Written by Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine
Many people believe that you need access to a well-equipped gym to get strong and build muscle. They assume that a lack of equipment will stop them from achieving the body transformation they dream of.
The thing is, your body is actually kind of dumb and finds it hard to differentiate between doing bench presses with a calibrated Olympic barbell in a state-of-the-art gym and doing push-ups on a dusty garage floor.
What your body DOES know are muscle tension and work, and providing you train hard and consistently, your body will adapt to whatever workout you perform. That’s why dumbbell, barbell, machine, freeweight, and resistance band exercises are all similarly effective.
This is good news for home exercisers who, for reasons of budget and space, are often limited to just a couple of pieces of strength training equipment, such as a pair of adjustable dumbbells or a couple of kettlebells.
In this article, we reveal the 15 best upper-body kettlebell exercises and provide you with a couple of workouts to try.
Don’t let a lack of training equipment stop you from building a muscular and strong physique. Instead, plan your workouts around these upper-body kettlebell exercises!
Target muscles: Deltoids, triceps, core.
The single-arm kettlebell press is one of the best upper-body exercises you can do. This simple move will build your shoulders, upper traps, triceps, and core and contribute to your V-taper. While you can press two kettlebells simultaneously, the single-arm version is arguably more functional, providing a great low-tech but high-effect upper-body workout.
Target muscles: Deltoids, triceps, core.
The shoulder-to-shoulder kettlebell press is a unique deltoid exercise. It’s an excellent movement for anyone who wants to train both deltoids simultaneously but only has access to one kettlebell. The action is very joint-friendly, making this a valuable option for lifters with shoulder pain.
The kettlebell halo is a classic shoulder exercise that builds strength and mobility in equal measure. Done with a light weight, halos are a great way to warm up your shoulders before heavy lifting. However, done nearer to the end of your workout, it’s an excellent finisher that will give you a tremendous deltoid pump.
Target muscles: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps, core.
Before the bench press became the world’s favorite chest exercise, the floor press was how most people trained their pecs. This exercise is a very safe and effective way to build upper body pressing power and is especially shoulder-friendly.
Target muscles: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps, core.
The single-arm kettlebell floor press is a great exercise, but your workouts will soon become boring if that’s all you ever do. Lifting your hips into a bridge position changes the feel of the exercise, increases the range of motion, and engages your glutes and hamstrings, making it a more complete workout.
Target muscles: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps, core.
Push-ups are one of the best minimalist chest exercises you can do. Using a kettlebell increases your range of motion and also puts a little more weight on one arm, making them even more effective.
Target muscles: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps, core.
One of the best ways to make push-ups more challenging and better for muscle growth is to increase your range of motion. You can use push-up handles, yoga blocks, weight plates, or, more conveniently, a pair of kettlebells. Using kettlebells means you’ll have to work extra hard to stabilize the weights, which will increase muscle engagement.
Target muscles: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps, core.
Diamond push-ups are very effective triceps and chest exercise. However, they can be hard on your wrists and shoulders. Using a kettlebell makes diamond push-ups safer, more comfortable, and more effective. You’ll need to push extra hard to keep your hands on the weight, increasing pec engagement in the process.
Target muscles: Latissimus dorsi, biceps, trapezius, rhomboids, core.
Single-arm bent-over rows are a great way to build and strengthen your upper and lower back. Using one hand and being unsupported means your core also gets a workout. This is an excellent exercise for identifying and fixing left-to-right strength imbalances. However, you probably won’t be able to use as much weight as you would for regular supported bent-over rows.
Target muscles: Latissimus dorsi, biceps, trapezius, rhomboids, core.
Back exercises don’t come much more functional or challenging than kettlebell renegade rows. While you will need two kettlebells for this exercise, if you have the necessary equipment, you will be rewarded with an incredible back and core workout.
Target muscles: Trapezius, deltoids, biceps.
Upright rows are a somewhat controversial exercise, and some people love them while others hate them. That’s because upright rows can be hard on the shoulders and may cause joint pain. So, if upright rows bother your shoulders, feel free to skip this exercise. But, if you can do them without pain, upright rows are a great way to build your shoulders and upper traps.
Target muscles: Biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis.
Most kettlebell exercises are compound in nature, meaning they involve multiple muscles and joints working together. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule, and you can train your arms with kettlebells, too. Kettlebell two-handed hammer curls are an excellent biceps and forearm exercise.
Target muscles: Biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis.
This unusual exercise changes the lever length as you raise the weights to give your biceps and forearms a unique workout. You’ll only need light kettlebells for this exercise, as it’s much more challenging than it looks!
Skull crushers are so-called because they involve lowering a weight very close to your head. Needless to say, this exercise has this name for a reason, so you should take extra care when performing it. That said, the aptly-named skull crusher is a very effective triceps exercise, even if it has the potential to maim you!
Triceps kickbacks are one of those exercises that people love to hate. They hate how hard it is, even when using light weights, but love how intensely their triceps contract. This variation changes the length of the lever to hit your triceps even harder as you extend your arms. You’re REALLY going to love/hate this one!
Here are THREE kettlebell-only upper body workouts to try!
AMRAP = As Many Reps as Possible
Do you have a question about these kettlebell upper body exercises? That’s okay because we’ve got the answers!
Kettlebells tend to come in fixed weights, e.g., 25 pounds, 40 pounds, etc. As such, your rep range will depend on the kettlebells to which you have access. Home exercisers tend to have one medium and one heavy weight kettlebell. In contrast, some gyms have a much wider range of weights available.
So, do as many reps as possible in good form and within 2-3 reps of failure. This might be six or sixteen reps depending on the exercise, strength, and weights available. Strive to do more reps per set as you get stronger.
Kettlebells are excellent for building muscle, but then so too are barbells and dumbbells. Contrary to what you may have heard, kettlebells are no better (or worse) than other types of weight and are just another tool we have for strength training.
In some cases, barbells are better, e.g., for deadlifts and squats. In others, dumbbells work best, e.g., for flies and presses. Ultimately, your body has a hard time differentiating between types of training equipment. So long as you work hard and consistently, you should achieve the desired results.
So, yes, kettlebells are good for building muscle, but they’re only one of the many things we can use to get bigger and stronger.
A pood is a Russian unit of measure often used with kettlebells. That’s because kettlebell lifting is an official sport in Russia, and, as such, the weight of some kettlebells is expressed in poods and fractions of poods.
One pood is equal to 16.38 kilograms or 36.11 pounds. However, most kettlebell manufacturers round this down to 35 pounds per pood. This makes calculating the weight of a kettlebell more straightforward.
Kettlebells are available in the range of fixed weights, from around 6kg (12 pounds) to 35 kg (75 pounds). There are also super heavyweight kettlebells available that weigh close to 100 pounds.
Most male beginners will be happy with a kettlebell weighing 12-24kg, while the ideal weight for women is 8-16kg.
That said, it’s worth buying two kettlebells (a medium and a heavy one), so you can do upper and lower body exercises. For example, men might benefit from having a 16kg and a 24kg kettlebell. The 16 is excellent for presses and rows, while the 24 is perfect for swings and squats.
Alternatively, you can buy an adjustable kettlebell, but these tend to be expensive and not as hardwearing as a fixed-weight kettlebell.
Sure can! Grab one heavy kettlebell and do this superset:
This superset will smoke your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes in 15 minutes or less. Plus, you’ll get a tremendous fat-burning cardio workout, too.
Kettlebells are versatile training tools that can be used singularly or in pairs. They’ve ideal for home gyms because you can use them for various exercises and train your entire body with just 1-2 weights.
Are kettlebells better than dumbbells or barbells? Probably not.
After all, your body cannot differentiate between presses with kettlebells or presses with a barbell or dumbbells. But, if you enjoy using kettlebells and train with them regularly, you can use them to build muscle, get stronger, and burn fat in the comfort of your own home.
Patrick Dale is an ex-British Royal Marine, gym owner, and fitness qualifications tutor and assessor. In addition, Patrick is a freelance writer who has authored three fitness and exercise books, dozens of e-books, thousands of articles, and several fitness videos. He’s not just an armchair fitness expert; Patrick practices what he preaches! He has competed at a high level in numerous sports, including rugby, triathlon, rock climbing, trampolining, powerlifting, and, most recently, stand up paddleboarding. When not lecturing, training, researching, or writing, Patrick is busy enjoying the sunny climate of Cyprus, where he has lived for the last 20-years.
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