Squeezing Every Drop Of Success Out Of Your Only Kettlebell

I’ve mentioned in the past how incredibly effective 2 kettlebells are. But do you really need 2 or is one kettlebell enough?

I have an article here from Geoff Neupert that will teach you how to get the most out of your kettlebell workouts with just one kettlebell.

So, you’ve only got one kettlebell and you’re worried that it might not be enough to help you achieve your fat loss or lean muscle building goals?

Don’t worry about it – there’s a ton you can do to get yourself in phenomenal shape.

Just the other day I was working with my friend Chad, who only had one kettlebell. He had been doing the following exercises on his own – 2 Hand Swings, Clean and Press, and Get Ups.

He was really enjoying his results and told me how different he felt from doing his kettlebell workouts compared to traditional gym workouts. He said his body felt more “put together” and that it felt more like one piece, as opposed to pieces, like when he used to go to the gym.

I had also mentioned to him that his wife looked great and asked if she had been doing just yoga or if she was still doing the kettlebell workouts I had set up for her.

He said that she was doing the kettlebell workouts and not only did she look great, but she was seeing muscle tone in her arms and stomach that she hadn’t seen before. But even more importantly to her, after having “thick” legs all her life, she was now watching her legs trim up!

What kind of kettlebell workouts had she been doing to get these type of life-changing results?

Very simple ones with just one kettlebell. Swings, Get Ups, Cleans, and Presses.

Results On The Cheap…

So if you’re in a position right now where one kettlebell is all you have, here are some ideas to help you get the most out of your kettlebell workouts.

Here’s what I did with Chad that you can do too that will really help you out if you only have one kettlebell -

Increase the number of reps per set. For example, instead of doing 10 reps, do 15.

Decrease the rest between sets. Instead of resting 60 seconds, rest 45 seconds. Or even 30.

Add a new exercise. For Chad, we added the Front Squat.

Combine different exercises in your kettlebell workouts to form new combinations. Instead of just doing the Clean and Press, add a Squat into the combination.

Change the sequencing of current exercise combinations. And instead of doing your Clean and Press, do all your Cleans first followed by your Presses.

As you can see, there are lots of ways to get more out of your kettlebell workouts if you have just one kettlebell.

The “secret” really is to make your current kettlebell feel so light, that deep inside you know there isn’t anything you can’t do with it. At that point you are definitely ready for the next sized kettlebell.

But Is It Enough For Fat Loss?

It can be if you just take the time to set up your program.

Here’s what I suggest you do -

Increase your reps on ballistic exercises like Swings

Learn more advanced exercises like the Snatch, Push Press, and Jerk

Flip your work:rest ratios upside down – work more, way more – rest less, way less

Use complexes and chains and put sequences together that make your heart feel like it’s going jump out of your chest

(If you don’t have or don’t want to take the time to put one together, that’s ok – fortunately, I put one together for you. I designed it so you could take your only kettlebell and make the exercises more challenging, more demanding, and therefore stimulating more fat loss over the course of time.

It only takes 45 minutes 3 days a week and some people have lost over 25lbs using it.

But What About Lean Muscle Building?

Sure, one kettlebell can get it done no matter what your goal, assuming it’s heavy enough to start with. For example, someone like myself would struggle with lean muscle building, let alone strength with the wrong sized kettlebell – like a 25lbs-er. For my wife on the other hand, it would probably be the appropriate size.

But let’s say you had a 35lbs-er and it was just getting too darn light for you.

What do you do?

Well, you could do what I showed Chad how to do.

You could also do the following -

Decrease your leverage or base of support – press from half kneeling or tall kneeling

Bottom’s Up work – Presses, Cleans, etc.

Complexes, chains, and other combination work.

Ultimately, whether you train for fat loss, get stronger, get leaner, or lean muscle building, you can make the most out of your “only” kettlebell. Use the contents of this post as ideas for your program design.

Your kettlebell workouts are really only limited by your creativity.

Just make sure you have a method for tracking your progress so you can measure your results.