Simple Kettlebell Circuit Workout

It's no secret that kettlebells are my favorite pieces of equipment to use in my workouts. Here's a simple, yet hard kettlebell circuit workout for you that can do in about 10-15 minutes. 

This workout is actually inspired by my friend Tom. Tom and I both live in the Bay area, and I've been popping into his kettlebell classes every now and then since last summer.

The classes are fun and I pretty much always come home with some new tip, trick or workout idea. It's also great to train with others when I sometimes feel a bit unmotivated. It doesn't happen a whole lot, but it does. Working out with a coach is also great when I just want to let someone else to decide what I should do for a workout.

There are so many things to learn from other trainers. Never stop learning!

A Simple Kettlebell Circuit

So, Tom sent me a simple workout via Instagram and I tried it out the other day. Well, sort of. I ended up making my own version of it. The original version of this kettlebell circuit looked like this:

10 rounds of

5 Sumo Deadlifts

10 Swings

1 Squat

But because I remembered it wrong, I ended up doing a little longer version of it. Here's what I did and what you will see in the video below:
10 rounds of 

10 Sumo Deadlifts

10 Swings

Decreasing ladder of squats: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Oh well! My workout turned out to be longer and harder but so what! It didn't hurt. Or, it did a little bit, especially while doing the double kettlebell squats, but that's a good way of hurting.

Here is the video:

What Weights to Use?

While there are only three exercises and the first rounds feel easy, it starts to catch up by the round 5-6. And you still have 4-5 to go… This is where you really start to feel it.

Therefore, I don't recommend to use too heavy weights. The rounds are going to be pretty long and you will get tired. But don't go too light either, otherwise you don't feel like you are working at all.

I'm using two 25-pound kettlebells.

One Kettlebell or Two?

I used double kettlebells for this workout, but you could easily do it with one. The swings are a bit different with double kettlebells, because you have to take a little wider stance to have enough room between the legs.

One or two kettlebells–your choice.

How to Do the Exercises

Here's the breakdown of the exercises:

Sumo Deadlift. If you have done a deadlift before, you already know the basics. But sumo deadlift is a little different in that the legs are way wider (especially when you are using two kettlebells) and the toes are pointing not forward, but slightly out.

Put the kettlebells between the feet. Hinge at the hips, reach for the kettlebells and inhale. Before lifting the kettlebells up, make sure that your back is neutral, meaning, it's nice and flat and not rounded. Pull the shoulderblades together. Press the heels strongly into the ground and stand up. Breath out.

Kettlebell Swings. Stand up nice and tall. The kettlebell is in front of you. With your back neutral, pick up the kettlebell. Start the swing by generating the power from your hips. Hips should be very snappy!

This is not an arm exercise, meaning, you shouldn't lift the kettlebell up with the strength of your arms. The power should coming from your legs and hips.

It's also not a squat, but hinge. In squat, you bend your knees fully, but in hingeing happens from your hips. The knees are only slightly bent.

Squats. If you are using one kettlebell, hold the handle with your both hands and hold the kettlebell close to your chest. When doing this with two kettlebells, hold them in “rack” position: the handles are close together and the body of your kettlebells (the round part) is resting on your forearms.

Press the heels firmly into the ground and do a low squat. The lower the better, let the butt touch the ground, if you can! Keep the back upright and tall throughout the movement. Then, press through your heels and stand up.

Conclusion

This kettlebell circuit takes you about 10-15 minutes, depending on how much rest you need. Remember to choose right weight–not too light, not too heavy, so that you feel the weight but are still able to finish all ten rounds.

Try this kettlebell circuit out and let me know how you did! Happy training!