Kettlebell exercises

The kettlebell’s handle sits above the weight rather than through the middle of it. That is the whole design. The bell hangs below your grip, so it swings naturally, and it rests against your forearm when you hold it at your shoulder. Those two things make fast, swinging movements possible that a dumbbell handles awkwardly at best.

One moderate kettlebell covers a lot of training. Swings build explosive hip power and conditioning, goblet squats build the legs, and carries build grip and a solid trunk. For the money and the floor space, very little else comes close.

The fast lifts are technical. The swing rewards patient practice of the hip hinge before you add any speed to it, so learn the deadlift and the hinge first. Once the hinge is solid, the swing is mostly a matter of letting the bell travel.