21 Kettlebell Exercises for Men to Build Strength and Burn Fat

Last Updated on 29 July 2025 by Greg Brookes

If you want to build a lean, strong, athletic body without spending hours in the gym, kettlebells are your secret weapon. As a coach who’s worked with thousands of men since 2006, I’ve seen how the right kettlebell exercises can transform not just your physique, but your performance and posture too.

Kettlebell training isn’t about flashy circuits or random reps. It’s about mastering foundational movements that engage hundreds of muscles at once. These exercises will help you build functional strength, burn fat, and develop explosive power, all while protecting your joints and improving your cardio.

In this guide, I’ll break down 21 of the best kettlebell exercises for men, divided into upper body, lower body, full body, and double kettlebell moves. You’ll also get a simple structure for creating effective workouts that match your goals.

Want these exercises in a complete program? Check out my Kettlebell Workouts for Men Guide for full plans.

Why Kettlebells Work So Well for Men

Whether you’re training for muscle, fat loss, or all-around athleticism, kettlebells offer advantages you won’t get from machines or traditional gym splits:

• Efficient fat-burning workouts that train strength and cardio together
• Grip and core strength that carries over to real-life tasks
• Joint-friendly mechanics that support longevity
• Minimal equipment, making it perfect for home or travel

Kettlebells reward consistency, not ego lifting. Progress steadily, focus on form, and they’ll serve you for life.

What Size Kettlebell Should Men Start With?

Here’s a general guideline for starting weights:

• 12kg (26lbs): For beginners or those focusing on mobility and technique
• 16kg (35lbs): Good all-around size for swings, cleans, and get-ups
• 20–24kg (44–53lbs): For stronger men or those focusing on muscle building

For two-handed movements like swings or goblet squats, you can often go heavier. Start smart and scale as your technique improves.

How to Use These Exercises

You don’t need to do all 21 exercises at once. Pick 3–5 from different categories (upper, lower, full body), and rotate them throughout the week.

Here’s a sample layout:

• Upper Body: Kettlebell Half Kneeling Press
• Lower Body: Goblet Squat or Reverse Lunge
• Full Body: Clean & Press or Snatch

Perform each exercise for 3–4 sets of 6–12 reps, depending on your goal.

New to training? Start with my Beginner Kettlebell Routine for Men.

Kettlebell Exercises for Men | Upper Body

It is very hard to separate kettlebell exercises for just the upper body because ultimately when you perform any exercise standing up most muscles of the body are involved to some extent.

However, the kettlebell exercises that I have included below have a much deeper focus on the upper body than any others so if your goals are to add muscle to this area then these are for you.

Men should feel comfortable using a 12kg (25lbs), 16kg (35lbs) or 24kg kettlebell. For the push press you could use even more weight.

Here are 5 kettlebell exercises for men and the upper body:

1. Kettlebell Halo

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Halo)

The kettlebell halo is an important exercise because it opens up and mobilises the shoulders and upper back.

Although this exercise will not add on slabs of muscle it will help maintain healthy joints and acts as a great warm up exercise.

You may be surprised at how difficult this exercise can be especially if you suffer from a tight back and shoulders.

Keep your chest and ribcage lifted throughout the entire exercise.

You should focus your eyes straight ahead of you as you roll the kettlebell around your neck.

Keep the kettlebell as close to the neck as possible to get the most from this exercise.

I recommend that you master and open up the joints with a lighter kettlebell before increasing the weight.

Using a heavy kettlebell incorrectly will only add to neck and shoulder issues rather than correcting them.

Practice 10 rotations in one direction and 10 in the other.

Watch the Kettlebell Halo video below:

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2. Kettlebell Bent Over Row

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Bent Over Row)

The kettlebell regular row will add muscle to the mid back, lats, core musculature and biceps.

It is important to keep the back flat throughout this exercise and the core braced nice and tight.

A common mistake is to hunch the shoulders towards the neck, keep them down.

Row the kettlebell straight up as if your elbow is being pulled back and towards the ceiling.

Don’t rush through the exercise, the lowering part of the movement is just as important as the row.

Keep your weight back on your heels throughout the exercise and load the hamstrings.

Practice 8 – 12 repetitions on each side.

Watch the Kettlebell Bent Over Row video below:

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3. Kettlebell Half or Full Turkish Get Up

The kettlebell half turkish get up will develop strong stabilisation in the shoulders as well as excellent core strength.

Overhead pressing, as mentioned later, is important for building big, strong shoulders but without good stabilisation strength there can be a potential for injury.

Practicing and working through the half turkish get up will build the foundation you require for future lifts.

Use your core muscles to sit up towards your opposite hip.

Keep your kettlebell arm straight and heels in contact with the floor throughout the entire exercise.

At the top of the movement sit up tall and lift the ribcage.

Return slowly to the floor by using your core muscles, 5 seconds down is a good guideline.

Once you have mastered the half turkish get up then I highly recommend you progress to the full turkish get up.

Practice 3 – 5 slow reps without putting the kettlebell down before changing sides.

Watch the Kettlebell Turkish Get Up video below:

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4. Kettlebell Half Kneeling Press

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Half Kneeling Press)

The kettlebell half kneeling press will build on the stabilisation strength you gained during the half turkish get ups.

From a half kneeling position with the back knee on the floor press the kettlebell overhead.

Keep your buttocks pinched tight and core muscles braced as you press.

Working from a half kneeling position will focus the press directly into the shoulders and leave no room for cheating.

It is common for the hips to start to fall backwards as you start to fatigue so constantly think about staying tall.

Remember to get tight as you press and control the kettlebell on the way back down.

Perform 8 – 12 repetitions on one side before changing legs and arms.

Watch the Kettlebell Half Kneeling Press video below:

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5. Kettlebell Push Press

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Push Press)

The kettlebell push press is an excellent exercise for building strength and size in the shoulders and upper body.

As you press the kettlebell overhead use your legs slightly just to add a little momentum to the lift.

The bottom part of the lift is always the most challenging so adding a slight knee bend before driving the kettlebell overhead will give you a mechanical advantage.

The kettlebell push press is great for lifting heavier weights that get stuck in the bottom position or when you start to fatigue and you want to complete a few final repetitions.

Care should be taken when using this exercise that you are not using weights that you cannot comfortably stabilise.

Practice 8 – 12 reps on each side

Watch the Kettlebell Push Press video below:

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Want to see how these upper body moves fit into a full plan? Visit my Kettlebell Workouts for Men Guide to structure your week for strength and size.

Kettlebell Exercises for Men | Lower Body

For some reason men tend to neglect the lower body more than the upper body but this is a big mistake.

Research has shown that lower body exercises have a better transfer over to the upper body than upper body exercises to the lower body.

Lower body exercises also promote growth hormone throughout the body which in turn makes upper body exercises more effective.

As with the upper body exercises most lower body exercises also active many muscles in the upper body especially as you are holding a kettlebell with your arms which are attached to your shoulders etc.

Men should feel comfortable using a 12kg (25lbs), 16kg (35lbs) or 24kg kettlebell. For the single arm deadlift I would expect even more weight.

Below are 6 kettlebell exercises for men and the upper body:

6. Kettlebell Goblet Squat

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Goblet Squat)

The kettlebell goblet squat is one of the most important kettlebell exercises for men and developing the legs, hips, buttocks and core muscles.

Keep your weight back on your heels and try to prevent the knees from caving in towards the centreline as you squat.

Make sure that you squat so your thighs reach parallel with the floor to engage your buttocks correctly. Shallow squats will only develop the legs and can produce muscle imbalances.

Ensure the chest and ribcage is lifted throughout the exercise.

Those comfortable with the goblet squat can practice holding two kettlebells, one in each hand against the chest in the racked position.

Work up to a total of 20 slow and controlled squats.

Watch the Kettlebell Goblet Squat video below:

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7. Kettlebell Single Arm Deadlift

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Single Arm Deadlift)

The kettlebell single arm deadlift will develop strength, and size in the legs, hips, glutes, back and core muscles.

The deadlift is our strongest movement pattern so in order to gain muscle from this movement you will need to increase the kettlebell weight to as much as you can handle.

Make sure you have great technique before lifting heavy, you should always have a nice flat back and use a hinge at the hips to lift the weight rather than the lower back.

Keep your weight back on your heels and feel the hamstrings and buttocks engage as you lift.

The chest and ribcage should remain lifted throughout the movement.

Work up to 8 – 10 good quality repetitions using a 3 second lower.

Watch the Kettlebell Single Arm Deadlift video below:

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8. Kettlebell Racked Reverse Lunge

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Reverse Lunge)

The kettlebell racked reverse lunge is the ultimate leg and buttock developer.

When squats and deadlifts start to get too easy with the weights that you have available then switching to the kettlebell lunge is a great progression.

The depth of the lunge is important to fully active the buttocks, the back knee should drop down as close to the floor as possible.

Keep the chest up and eyes forwards throughout the entire exercise.

Again keeping your weight back on your heels will fully activate the muscles in the back of your body including the hamstrings and glutes.

If you find you start to wobble during this exercise then bracing your core muscles should help to stabilise the movement.

The kettlebell lunge can be performed, backwards, forwards, holding 1 kettlebell, or 2 up on the chest or down by your sides.

If you want to overload the movement then perform all the reps on one side before changing to the other, rather than alternating legs each rep.

Watch the Kettlebell Racked Reverse Lunge video below:

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9. Kettlebell Pistol Squat

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Pistol Squat)

The kettlebell pistol squat is a very challenging movement that will develop strong legs, buttocks, core muscles, mobility and cardio.

For those new to the pistol squat then practice without a kettlebell first and using a band or TRX attached in front of you for support.

Descend down into the bottom of the pistol squat slowly before pausing for a few seconds and then driving back up to the top position.

Your heel should remain on the floor throughout the entire movement.

Adding a kettlebell to the exercise will help with counterbalance but also load the shoulders and back muscles.

Practice alternating sides of 1 rep each time

Watch the Kettlebell Pistol Squat video below:

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10. Kettlebell Side Lunge

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Side Lunge)

The kettlebell side lunge will target the muscles of the hips, legs and buttocks in a completely different way than the other leg exercises.

If you are an athlete or practice sports then the side lunge transfers very well into many activities. Most sports require side to side movement as well as forwards and backwards.

Again the depth of movement is very important to properly active the buttock muscles.

You will need good hip mobility and inner thigh flexibility in order to perform this exercise well.

I strongly recommend that you start off with shallow side lunges, just to warm up, before dropping deeper and deeper into the movement.

Keep your chest up and ribcage lifted throughout the exercise.

Work up to 8 – 10 reps on each side, getting deeper each time.

Watch the Kettlebell Side Lunge video below:

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11. Kettlebell Double Lunge

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Double Lunge)

The kettlebell double lunge is a tough exercise that will overload the legs, hips, buttocks and core muscles while working your cardio at the same time.

The same principles apply for the double lunge as the regular lunge except you move from the reverse lunge to the forward lunge without putting your foot down between exercises.

Forwards and backwards counts as just 1 repetition.

Be sure to drop down as deep as possible with both lunges and keep your chest and head up.

8 repetitions on each side is usually enough to get the most from this demanding exercise.

Watch the Kettlebell Double Lunge video below:

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Strong legs, better performance. See how to program these leg exercises inside my Men’s Kettlebell Workout Plans.

Full Body Kettlebell Exercises for Men

The kettlebell exercises for men listed below will activate most of the muscles in your body.

There is a huge amount of muscle activation with these full body exercises so you can expect a quick increase in your heart rate as it challenges your cardio.

These kettlebell exercises for men are complex so care should be taken to master the prerequisites of each movement before loading up the exercise.

Men should feel comfortable using a 12kg (25lbs), 16kg (35lbs) or 24kg kettlebell.

Here are 6 full body kettlebell exercises for men:

12. Kettlebell Single Arm Swing

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Single Arm Swing)

The kettlebell swing will activate most of the muscles in your body, test your cardio and improve your posture.

Beginners should start with the two handed swing and progress to the one handed swing once they can swing for a full 60 seconds.

As with all deadlift based movement patterns the swing requires a hinging at the hips and a nice straight back position.

The movement of the kettlebell is generated by the aggressive thrust of the hips forwards with a tightening of the buttocks.

With the kettlebell at the top of the swing the body should be fully upright with the glutes tight and abs braced.

You can practice a quick workout of 10 reps, rest and repeat for 10 circuits.

Watch the Kettlebell One Arm Swing video below:

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13. Kettlebell Thruster

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Thruster)

The kettlebell thruster will strengthen most of the muscles in the body while at the same time challenging your cardio.

Start with a regular racked squat before driving the floor away from you with your feet and using the momentum to press the kettlebell overhead.

Note that this exercise should be performed in a fluid movement with a pause between the squat and the overhead press.

Again squat depth is very important to ensure the buttocks are activated fully and you should be aware of the possibility of cheating as you start to fatigue.

If your shoulder starts to ache then you can use your opposite hand to help hold the kettlebell in the racked position during the bottom portion of the squat.

Practice 10 reps on each side for a great full body workout.

Watch the Kettlebell Thruster video below:

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14. Kettlebell Clean and Press

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Clean and Press)

The kettlebell clean and press uses most muscles of the body but has more of an influence on the back of the body than the thruster.

You begin the exercise with a kettlebell clean which is an explosive movement that activates the legs, hips, buttocks and back.

With the kettlebell up and in the racked position you use your shoulders and upper back to drive the kettlebell up and overhead.

Be sure to take the kettlebell down all the way to the floor slowly and under control.

You will find that you can lift heavier weights with the clean part of the exercise than the press. So in order to use a heavier weight for the full exercise you can use a push press as mentioned in exercise no. 5.

Take your time to master both the clean and the press before combining the two exercises together.

Progress to 5 – 10 reps each side before switching arms.

Watch the Kettlebell Clean and Press video below:

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15. Kettlebell High Pull

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell High Pull)

The kettlebell high pull exercise is a full body cardio exercise that also works into the upper back.

This kettlebell exercise for men is fast and dynamic and requires good coordination and timing.

It is important to keep a nice straight wrist during the pulling part of the movement as well as keeping the elbow and forearm in line with the direction of pull.

Care should be taken when practicing the high pull because beginners often collapse at the wrist and the kettlebell can travel towards the face.

As with many of these kettlebell exercises for men be sure to stand tall at the top of the movement and squeeze the buttocks tight.

Make sure you have mastered the one arm kettlebell swing before progressing on to this exercise.

Practice 10 – 20 repetitions on each side.

Watch the Kettlebell High Pull video below:

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16. Kettlebell Snatch

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Snatch)

The kettlebell snatch activates the muscles throughout the entire body in a very explosive way.

The snatch is an advanced exercise that needs good explosive hips and timing.

Make sure you have mastered the one arm swing and high pull exercises before moving on to this challenging exercise.

The most common problem beginners have with the snatch is the kettlebell flopping over at the top of the movement and banging the wrist.

To avoid banging the wrist punch your hand through at the top of the movement and keep your wrist nice and straight.

The kettlebell should also travel close to the body on the way up rather than looping around as if a continuation on from the swing.

Work up to 10 – 15 reps on one side before changing hands.

Watch the Kettlebell Snatch video below:

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17. Kettlebell Deck Squat

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Deck Squat)

The kettlebell deck squat is a fun exercise that will work most of the muscles in the body along with improving your full body mobility.

This kettlebell exercise for men begins with a nice deep squat before rolling backwards and extending the hips and kettlebell overhead, this is the easy part.

The challenging part of the exercise is getting back up again.

Throw your hands forwards to gain momentum and allow you to get your hips underneath you before standing back up again.

Practice with a light kettlebell to begin with.

Work up to 10 controlled repetitions.single le

Watch the Kettlebell Deck Squat video below:

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Full-body moves are the backbone of efficient training. Plug these into your sessions using my Complete Kettlebell Workouts for Men.

Double Kettlebell Exercises for Men

Double kettlebell exercises for men use two kettlebells, one in each hand.

Using two kettlebells enables you to really overload the movement in a symmetrical way.

Many kettlebell exercises can be performed with 2 kettlebells but these lend themselves particularly well.

Below are 4 kettlebell exercises for men that use 2 kettlebells:

18. Double Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift)

The single leg deadlift using 2 kettlebells is a great way to overload the hamstrings, glutes core and back without the need for very heavy weights.

This kettlebell exercise for men is slightly easier than the one kettlebell version because two provides equal balance so you can really focus on the strength building element of the exercise.

Again keeping your back flat and hinging through the hips is of paramount importance.

Keep the reps low (5) and descend slowly to a count of 3 to benefit from the eccentric loading part of the movement.

19. Double Kettlebell Clean, Squat and Press

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Clean, Squat and Press)

The kettlebell clean, squat and press with 2 kettlebells is a huge full body exercise that will challenge everything from your strength to your cardio.

It goes without saying that you should have first mastered all the individual parts of this exercise, the clean, squat, and overhead press.

You should also practice each element of this exercise separately with 2 kettlebells before putting them together into this complex exercise.

When performing the exercise think: clean, squat, press and down.

Your ultimate goal is 10 non stop repetitions.

20. Double Renegade Row

(See full breakdown in: Kettlebell Renegade Row)

The kettlebell renegade row is a challenging exercise that will develop excellent core muscles as well as work into the back muscles.

This kettlebell exercise for men first requires you to hold a good solid front plank both on two hands and one.

With both hands on the kettlebell handles row the one arm backwards pulling through the elbow towards the ceiling.

The hips should stay perfectly inline with the body while preforming the exercise and the buttocks should be squeezed tight.

Care should be taken to use the correct type of kettlebell to prevent them from rolling to the side and crushing your fingers on the floor.

Beginners can practice this exercise by using just one kettlebell and having the other hand on a box, parallette or bench.

Work up to 10 slow and controlled repetitions per side.

Watch the Double Kettlebell Renegade Row video below:

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21. Double Kettlebell Alternating Clean

The kettlebell alternating clean with 2 kettlebell is a challenging, fast paced full body exercise that requires excellent coordination.

Simply put you will be performing fast alternating kettlebell cleans, one up one down.

There will be a slight knee bend as with a regular clean during each movement.

The back must be kept nice and flat, core engaged and chest up.

This is not an exercise for beginners!

Your first challenge is to keep the movement going for 30 seconds, 60 seconds and you’ll know you’re working out!

Ready to level up with double kettlebells? Get full programs that build on these advanced moves inside my Kettlebell Workouts for Men.

Final Thoughts

These 21 kettlebell exercises for men aren’t just a collection of cool moves, they’re the foundation of smart, efficient training. Whether your goal is to build muscle, drop fat, or just move better, these lifts deliver results.

Keep your workouts simple. Focus on progression. And remember that consistency over time always beats intensity in the short term.

Want a complete roadmap? Check out my Kettlebell Workouts for Men Hub where you’ll find strength plans, fat loss routines, and performance-focused programs.

Looking for more performance-driven training? Check out the complete guide to kettlebell workouts by goal, from building strength and muscle to endurance, power, and fat loss.

Frequently Asked Questions