physical therapist Dr. Colin Pasque and is designed to challenge your endurance, strength, and coordination with a high-intensity circuit and one of the best kettlebells.

It's a 'metcon' style workout, which is short for metabolic conditioning. This is a type of high-intensity training that combines cardiovascular exercise and strength training. MetCon workouts typically involve a series of intense, short bursts of exercise followed by short rest periods. You can expect the workout to target various muscle groups and give your endurance, strength, and cardio health a great boost.

Fancy giving this 10-minute session a go? 

Watch Dr. Colin Pasque's 10-minute kettlebell workout

The idea is to work on each exercise for just 20 seconds, take 10 seconds rest between each move and aim to complete three rounds in total, allowing for a longer 30 seconds rest period between rounds.

Pasque's circuit is a full-body workout, which adds to the efficiency of things. Working through the six exercises, you'll power up your legs and glutes with big moves like Kettlebell Thrusters and Jump Lunge Shuffles. The Kettlebell Burpees and Crush Push Ups will target the muscles in your chest and arms. 

When you hit the Kettlebell Sit Up to Press you should feel the burn in your core, and last but not least you'll finish on a good test for your cardio and agility with the Lateral Hop Overs.

The metcon style of training is a great way to boost your body's afterburn effect, also known as EPOC. As the circuit will be pushing your body with short bursts of intense activity and brief rest, you will use up more oxygen during and after the workout. Therefore, you'll burn more calories even when you're no longer exercising.

Unfortunately, one 10-minute kettlebell workout isn't going to be the answer to hitting your fitness goals but it is a great time-saving way to raise your heart rate, work on building lean muscle mass and keep up your overall fitness levels. You should aim to gradually increase the intensity or duration of your training to continue challenging your body and prevent plateaus.

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Jessica Downey
Fitness Writer

Jessica is an experienced fitness writer with a passion for running. Her love for keeping fit and fueling her body with healthy and enjoyable food quite naturally led her to write about all things fitness and health-related. If she isn’t out testing the latest fitness products such as the latest running shoe or yoga mat for reviewing then she can be found writing news and features on the best ways to build strength, active aging, female health, and anything in between. Before then she had a small stint writing in local news, has also written for Runners World UK (print and digital), and gained experience with global content marketing agency, Cedar Communications.

Born and raised in Scotland, Jessica is a massive fan of exercising and keeping active outdoors. When at home she can be found running by the sea, swimming in it, or up a mountain. This continued as she studied and trained to become a PPA-accredited magazine journalist in Wales. And since working and living in London, she splits her time between weight training in the gym, trying new fitness classes, and finding scenic running routes. Jessica enjoys documenting this on her fitness-inspired Instagram page @jessrunshere where she loves engaging with like-minded fitness junkies.

She is a big fan of healthy cooking and loves learning more about this area with expert nutritionists she has met over the years. Jessica is a big advocate for building healthy relationships with food rather than building restrictive attitudes towards it. When she isn’t eating or running she also enjoys practicing yoga in her free time as it helps her to unwind and benefits her performance in other sports.