How Many Kettlebell Workouts Per Week?

If you’ve been wondering how many kettlebell workouts per week you should be performing then this is the guide for you.

I’m going to reveal the right weekly schedule for you but first let’s cover a few factors that will affect your decision.

How everyone is different

As you are aware everyone is different and how we differ from one another will affect how many kettlebell workouts per week you perform. For example:

1 Nutrition

The better your nutrition and your ability to assimilate your food and drink the quicker you will recover from your previous workout.

2 Sleep

If you struggle to sleep well and for a good 7 – 9 hours per night then this will affect the speed at which you recover from your workouts.

3 Age

As we age our metabolism slows down and with it our ability to heal from injuries quickly. As workouts cause micro-trauma to the muscle fibres the quicker you can heal the more frequently you can exercise per week.

4 Stress

It doesn’t matter what type of stress: mental, physical or environmental, all stresses steal resources from the body. If you are under constant stress then recovery from workouts can take longer.

5 Occupation

If you work a very physical job then recovery can take longer than someone in a more sedentary role. Although, very sedentary jobs can also have an adverse impact on recovery too.

6 Activities

Do you play weekly sports, practice martial arts, enjoy hill walking, cycling, or running. All of these activities may determine how quickly you recovery from your kettlebell workouts.

7 Genetics

Some people are naturally just quicker at recovering from workouts than others.

What are your goals?

One of the first questions you should always ask yourself before starting any exercise program is: what are my goals?

Let’s look at a few different types of goals:

1. General Fitness and Conditioning

For many people fitness maintenance is all they are looking to achieve with an exercise program. General fitness may include: maintaining muscle mass, challenging your cardio and improving movement skills. 2 – 3 times per week may be enough for general fitness.

2. Fat Loss and Toning

If you are pushing a little harder than general fitness and looking to make some serious changes to your body then you may increase the amount of workouts per week. 3 – 5 times per week.

3. Muscle Building

When your goals are to build muscle then you need to prolong the amount of time under tension for your kettlebell workouts. 3 – 5 times per week.

4. Sports Specific

If you are using kettlebells to improve at certain sports or activities then you should be using them along with your chosen sport. Adding kettlebell workouts to other sporting activities should only be 1 – 2 workouts per week.

5. Strength Gains

Big strength based gains may include both kettlebells and barbells / dumbbells and so the amount of specific kettlebell workouts will be reduced to 1 – 3 workouts per week.

What’s the intensity of the kettlebell workout?

There is a general rule when it comes to recovering from exercise:

The longer and more intense a workout the more recovery you will need

Here’s an example:

I often get asked whether you can swing a kettlebell everyday and the answer always comes down to intensity.

If the kettlebell you are swinging is a challenging weight and you are swinging for a lot of reps, say 100’s then usually you will need to take some rest days.

However, if the weight you are swinging is not too challenging and you keep the reps low, perhaps 20 – 50 reps, then you could probably swing everyday.

3 Sample weekly workout schedules

So as you can see there are a lot of variables that affect how many kettlebell workouts per week you should perform.

The best way to start is by beginning with a lighter schedule and then adding more workouts if necessary.

Most beginners should start with this schedule.

The workouts can be a good intensity and challenging because you allow a full days rest after each workout and 2 days off for the weekends.

Here you have the opportunity to keep the intensity up and overload certain exercises for 2 days followed by a day off and then another 2 days before the weekend off.

You can also work different exercises / movement patterns on Tuesdays and Fridays to prevent overloading movements.

The rolling 5 days per week schedule means you take a rest every third day.

The rolling 5 day schedule works well but it does mean that you are exercising on different days every week.

If changing workout days causes a problem then you can alternate a workout day and rest day each weekend instead.

Which weekly schedule should you choose?

First it is important to realise that you are going to have to listen to your body and make some adjustments as you navigate your way through your workouts.

If you start feeling overtired or don’t seem to be making any strength, rep or time gains then you are probably exercising too often per week.

You should also look at the “How everyone is different” section above and see what improvements you can make there too.

For most people I recommend starting with the 3 times per week schedule for the first month just to get used to how your body reacts.

If you find you can handle the 3 times per week schedule then move up to the 4 times per week.

Let’s say you are performing very short workouts (4-10 minutes), as I usually suggest, then it’s ok to start with the 5 times per week schedule and move back down to the 4 times per week if you find it too much.

What should you do on your rest days?

For many people there is a belief that more is always better.

Unfortunately the body always needs time to recover from exercise and just working hard too often will lead to overtraining and ultimately niggling injuries.

If you have a scheduled rest day but feel like you want to do some form of exercise then try something that doesn’t conflict with your kettlebell workouts: cycling, walking, rowing, swimming, gardening are all good options.

You could also help improve your muscle tissue by working on some mobility exercises, stretching exercises, rolling on a foam roller or having a massage or using a sauna.

Watch my full body mobility routine below:

Conclusions to how many kettlebell workouts per week

Everyone is unique and recovers from workouts at different rates.

Depending on your goals and the intensity of your workouts will depend on the amount of times per week your should perform your kettlebell workouts.

Above I’ve outlined 3, 4 and 5 days per week schedules for you to try.

Ultimately you need to listen to your body and make adjustments as you go either adding more or less workouts per week.

To see more posts about basics kettlebells workouts, go here.

Best of luck!

You can see all my 3, 4, and 5 day workouts programs here