How to Use a Kettlebell to Get Abs
By: Ben Walker
Tags: Health, Abs, Fitness, Kettlebells, Weight Loss

How to Use a Kettlebell to Get Abs

Hint: ain’t no crunch in sight

Image via Pickpik.com

Kettlebells are possibly the most versatile tool out there. But while they can help us with pretty much any fitness desire, we have to apply them in the appropriate way for specific goals.

The pursuit of a lean, chiseled torso is far from the intended purpose of a kettlebell. Russian special forces Gireviks are a far cry from Instagram models. But we’re not scared of those guys, right? Give your inner rebel a call— we’re going for those abs anyway.

Accidental abs

Many of the most ardent kettlebell champions just so happen to have amazing midsections. It’s a wonderful bonus of standard kettlebell training. In fact, there are two main reasons that swinging a KB around can collaterally pump out a six pack;

#1. Kettlebells can burn a shed load of calories in not a lot of time. Continuously keeping that thing moving, maintaining the momentum and reacting to it’s weight requires a lot of energy. High calorie burn contributes to a leaner physique, revealing our abs from under that lovely layer of fat we’ve protected them with for years.

#2. Kettlebell movements develop a strong, stable core. Every swing, press, clean or deadlift demands we engage our core to brace against the dynamic load. We use all the muscles on both the front and back of the torso to connect the weight in our hands to our stable lower body. That means that we’re never not doing core training with a kettlebell.

Imagine what we can do when we also specifically target the core.

Get chiseling

The basic framework of our kettlebell core sessions will be simply split into two sections;

Calorie burn

Further core development

Calorie burn

We’re going to start with getting that hard work done. The objective of this first section is to burn a lot of calories and start getting leaner. And how do we do that? We move the kettlebell around. A lot.

The basic idea is to jack up our heart rate and breathing, and keep them high for a sustained period. There’s a lot of different ways to do that, but here’s a couple suggestions.

N.B. If you’re a beginner, I highly recommend seeking coaching for your form, or at least spending a decent amount of time researching it (and filming yourself).

A. Moderate weight KB (8kg–16kg, depending on your experience and strength).

25 two-handed swings

10 (per side) one-handed push presses (an overhead press with a ‘bump’ from the legs)

25 goblet squats

5 burpees

10 (per side) one-handed swings

Rest 90 seconds and repeat for 6 rounds total

B. Light weight KB (4kg-12kg depending on experience and strength). Be cautious with how heavy you pick — we’re not going to put the kettlebell down for this whole flow.

20 two-handed swings

10 (per side) flow: One-handed swing into clean, into front rack squat, into push press (This is an unbroken chain of movements — one cycle of the flow equals one rep)

Repeat for as many rounds as possible in 25 minutes, taking small rests as needed between rounds.

Further core development

Okay — we’ve hit it hard and burned some fat. You’re probably experiencing fatigue in a number of muscles. But due to the nature of the core, it’s almost always the last area to fail. Now it’s time to zoom in and up the ante.

The idea is to select exercises that require a high amount of core stabilisation, and relatively less strength in other areas. Our greatest friends here are carries.

We perform each carry unilaterally, meaning a kettlebell in just one hand at a time. This forces the torso to work hard to stabilise the offset load. We’ll then swap hands to get the opposite muscles working. We want to be using pretty heavy weight for the first two carries, but a moderate, manageable bell for the overhead.

Suitcase carry: Simply hold the kettlebell by your side in one hand. Now stand tall, strong and straight. Lock the working shoulder back, and resist the pull of the KB trying to make you wonky. Once you’re stable (this should be an active position), start to walk around your space, slowly. We’re not trying to cover much distance, but rather make each step controlled.

Front rack carry: Again, single-handed, the front rack is the position the kettlebell ends in as a result of a clean. Make sure your shoulder is active and secure, and think about pulling your elbow into your torso. Again this is an active, yet static, position. That’s what makes it great for core development. Similiar to the suitcase, once you’re set, start to move around the space a little.

Overhead carry: This is the most challenging carry, and gets the shoulders involved too. It both requires and develops good shoulder and trunk stabilisation. Clean the kettlebell to your front rack position, then push press it overhead. You’re going to hold it high, with the shoulder blade sunk down and secure. Once stable, this is your position to remain in as we begin to move around the space, step by step, staying in control.

Each of these carries becomes challenging quickly, but it’s important that we demand good form from ourselves. Solid form means we’re really using the core and other trunk musculature to stabilise, and helps us to not get injured. When your technique and control starts to break down, this is the moment to put the kettlebell down.

We want to alternate hands with these carries, aiming to do 3 or 4 sets total. The amount of time you’ll be able to spend in an unbroken carry per set may be humbling at first. I’m happy with myself if I can even manage 30 seconds. Just get to near form-failure, do it on the other side, then rest.

There’s no need to do all three styles of carry in each session. Pick one and stick with it for a few weeks so that you can see your stability and endurance development. But feel free to mix it up every once in a while and give the other two a go.

Customise

This here is a framework for your kettlebell core sessions. The beauty of it is that there’s plenty of space to play around with your workout and make sure you enjoy it. Just follow the two rules; one section must elevate heart rate and keep it there, while the second section must require massive core stabilisation.

There are bonuses with these workouts — with all the stabilisation work, you’re going to be the person to go to when heavy shit needs moving. Persevering through those carries will forge real inner grit. You’re going to bulletproof your entire trunk, and be way less prone to injury in all your physical pursuits.

And you’re going to have banging abs.