One kettlebell in the hall cupboard covers more than most people's gym membership. This is the programme I give people who cannot get in three times a week, who are away with work, or who want something for the weeks between blocks. It takes 25 minutes.
Which bell
Most women start well with 12kg and most men with 16kg. If you have never lifted, go one size lighter and buy the next one when the swings feel easy. A cast-iron bell with a smooth handle; the flashy ones are no better.
The five movements
- Swing. A hinge, not a squat. Hips back, flat back, snap the hips forward and let the bell float to chest height. Arms are ropes. If your lower back is tight afterwards, you are lifting with your arms; if your glutes and hamstrings are tired, you have it.
- Goblet squat. Bell held at the chest, elbows in, sit down between your knees, chest up, drive through the whole foot.
- Press. Bell racked at the shoulder, brace, press straight up until the arm is locked, then lower under control. Do both sides.
- Row. One hand on a chair or the sofa, flat back, pull the bell to your hip, pause, lower slowly. Both sides.
- Carry. Pick it up, stand tall, walk. Round the garden, up and down the hall. Switch hands halfway.
All five are in the exercise library with the cue and the common mistake.
The week
Three days with a day between. Warm up with two minutes of marching on the spot, ten bodyweight squats and ten arm circles each way.
- Day 1. Swings 5 x 10. Goblet squats 4 x 8. Press 3 x 6 each side. Carry 3 x 40 seconds.
- Day 2. Swings 5 x 12. Rows 4 x 8 each side. Goblet squats 3 x 10. Carry 3 x 40 seconds.
- Day 3. Swings 6 x 10. Press 4 x 5 each side. Rows 3 x 10 each side. Goblet squats 2 x 12. Carry 2 x 60 seconds.
Rest about a minute between sets. The whole thing is 20 to 25 minutes.
How to progress
Week by week, add two reps to each set of swings, one rep to each set of the others, until swings are sets of 20 and everything else is sets of 12. Then buy the next bell up and start the reps again. That gets most people a solid three months of progress from one piece of kit.
What it does not replace
Someone watching your hinge. Send me a ten-second clip of your swing on WhatsApp before you add weight, and if the back is rounding I will tell you. The first Personal Training session in any block is where the hinge gets taught properly.