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3 Lower Body Beginner Kettlebell Workouts That Build a Solid Foundation

By Greg Brookes

lower body kettlebell workouts for beginners

Lower body kettlebell workouts are a great starting point for beginners.

Kettlebell exercises for the lower body use large amounts of muscle mass resulting in quicker energy consumption, greater cardiovascular demands and beneficial hormonal stimulation.

Lower body kettlebell exercises also tend to be safer for beginners because the weight and thus centre of gravity is kept lower to the ground.

The following 3 workouts are an excellent place to begin and build a solid foundation for more challenging kettlebell exercises.


1Lower Body Beginner Kettlebell Workout

Our first kettlebell workout develops two very important movement patterns, the deadlift and the squat.

An ability to perform both of these exercises is important and will provide the foundation for the majority of the major kettlebell exercises.

Kettlebell Lower Body Workout 1

  • Single Arm Deadlift x 8 – 12 reps each side
  • Goblet Squat x 8 – 12 reps
  • Rest 60 seconds and repeat for 3 circuits

The format for this kettlebell workout is simple, perform the first exercise on both sides and then the second exercise without resting between exercises. Next take a 60 second rest before repeating the circuit again.

How often?

Everyone recovers from exercise differently but repeating this workout 3 times per week is a good starting point. After 2 – 4 weeks you can move on to workout 2.

Kettlebell Single Arm Deadlift

Kettlebell Single Arm Deadlift

The kettlebell single arm deadlift is the first kettlebell exercise I teach to beginners.

Not only does the deadlift teach you to hinge at the hips correctly but also activates most of the major muscles of the lower body.

You will use your hamstrings, glutes, quads, hips, back and core muscles during this one kettlebell exercise.

The most important part of this exercise is maintaining a strong flat back while hinging backwards and forwards at the hips.

The lower back should stay stationary forming a straight line from the buttocks to the shoulders.

Keeping the majority of your weight back on your heels and mid-foot will ensure good activation of the hamstrings and buttocks.

A common mistake is to hunch the shoulder up towards the ear when lifting, be sure to keep the shoulder down.

Want more? 7 Kettlebell deadlift variations

Kettlebell Goblet Squat

Kettlebell Goblet Squat Exercise

The kettlebell goblet squat is an excellent introduction into the squat movement pattern.

Holding a kettlebell in the goblet position in front of your chest will help with any balance issues that you may have with falling backwards.

The goblet squat will activate most of the muscles in the lower body including: the hamstrings, quads, glutes, hips, core and lower back muscles.

Unlike the deadlift exercise the squat requires a full 90 degree bend at the knees to fully activate the glutes.

Try to keep your weight back on your heels to mid-foot and the outside of your feet to prevent the knees from caving inwards.

The chest should remain up and the lower back kept nice and flat.

Discover more: 7 Kettlebell squat variations you should know


2

Lower Body Beginner Kettlebell Workout

This second kettlebell workout progresses on from the previous workout, make sure you are comfortable with workout 1 before attempting this one.

For this kettlebell workout the deadlift exercise is progressed from one arm to one leg which adds further core stability and balance requirements.

The squat exercise has an overhead press element which increases the demands of the cardiovascular system as well as connecting the upper and lower body via the core muscles.

Kettlebell Lower Body Workout 2

  • Single Leg Deadlift x 5 reps each side
  • Two Handed Squat and Press x 8 – 12 reps
  • Rest 60 seconds and repeat for 3 circuits

As with the previous workout format perform each exercise one after the other not resting until you have completed both exercises.

If you feel uncomfortable with the overhead press part of the squat then just perform the Goblet squat as illustrated in the previous workout.

How often?

Everyone recovers from exercise differently but repeating this workout 3 times per week is a good starting point. After 2 – 4 weeks you can move on to workout 3.

Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift

Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift

The kettlebell single leg deadlift helps develop stabilisation at the hips as well as connecting the shoulder to the hips via the core muscles.

You will also strengthen your hamstrings, glutes, hips, back and core muscles using this deadlift variation.

As with all deadlift exercises the lower back stays isometrically contracted while the hips move.

There should be a straight line visible from the leg that goes backwards all the way through to the shoulder.

Load your weight onto the heel and mid-foot of the standing leg to better activate the buttocks and hamstrings.

Move slowly and deliberately preventing the rear leg from rotating outwards, keep the toes pointing downwards.

Finally, maintain a good shoulder position by preventing the kettlebell from pulling the shoulder down and out of its socket.

Want more? Everything you need to know about the kettlebell single leg deadlift

Kettlebell Two Handed Squat and Press

Kettlebell Two Handed Squat and Press Exercise

The kettlebell two handed squat and press has all the benefits of the regular squat but with an additional upper body element.

Although you will get additional activation from the shoulders, chest and triceps during the overhead press the true benefits of this movement come from connecting the upper body to the lower body.

You will be surprised at how cardiovascular this exercise can be simply due to the huge amount of full body muscle activation.

The exercise is performed in the same way as the goblet squat except you use the momentum from the bottom part of the squat to drive the kettlebell overhead.

The squat and press should be performed in one fluent movement from bottom to top and then back down to bottom again.

Try to prevent leaning backwards at the top of the press by keeping your buttocks and abs tight at the top.

Beginners that struggle with the overhead press part of the movement should use the Goblet squat instead.


3

Lower Body Beginner Kettlebell Workout

This final kettlebell workout again progresses on from the previous workout, this time introducing the lunge movement pattern.

Once you have mastered the Lunge movement pattern you will have achieved all 3 lower body movement patterns and be in an excellent position to progress to all the other lower body exercises.

The lunge is a challenging exercise for the beginner so take your time and if you find the movement too difficult keep practicing workouts 1 and 2 to develop more strength and stability.

Kettlebell Lower Body Workout 3

  • Reverse Lunge x 8 – 12 reps each side
  • Thruster x 8 – 12 reps each side
  • Rest 60 seconds and repeat for 3 circuits

Perform the above workout in a superset format the same as the previous two workouts. You will find this workout the most cardiovascular of the 3 workouts so be careful you do not sacrifice your technique as you start to fatigue.

How often?

Everyone recovers from exercise differently but repeating this workout 3 times per week is a good starting point. After 2 – 4 weeks you can move on to the kettlebell swing workouts.

Kettlebell Racked Reverse Lunge

Kettlebell Racked Reverse Lunge Exercise

The kettlebell racked reverse lunge will be the most challenging exercise for many people of the 6 exercises listed here.

When performed correctly the lunge will strengthen the hips, buttocks, hamstrings, and core muscles.

Balance and hip mobility will also be improved by the kettlebell lunge.

Many beginners lack the strength to perform the kettlebell lunge correctly and this often presents itself as knee pain.

If you do experience knee pain, all may not be lost, just work through the above two workouts and you may be surprised to find the knee pain disappears.

When performing the lunge the front knee needs to bend to a 90 degree angle in order to fully activate the glutes.

Failure to lunge deep enough will not only limit muscle activation but also reduce hip mobility.

Finally, be careful of over extending the lower back, keep your core muscles tight and the upper body upright.

To see more posts about knee bend workouts, go here.

Learn more: 16 kettlebell lunge variations

Kettlebell Thruster

Kettlebell Thruster Exercise

The kettlebell thruster is one of the ultimate full body exercises for both strength and cardio.

The same muscles that are used for the two handed squat and press are used for the thruster. However, as the kettlebell is held in one hand the upper body demands are much greater.

There is also a greater increase in stabilisation as the left side and right sides of the body work hard to maintain balance.

The lower body is always stronger than the upper body so finding the correct kettlebell weight is important.

You can use your momentum to drive the kettlebell overhead using your legs but you will need adequate shoulder stabilisation strength to maintain good position.

Ultimately beginners should start off with a kettlebell that they feel comfortable holding overhead for at least 30 seconds.

If you feel uncomfortable with the one handed overhead pressing part you can always use the two handed squat and press or just the goblet squat exercise.

Want more? How to master the kettlebell thruster


Conclusion of Lower Body Beginner Kettlebell Workouts

Above I have listed 3 lower body kettlebell workouts for beginners.

Starting your kettlebell journey with lower body workouts is a smart decision because you can build a solid foundation, avoid potential injuries and get a huge amount of muscle activation.

The workouts mentioned above are listed in order of difficulty, so you should start with workout 1 and not move on to workout 2 until you feel comfortable, two to four weeks is a rough guide.

Once you have mastered all 3 of these kettlebell workouts you will have developed a strong foundation using the 3 main lower body movement patterns.

You will then be ready to progress onto more challenge lower body exercises like the kettlebell swing.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below:

10 best kettlebell workouts

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