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This Lockdown-Proof Kettlebell Challenge Packs a Serious Calorie-Burning Punch

Photo credit: Pekic - Getty Images
Photo credit: Pekic - Getty Images

From Men's Health

You could be forgiven for using the latest lockdown as an excuse to skip legs day. But working the biggest muscles in your body won’t just build a solid set of quads, but burns through energy like nothing else, stoking your metabolic flames and leaving them burning for hours after.

With just one kettlebell and your bodyweight, you’re going to be working through four movements in a ladder format, your rep count ascending in multiples of three each round, until you hit the lung-searing crescendo that is a round of 21 reps apiece.

"If you must, break up the reps of any given set to ensure you’re moving with decent form," says Men's Health Fitness Editor Andrew Tracey. "But keep that rest to an absolute minimum and always finish each set of an exercise before moving onto the next. Your aiming to push yourself to the limit, after all."

1) Goblet Squat x 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 21

Hold your dumbbell or kettlebell close to your chest (A). Sink your hips back and descend into a squat (B). Your elbows should come in between your knees at the bottom. Drive back up, tensing your glutes at the top. Repeat.

2) Kettlebell swing x 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 21

Holding the kettlebell between your legs, initiate the movement by hinging your hips back like you’re trying to push a door open with your glutes. swinging the weight back (A), before driving your hips forward explosively to lift the kettlebell to shoulder height, bracing your core ( B). Let the momentum bring you straight back down into the next rep.

3) Split Squat Jump x 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 21

Step one foot backward and sink into a deep lunge, with your rear knee lightly touching the floor (A). Explode upward, switching legs mid-air (B) to land in a lunge position with the opposite leg forward. Repeat the movement, alternating legs each rep.

4) Prisoner squat x 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 21

Stand with your torso upright and your hands on your head (A), drop your hips back to sink into a deep squat (B). Hold for a second, before pressing through your heels to stand up, repeat.


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