Kettlebells are functional, versatile and great fun to train with, they work well for strength and conditioning workouts to build strength, muscle and endurance, and improve range of motion and mobility. If you don’t believe us, try adding these 5 kettlebell exercises for beginners to your routine. You just need one or two of the best kettlebells for weightlifting , an exercise mat that will support your body during floor movements and 30 minutes if you want to try a short kettlebell workout we’ve put together. We’ve selected five kettlebell exercises you can do at home to build a strong core and functional strength. Each one targets a different muscle group, including your back, shoulders, arms, abs, obliques, hips, glutes and legs. If you prefer to program them as a traditional resistance program, aim to complete 8-15 reps of each exercise for 3-4 sets and rest briefly for 30 seconds between exercises. Or, you can give our EMOM-style workout (that's every minute, on the minute) a try below. Dead bugs require coordination, stability and control, targeting the deep core muscles — the transverse abdominis — and the erector spinae muscles that stabilize the spine and support the lower back. Your internal and external obliques are also active during the exercise. But unlike the traditional dead bug , which teaches contra-lateral limb engagement (moving opposing limbs together) of the upper and lower body, you’ll stabilize the kettlebell overhead while moving your legs. If you have strong shoulders, you could practice extending the kettlebell behind you during the move using both hands or holding a kettlebell in each hand and performing the traditional version (pictured below). How: Upgrade your life with a daily dose of the biggest tech news, lifestyle hacks and our curated analysis. Be the first to know about cutting-edge gadgets and the hottest deals. Imagine bending down to pick up your groceries by your sides — you’ve pretty much done a suitcase squat. The move hits your lower body, particularly your quads, requires core strength and mimics the vertical positioning of a trap bar deadlift . You’ll also feel the exercise in your shoulders and arms (you’re carrying kettlebells, after all), lower back and glutes. How: The kettlebell swing variation forces you to think about every single rep as you reset your position each time. For beginners, this helps improve engagement and muscular recruitment and will get you thinking about your form while controlling the stop each time. How: Rinse your obliques with this take on a kettlebell
Russian twist . For this variation, start kneeling and either engage more of your arms and shoulders by extending your arms away from you at shoulder height or keep the kettlebell close to your chest. This is a potent core exercise that engages your whole torso and hips. How: If you think holding a kettlebell out at shoulder height is easy, think again. A test of shoulder, arm and core strength, it’s an upper-body workout in itself. Practice different grip styles to see what feels the most challenging. Gripping either side of the kettlebell and pressing into it will increase arm engagement whereas using an overhand grip on the horns out in front of you can be tough on the forearms and wrists. To ramp things up further, try holding one out to the side, working the lateral delts. Just remember to switch sides. How: Each kettlebell exercise can be scaled to ability, but as a starting point, read the instructions above carefully and practice using a light weight until you feel comfortable with your form. Kettlebell full-body E2MOM: Every two minutes on the minute x 30 minutes 0:00-2:00 Kettlebell dead bugs x 10-12 reps (5-6 per leg) Kettlebell suitcase squats x 10 reps Kettlebell straight arm hold x remaining time 2:00-4:00 Kettlebell deadstop swings x 10 reps Kettlebell kneeling twists x 10-20 reps (5-10 per side) Kettlebell straight arm hold x remaining time During the first two minutes, perform 10-12 reps of the dead bug exercise, then move straight to your suitcase squats for 10 reps. In the remaining time, perform the straight arm hold. Take 15 seconds to rest, then start the next set of exercises at the 2-minute mark. Between 2-4 minutes, perform 10 deadstop kettlebell swings, then move straight into 10-20 reps of kneeling twists. During the remaining time, perform the straight arm hold. Rest for 15 seconds, then at the 4-minute mark, return to the first set of exercises. Continue to 30 minutes. Exercising with kettlebells several times a week can help you build muscle and a stronger body, but you’ll need to be consistent in your routine and adapt exercises, load and other variables as you progress — there’s nothing worse than a stale, unmodified routine for halting progress. Strengthening your joints, muscles and bones over time, and improving your functional fitness , translates to everyday life, not just how you perform in the gym or training environment. Think lifting groceries or climbing the stairs more easily. If you’ve barely trained with kettlebells, choosing a weight can be tricky. We recommend using RPE (rate of perceived exertion) during the workout above and modifying your reps to allow 15 seconds of rest between exercises. Think about 0 being the easiest you can work at and 10 being the most intense — choose a weight that allows you to complete your reps at a 7-8 out of 10. If you don’t have many weight options available, then check out these 5 ways to build muscle without lifting heavier weights . It's totally possible to build full-body strength using kettlebells and without lifting at your absolute maximum each time. But you will need to use some progressive overload principles to gradually increase the challenge on your muscles to adapt and grow.