David Whitley - 102 Kettlebell Workouts

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102 Kettlebell

Workouts

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I must express huge amounts of gratitude to Pavel, John DuCane and all my colleagues, teachers and students. Thanks to my wife Mandy for her support and to my parents for everything they have done for me.

Thanks also to God for all He has done for me.

Proverbs 24:5 A wise man is strong, Yes a man of knowledge increases

strength;

Dave

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102 Kettlebell Workouts

By David Whitley, Sr. RKC

“Hey Dave, what’s the best kettlebell workout for (fill in the blank)??”

A while back I had an idea. Write a short book of kettlebell workouts with no fluff, no filler and no BS. I wanted the reader to be able to flip open a book, close their eyes and put their finger on a page and find a workout. My first book, 101

Kettlebell Workouts was that book

I compiled workouts from my clients, my classes and myself and also included workouts inspired by (a polite way to say stolen from) my colleagues. Getting to 101 was the easy part. I was amazed by the stuff I had to leave out.

When I put together the first 101 Kettlebell Workouts book, I had no idea that the response would be so phenomenal. 2 years and thousands of copies of later I still receive emails about it, almost daily, most of them ending with “MORE

PLEASE!”

OK then, here it is. 102 Kettlebell Workouts.

This time around, I also give a few responses to some of the questions that keep coming up. If you can’t find the answer in here, you can email me at

[email protected]

Like the last time, I will assume you already know the names of the most common kettlebell drills and that your technique is up to par. If not, seek help from an RKC.

Like any form of physical training, there is potential for injury and some of these workouts may be too tough for some people. Use your common sense and get your doctor’s clearance. Like I tell the members of my Nashville Kettlebell Bootcamp “Push yourself, but don’t be stupid.”

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A few commonly asked questions

Q: Where Should I buy my kettlebell?

A: Dragon Door has the highest quality kettlebells on the market. They are the American original and the only ones I use. You may find cheaper kettlebells, but you will not find a better value. You get what you pay for.

Q: How many kettlebells do I need?

A: You can get a lot of mileage out of one kettlebell. More than one will obviously give you more options. Some of the workouts listed used double kettlebells, others are single. It is up to you to decide how many to get. A complete set is pairs of three sizes, light medium and heavy, but you can really get a lot out of just one.

Q: Where should I practice with my kettlebell?

A: I usually recommend that kettlebell workouts be done outdoors, in and area where the kettlebell can be dropped without causing any damage.

Q: I am already doing (fill in the blank). Can I combine kettlebells with it?

A: Maybe. This book is designed to give you a lot of useful workouts. Program design is too big a subject to cover here.

Q: I am not sure about my technique. Where can I find an instructor near me?

A: Dragon Door has a complete listing of RKC instructors on their website. The RKC is the gold standard in kettlebell instruction.

Q: What is a good source for nutritional information?

A: Nutrition is too broad a subject to cover in this book, and I am not an expert in it, although I do have a lot of hands-on experience.

I recommend two distinctly different resources for different reasons. Dr. John Berardi’s Precision Nutrition and Ori Hofmekler’s Warrior Diet. A lot of people are successful at cycling between the two.

Q: Do you recommend any nutritional supplements?

A: I recommend Prograde Nutrition. They have a great line of all-natural supplements ranging from post-workout recovery to meal replacement to

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Another 30 Under 30

Using kettlebells lets you get a LOT of work done in a short period of time. In the first 101 workouts book the “30 under 30” section got the best feedback from readers by far. Many people said that it was their favorite part of the book and that I should publish more.

I hear, and I respond.

I’d like to tell you that this section contains 30 MORE workouts that can be completed in less than half an hour, but it doesn’t. There are 31.

1. Get-up 10 single reps, alternating arms each rep. One arm swing 5x10/10

2. 2 hand swings :30 work, :30 rest Repeat for 20-30 sets

3. 2 KB Clean and press (C&P) 3x5 Swings as many as possible in 15:00

4. Goblet Squat (holding one KB by the horns in the “steering wheel” position) 5x3 alternated with

Double C&P 5x5 Rest 2:00

Swing 5x20

5. Goblet Squat 5x5 alternated with Row 5x5

Rest 2:00 Snatch 5x10/10

6. 1 KB C&P 5x5/5 alternated with Goblet Squat 5x5

Swing- as many as possible in 10:00 7. Row 5x5/5 alternated with

C&P 5x5/5 Rest 2:00 Snatch 5x12/12

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9. Snatch 3x10/10 Goblet squat 3x5

10. Swing x25 reps alternated with Burpees (Squat thrust) x10 reps

Complete as many rounds as possible in 30:00 11. Pushup variation as many as possible in 5:00 Rest 1:00

Swing- as many as possible in 5:00 Rest 1:00

Goblet Squat

As many as possible in 5:00 Rest 1:00

Pullup- as many as possible in 5:00 Rest 1:00

12. Turkish Get-up- as many as possible in 10:00 Rest 1:00

Pullup- as many as possible in 8:00 Rest 1:00

Swing- as many as possible in 8:00 13. Double C&P 5x5 alternate with

Pullup 5x5 Swing 12x15

14. Pullup 5x5 alternate with Double C&P 5x5

Goblet Squat 5x5 alternate with Snatch 5x10/10 15. Get up 3x3/3 Pullup 3x5 Double Squat 3x5 Done as a circuit Rest 2:00 Swing 5x25 16. Double C&P 5x5 Double Squat 5x3 Double Row 5x5 Done as a circuit Snatch 5x10/10

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17. Get up 3x3/3 Rest

Alternating Row 3x5 alternated with Pushup variation 3x15 Rest Swing 5x20 18. Get up 5x3/3 Double Row 3x5 Goblet Squat 3x5 Snatch 5x10/10 19. Windmill 3x3/3 Pullup 3x5 Swing 5x25

20. Double C&P 5x5 alternated with Double Squat 3x5

Rest 2:00

Pullup 5x5 alternated with Double Swing 5x10

21. C&P 5x3/3 alternated with Pullup 5x3

Rest 2:00

Goblet Squat 3x5 alternated with Snatch 5x10/10

22. Double Snatch

23. 20x3 start at the top of each minute 24. Double squat and press 10x5

Rest 1:00 between sets 25. Burpee 5x10 alternated with

Snatch 5x10/10

26. Double snatch 5x10 alternated with Burpee 5x10 rest :30 between each set 27. Renegade Row 5x 5/5 alternated with

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28. Turkish Get-up 5x2/2 Swing 5x25

Renegade Row 3x 5/5

29. Snatch: 30 on/ :30 off for 20:00 Alternate arms each set

30. Snatch 1:00 right, 1:00 left rest:30

repeat a total of 10 times

31. Alternating press 5x5/5 alternated with Alternating Row 5x5/5

Rest 2:00 Snatch 5x15/15

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Underground Kettlebells

My friend Zach Even-Esh is a top-notch strength and conditioning coach in New Jersey. He is as big a fan of the Old-School strength methods as I am. His website Underground Strength Coach is an excellent resource for

out-of-the-box thinking and old-school methods for building real strength. Here are some workouts inspired by Zach’s training methods.

Workout 1:

1A) Double clean & press 3 x 6 1B) Double squat 3 x 6

1C) Renegade row 3 x 6 1D) Farmer walk 3 x 100'

Workout 2:

1A) 1 arm snatch 3 x 12/12 1B) Hand to hand swings 3 x 20

1C) 1 arm rack walk 3 x 100' each hand

Workout 3

Done as a complex, do not put the kettlebells down until you have completed one round of ALL the exercises

1A) Double high pulls 3 x 10 1B) Double cleans 3 x 10 1C) Double push press 3 x 10 1D) Double squat 3 x 6

Workout 4

1) Renegade row + push up 5 x 5 2) Double squat + press combo 5 x 5 3) Snatch x 50reps per arm total

Workout 5

1A) 1 arm clean & press 4 x 6 1B) 1 arm row 4 x 6

2) 2 hand high pull, catch & squat 3 x 10

Workout 6

1) Turkish get up 3 x 3/3 2) Snatch 3 x 10/10

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Workout 7

1A) Double farmer walk 2 x 100' 1B) Double overhead walk 2 x 100' 1C) Double rack walks 2 x 100'

Workout 8

1A) Double burpee + push up 5x5 1B) Heavy snatches 5 x 5/5 1C) Hand to hand swings 1 x 100

Workout 9 (field workout)

1) 2 hand high pull, catch and push throw x 5 minutes 2) 1 arm snatch x as many reps as possible in 5 minutes 3) Farmer walks 5 x 1 minute

Workout 10

1A) 1 arm snatch + windmill combo 3 x 3 1B) 1 arm push press + overhead squat 3 x 5 2A) Double clean + squat + press 3 x 8 2B) Renegade row + push up 3 x 5 3) Get up sit up 2 x 5

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Group Workouts

In my local Nashville Kettlebell Bootcamp classes I have a variety of people with a variety of fitness levels. The challenge has always been to create a workout for a group that allows everyone to push themselves within their own level of fitness. Here are some examples from our class. If you are a fitness professional doing group classes or bootcamps, you will get a LOT of mileage out of this section. If you aren’t in the fitness business, these workouts can easily be done by yourself. Workout 1: Circuit :30/:30 :30 rest Split Squat 1 arm row pushup/plank 3 rounds Intervals burpee 1:00 work, jog/walk 1:30 2rounds Swing 1:00 work, jog/walk 1:30 2rounds Workout 2:

C&P with partners 4 ladders of 1,2,3,4 reps snatches

alternating between a heavy and a medium weight H-3/3

M-10/10 H-4/4 M-12/12 H-5/5

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Workout 3:

Turkish Getup

Alternating with partner 1 rep per side 12:00 Rest 2:00 swing 1:00 run 1:30 x5 rounds Workout 4: Circuit- Pushup/Plank Hold Row Lunge :30 each side :30 rest 3 rounds rest 2:00

VO2 Max snatch protocol (as developed by Master RKC Kenneth Jay)

:15 snatching, :15 rest 34 sets 17:00 total Workout 5: Circuit: Row Lunge Military Press

:45 per side, :45 rest between exercises 4 rounds

Swing :30 on :30 off 10 rounds

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Workout 6:

Go heavier than normal, heavy enough that putting the weight down for a pause during the timed set is needed.

Supersets in a circuit, :45 interval:

Lunge + Pushup (:45 each leg, :45 for pushup, :45 rest for the rotation) 1 arm row +swing

1 arm military press +squat 3x through this sequence. rest 2:00

High pulls :45 work, :30 rest 6 rounds (3 per arm)

Workout 7:

Circuit :45 work, :30 rest See Saw press

Seated Hot potato Goblet Squat Rest 2:00 Swings :30 work :20 rest x5 rounds Workout 8: Circuit One: Squat Pushup V-up :30 work, :30 rest 4 rounds Circuit Two: Alternating Row Lunge Plank :30 work, 30 rest

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Workout 9:

Circuit:

6:00 work, :30 break to rotate Getup

Alternate with partner 1/1 Lunge

Alternate with partner 5/5 Pushup

Alternate with partner 10 Row

Alternate with partner 10/10 rest 2:00

Swings 1:00 work/:30 rest 4 rounds Workout 10: Supersets A1-Side plank A2-Lunge B1-Mil press B2-row :30 on :30 off 4 rounds of each

Swings :30 work, :45 rest 10 rounds Workout 11: Lunge Pushup Russian Twist 1 arm row

:30 on :30 off, 8 rounds of each

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Workout 12:

Supersets: Pushup Swing

1:00 each/:30 rest between 6 rounds

Hot potato/plank/V-up :30 each, no rest

:30 rest after completing the circuit 3 rounds Workout 13: Circuit: Pushup Jumping Lunge Row 1:00 work, :30 rest 4 rounds rest 2:00 swings :30 work :20 rest 10 rounds Workout 14: Supersets:

A. Lunge & row :30 per side B. Thruster & pushup 1:00 each :30 rest between, 3 rounds of each. Rest 2:00 Swings :30 work/:15 rest 7 rounds

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Workout 15:

Pushup

Double KB Deadlift Static lunge

One arm row

:30/:30 per side, :30 rest between exercises 4 rounds Swings :30 on,20 off 8 rounds Workout 16: Circuit: Alt Row

Alt reverse lunge V-up 1:00 work, :30 rest x4 rounds Swing 1:00 Run/Rest 1:30 x6 rounds Workout 17: Complex Hot Potato

squat and press (1 arm) squat only (1 arm) press only (1 arm) high pull (1 arm)

:30 per exercise, no putting the KB down :30 rest between arms

2 rounds per side

swings on Tabata time :20 work, :10 rest x4 minutes

Workout 18:

Fighter’s circuits: 1:00 each exercise x 2

1. Seated hot potato + Mountain climber 2. Slingshot + squat & press

3. Row & burpee 4. Swing & pushup 1:00 rest between

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Workout 19:

Complex: High pull Clean Swing

:30 each per arm :30 rest Circuit Pushup Jump Lunge Alt row 1:00/:30 x 4 rounds swings :20 work :30 rest 8 rounds Workout 20: Circuit: Row Press Lunge :30 per side 4 rounds

Swing ladders with partner 10,15,20 8:00 Workout 21: Snatch x5/5 v-up x5 Burpee x10

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Full Body Power

In June of 2008 I released a DVD entitled Full Body Power: Kettlebells Beyond the Basics.

It contains step-by-step instruction in several combination exercises and other advanced drills. This section puts together workouts using those some of those exercises.

Workout 1:

Kettlebell Burpee and Deadlift combo :30 work, :30 rest for 10 sets

Workout 2:

Kettlebell Burpee and Clean and press combo Ladders-

5 sets, increasing reps each set (1,2,3,4,5 reps) Repeat the ladder 3 times

Workout 3:

Kettlebell Burpee and Double snatch combo Ladders-

3 sets, increasing reps each set (1,2,3 reps) repeat the ladder 5 times

Workout 4:

Bent press singles, alternating sides each rep As many as possible in 15:00

Rest 5:00

Swings- As many as possible in 15:00

Workout 5:

Turkish Windmill 5 sets of 1per side Rest 3:00

Kettlebell Burpee and Deadlift combo :30 work, :30 rest for 5 sets

Workout 6:

Two hands anyhow- 10 reps per side rest 2:00

Clean, Squat and Press 5 sets of 5 reps per side

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Workout 6:

Follow the Leader Press-low position 3 sets of 3 per side

Swing 5 sets of 20

Workout 7:

Follow the Leader Press-Rack position 5 sets of 3 per side

Windmill

5 sets of 2 per side

Snatch 5:00, as many reps as possible

Workout 8:

Follow the Leader Press-Over head position 5 sets of 2 per side

Swing

5 sets of 10 per hand

Workout 9:

Follow the Leader Press-

2 sets of 2 per side in each of the 3 positions Kettlebell Burpee and Double Clean combo 5 sets of 5

Workout 10:

Follow the Leader Press-

3 sets of 2 per side in each of the 3 positions Kettlebell Burpee and Deadlift combo

3 sets of 10

Workout 11:

Double Clean, Squat and Press 10 sets of 5 reps

Workout 12:

Double Clean, Squat and Press 3 sets of 5 reps

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Workout 13:

Double Clean, Squat and Press

As many reps as possible in 30 minutes

Workout 14:

Kettlebell Burpee and Deadlift combo 2 sets of 10

Kettlebell Burpee and swing combo 2 sets of 10

Kettlebell Burpee and Clean combo 2 sets of 10

Kettlebell Burpee and High Pull combo 2 sets of 10

Kettlebell Burpee and Double snatch combo 2 sets of 10 Workout 15: Turkish Windmill 5 sets of 1/1 Double snatch 10 sets of 3 Workout 16: Turkish Windmill 4 sets of 2/2

Clean, press & overhead squat combo 6 sets of 3 per arm

Workout 17:

Double Windmill 3 sets of 3 per side

Squat and press 5 sets of 5 Swing

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Metabolic Acceleration

Metabolic Acceleration is a term I got from Alwyn Cosgrove. These workouts are similar to Charles Staley’s Escalated Density Training (which I talked about in 101 Workouts Part One). The primary difference is that the focus is on ramping up the metabolism rather than building mass.

Workout 1:

Deck squat x 5 reps

Clean and press x 5 reps per arm

Complete as many rounds as possible in 10:00 Rest 3:00

Snatch x5/5

Complete as many rounds as possible in 10:00

Workout 2:

Double Squat x5 Double Snatch x5

Renegade Row x5/5 Swing x 12

Workout 3:

Double clean and Press x5 Pullup x5

Rest 3:00

Complete as many rounds as possible in 12:00 Hanging Leg raise x5

Double Squat x5

Workout 4

Turkish Get up 2 reps per side

Swing x12 Pushup x5

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Workout 5

Renegade Row x5/5 Snatch x 6 reps per side

Pullup x5

Goblet squat x 5

Workout 6:

Deck squat x 5 reps Row x 5 reps per arm

Swing x25

Workout 7:

Double Squat x5 Pullup x5

Rest 3:00

Complete as many rounds as possible in 12:00 Hanging Leg raise x5

Double clean and Press x5

Workout 8:

See Saw Press x5 per side Pullup x5

Rest 3:00

Complete as many rounds as possible in 12:00 Double Squat x5

Swing x10

Workout 9:

Turkish Get up 1 rep per side

Swing x20

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Workout 10

Snatch 12 reps per side

Pushup x12 Pullup x5

Workout 11

Pushup x12 Swing x12 Pullup x5

Alternating Lunge x 10 per leg Clean and press x 5

Workout 12

Pushup x12

Alternating Lunge x 10 per leg

Pullup x5

Clean and press x 5 Swing x12

Workout 13:

Double Squat x5

Double Clean and Press x5 Pullup x5

Double High Pull x5 Hanging Leg raise x5

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Workout 14:

Clean, Squat and Press x5 per arm Pullup x5

Double High Pull x5 V-up x5

Workout 15:

Swing, Flip and Squat x5 per arm Row x5 per arm

Burpee & Deadlift combo x5 V-up x5

Workout 16:

Deck squat x 5 reps Pullup x 5 reps

Lunge x10 reps per leg Snatch x 10 reps per arm

Workout 17:

Goblet Squat x5

Double clean and press x5

Renegade Row x5/5 Swing x 20

Workout 18:

Double Squat x5 Double Snatch x5 Renegade Row x5/5

Pushup x12 Swing x 12

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Challenge Workouts

The following workouts are designed to be done occasionally to test yourself. Pick one and see how well you do based on the criteria listed. In 4-12 weeks try it again and see how much you have improved.

Attack of the Spider Monkey

This is one that my class does about every eight weeks.

It consists of three exercises, the Snatch, the Burpee, and the V-up, done in a descending ladder for time. The rep scheme is: 25,20,15,10,5 reps of each exercise, per arm with the snatch. Anything below 15:00 is pretty good, break 12:00 and you are doing exceptionally well.

Meltdown 300 rep challenge

In early 2008 a few other kettlebell instructors and myself had a national

competition between our respective classes. We called it the Kettlebell Meltdown. The following 300-rep workout was one of the measuring sticks and I am proud to say the one of my clients one the overall performance category. If you can finish in less than 11:00, you’re doing all right.

25 - V-ups

50 - Snatches (25 per arm)

25 - Push-ups (women can opt for doing them on knees) 50 - Swings (2 hand)

50 – Burpees (No jump / No push up) 50 - Clean & Press (25 each side) 50 - Mountain Climbers (25 each side)

300 reps in as little time as possible. You must finish the rep count on each exercise before moving onto the next one.

**Women will use 8kg or 12kg / Men will use 16kg or 24kg

Brutal Minimalist Fitness (BMF)

Turkish Get-Up- 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps Swing x 50 Hindu squat x 10 Swing x 40 Hindu squat x 20 Swing x 30 Hindu squat x 30 Swing x 20

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Brutal Minimalist Fitness version 2.0

Turkish Get-Up- 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps Swing x 50 Burpee x 10 Swing x 40 Burpee x 20 Swing x 30 Burpee x 30 Swing x 20 Burpee x 40 Swing x 10 Burpee x 50 Riffer Madness

Designed by Master RKC instructor Mark Reifkind, this is an ascending High

Pull ladder done with a partner in a “you go, I go” format.

The ladder is 10,12,14,16,18,20, and 10 reps per side. So, you do 10/10, your partner does 10/10, you do 12/12, your partner does 12/12, all the way up to 20, then a final set of 10. Try to get it in less than 10 minutes.

1000 reps

Choose an exercise such as swings or snatches. Complete 1000 reps in as little time as possible. Tracy Reifkind, RKC, has done 1000 swings with a 24kg kettlebell in 50 minutes, earning her the nickname “Queen of the Swing”.

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So, we come to the end. 102 kettlebell workouts with no fluff, no filler and no BS.

I hope you have enjoyed this book and get a lot of painful and productive use from it. Let me remind you again---none of these workouts will work if you don’t do them.

If you enjoyed this book, have questions about it or about any of my other products, please drop me an email and let me know.

[email protected]

Also, visit my website www.irontamer.com to sign up for my newsletter and find out more about me and my products.

Train hard and stay safe! David Whitley, Senior RKC