I don’t set the rules, but no matter how many complex strength routines circulate online, the fundamentals always come out on top: functional movement, progressive overload, and consistent training—along with a protein-rich diet to support recovery and muscle growth.
As long as your muscles are challenged regularly and with enough intensity, you can build strength from head to toe. While this kettlebell workout isn’t designed to cover every training need on its own, it is highly effective and will help you develop a stronger, more powerful, and more resilient body over time.
As a trainer who has relied on kettlebells more than any other piece of gym equipment in recent years, they remain my go-to tool. They’re versatile, demanding, and engaging, and they can quickly turn a moderate exercise into a serious challenge—especially when movements like snatches are involved.
A Simple Three-Move Kettlebell Workout
Below is a straightforward three-exercise kettlebell routine designed to build strength, power, and endurance.
Staggered Stance Kettlebell Deadlift
Deadlifts target the posterior chain, strengthening muscles along the back of the body such as the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. The hip hinge also engages the hip flexors while reinforcing core stability. This movement is highly functional, as it mirrors everyday lifting patterns and helps make them safer.
Using a staggered stance increases the demand on balance and stability, while placing extra emphasis on the hamstrings and glutes of the lead leg. Keep a slight bend in the rear leg, maintain a neutral, flat spine, lower the kettlebells toward the floor, then drive through the hips to stand tall.
Kettlebell Gorilla Row
The gorilla row primarily works the upper back and biceps as you pull the weights upward. The wide stance and hip hinge also place added stress on the hips and hamstrings, making it more demanding than a traditional row.
Maintain a steady knee bend and keep your feet firmly planted to create a strong base. Pull your elbow toward your back pocket and pause briefly, squeezing the shoulder blades together. You can perform the movement one side at a time for unilateral focus or row both kettlebells together to increase overall intensity.
Kettlebell Squat Clean and Press
The press challenges the shoulders, triceps, and upper chest through a vertical overhead push. The clean portion of the movement ties everything together, emphasizing coordinated, full-body effort using a controlled technique.
This exercise relies on total-body engagement. As you drive upward, the hips, legs, and core—particularly the abdominals, obliques, and spinal muscles—work together to stabilize and transfer force. The movement also targets the traps, lats, deltoids, and arms, helping develop explosive strength and efficient load transfer.
Workout Structure
This routine follows an EMOM format (Every Minute On the Minute) for a total of 7 rounds, lasting 21 minutes.
- Minute 1: 6–8 staggered stance deadlifts per leg
- Minute 2: 12 gorilla rows (6 per side or 12 together)
- Minute 3: 6–8 clean and presses per arm
The repetition ranges are guidelines. Adjust as needed based on your ability, and rest for the remainder of each minute before moving to the next exercise. Ideally, aim to leave 10–15 seconds of rest per minute. Beginners may benefit from 15–20 seconds, while more advanced exercisers can target closer to 10 seconds.
