Total Leg Smoker Workout with Dumbbells and Kettlebell

Good morning and Happy Wednesday!

How about a quick morning workout today? For this one, you're going to need two dumbbells and a kettlebell, but if you only have one kettlebell, that will work too.

Before you start, I have to tell you that even though the name of the workout suggests that it's going to smoke your legs, you'll end up also hitting your shoulders pretty hard. So be ready for that!

Here's what you need for this workout:

Weights:

For this workout, you need two dumbbells (I used 25lbs each) for thrusters and one kettlebell (I used 35 lbs) for swings.

If you only have one kettlebell, you can still do the workout, but you have to modify the thrusters (check out How to Do the Exercises below).

As always, choose the weights that are appropriate for your fitness level. If you have access to various weights or if you have adjustable dumbbells, I encourage you not to take too light weights at first, because you can change them later when you need to.

Time:

This workout will take you 20-30 minutes, depending on how fast you move and how many breaks you need.

Place:

Anywhere! Outside, backyard, living room… It doesn't matter. No gym needed 😉

Workout:

Here's the breakdown of the workout. You'll only have three exercises: Dumbbell (or kettlebell) Thrusters, Squat Jumps and Kettlebell Swings.
Start with 15 Thrusters, followed by 1 Squat Jump, followed by 10 Swings. Then, decrease the number of Thrusters every round, and increase the number of Squat Jumps every round. The number of Swings will be same all the time.

Here's the full workout:

15 Thrusters, 1 Squat Jump, 10 Swings
14 Thrusters, 2 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
13 Thrusters, 3 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
12 Thrusters, 4 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
11 Thrusters, 5 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
10 Thrusters, 6 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
9 Thrusters, 7 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
8 Thrusters, 8 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
7 Thrusters, 9 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
6 Thrusters, 10 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
5 Thrusters, 11 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
4 Thrusters, 12 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
3 Thrusters, 13 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
2 Thrusters, 14 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings
1 Thruster, 15 Squat Jumps, 10 Swings

See the video for the first, second and last round of the workout:

Here's How to Do the Exercises:

Dumbbell Thrusters

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart while holding the dumbbells on your shoulders. Do a full squat, as low as possible. Make sure your knees are not turning inwards! If your toes are turned slightly out, so should your knees. If your toes are pointing exactly forward, the knees should point the same way during the squat.

From the squat, push yourself up and press the arms overhead. Bring the arms back to your shoulders and get into a squat again. Repeat.

If you don't have dumbbells and have just one kettlebell, you can do kettlebell thrusters. Hold the kettlebell against the chest with both hands when doing the squatting portion of the exercise, and press it overhead as you're coming up.

Squat Jumps

Normally I do squat jumps by squatting half way and then jumping up.
This time, I decided to really smoke those legs and do a full squat jumps.

To do that, simply squat as low as you possibly can, then use all your power to explosively jump up in the air. Do the next squat as soon as you land, so there are no breaks throughout the motion.

Kettlebell Swings

Slightly bend your knees, hinge at the hips and swing the kettlebell back between your legs. This is not a squat, so don't bend the knees too much. Then, push the hips powerfully forward as you swing the kettlebell up to your eye level–no need to go any higher than that.

The most common mistake that I see people doing in kettlebell swings is using their arms way too much and using them to lift the kettlebell up. It's important to remember that the work has to be done with your hips, legs and glutes, not arms. Keep the arms as relaxed as possible.

That's it for today! If you did the workout, let me know how you liked it!