40 Minute Kettlebell Workout // Full Body Strength & Cardio

I am always excited when Heather Robertson posts a new workout, but especially a kettlebell workout. I love her kettlebell workouts. It did take me a while to finally get to it but I did it this morning and, as usual, it was excellent. Heather creates some of the best kettlebell workouts out there. She does an excellent job working your entire body in this workout. The first two circuits in this workout are very metabolic. Since I work out for an hour every morning I did another one of Heather’s kettlebell workouts to equal my hour (it was technically 71 minutes) but during the 2nd circuit of this workout I started wondering if I would have the energy. Maybe this workout was all I could get through without exhausting myself? Luckily the last circuit is less metabolic than the first two, so even though it was still working my muscles nicely it gave my heart rate some recovery, and I was ready for more when I finished this workout. I did her Total Body Kettlebell Workout and it is also metabolic but not crazy intense. They were both excellent total body metabolic strength workouts. So I was well worked this morning! I burned a total of 512 calories between the two workouts.

This workout is made up of 3 circuits consisting of 6 exercises and each circuit is repeated once. Each exercise is done for 40 seconds followed by a 20 second recovery. During the recovery, Heather previews the next exercise. There is a timer in the lower right hand corner of the screen, counting down your intervals and recoveries.

40 Minute Kettlebell Workout // Full Body Strength & Cardio is 45:15 minutes; 3 minute warm up and 5 minute stretch. Equipment: at least one kettlebell. Heather is using a 15 pound kettlebell. I used multiple kettlebells. The weights listed below are what I used.

Circuit 1:

1. Squat, curl & press (hold KB in both hands by the handle, lower into a deep squat and while in squat curl KB to chest, stand and do an overhead press) (20# KB)
2. Overhead lunge (while keeping arm holding KB extended overhead isometrically the entire interval, do reverse lunges) (12# KB)
3. Repeat # 2 on other side of body
4. Deadlift & row (holding KB handle in both hands, do a stiff leg deadlift into an upright row when you stand) (20# KB)
5. Single arm KB swing (alternate arms, passing KB to other hand at top of swing) (15# KB)
6. Ninja hop & press (holding KB handles in both hands, do a squat thrust and when you jump feet back to hands/KB, remain in squat isometrically while bringing KB to chest and pressing it straight out in front of you) (12# KB)
7. Repeat #1-6

30 second recovery

Circuit 2:

1. Single arm row (start standing, hinge forward, do one single arm row then stand–a single arm deadrow) (25# KB)
2. Repeat #1 on other arm
3. Sumo & front raise (holding KB in both hands by handle, do a wide sumo squat and when you stand, raise KB overhead with straight arms) (15# KB)
4. Plank reach (forearm plank hold with KB on floor in front of you, alternate reaching and tapping hand to top of KB)
5. High knee twister (hold KB in both hands by handles, do alternating knee raises bringing KB to hip each time knee raises) (10# KB)
6. Toe taps (place KB on floor on its side, with hands behind head, alternate hop-tapping toes to base of KB)
7. Repeat #1-6

30 second recovery

Circuit 3:

1. Clean & press (squat, bringing KB down to floor between legs, stand and rack KB at shoulder then do a single arm overhead press) (15# KB)
2. Repeat #1 on other arm
3. Overhead tricep extension (French press) (20# KB)
4. Single leg deadlift into an upright row (when doing an upright row, also do a knee raise, when doing single leg deadlift, raise other leg straight behind you) (20# KB)
5. Repeat #4 on other side of body
6. Side leaps (set KB on ground and side leap over it)
7. Repeat #1-6

For more info on Heather Robertson’s workouts and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.