If you want to build stronger abs and target core muscles all over the place, add these seven kettlebell abs exercises into your workout regimen. Kettlebells are a fantastic strength and conditioning tool for targeting major muscle groups, but are also suitable for core workouts.
I encourage clients to train with kettlebells wherever they can. While you can load most of your weight using barbells, these free weights have many benefits and allow you to isolate muscle groups. It takes some getting used to, as they are more difficult to control and grip than dumbbells, but well worth it.
These are seven of the best kettlebell exercises for abs and building a stronger core. Practicing with them will help you hit more core muscles, improve muscle mass, and develop power. If you are a beginner, also check out the top 5 kettlebell exercises for beginners and read on to find out more.
Benefits of kettlebells for abs
Your core muscles are different, running along the front and back of your body, wrapping around your torso and extending from your ribs to your pelvis. The network also includes the glutes, diaphragm and hip flexor muscles. Together, your core muscles work hard to keep your torso stable, support various movements like flexion, extension, and rotation, and protect your lower back from injury.
With kettlebells, you can perform a single or double load, challenging balance and stability and helping isolate one side of the body. You will strengthen even the weakest muscles and improve core activation, coordination and power.
Numerous studies support the perceived benefits of kettlebells. Research in the Journal of Human Kinetics has found that kettlebells are great additions to functional strength programs for building neuromuscular power and recruiting various muscles.
Time and time again, I see people losing efficiency on the doorbell by adopting awkward and unsafe grips. So before we jump into the kettlebell exercises below, I recommend learning how to hold a kettlebell correctly here.
7 best kettlebell ab exercises to strengthen your core muscles
Here they are.
1. Turkish get-ups with kettlebells
The movement requires muscle stability, control, and full-body engagement, recruiting muscles such as the shoulders, triceps, back, hip flexors, obliques, abs, quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Here’s how to do Turkish get-ups.
- Start on your back, gripping your weight with your right hand in an underhand grip
- Engage your core and extend your right arm overhead in line with your shoulder
- Bend your right knee and plant your right foot on the ground. Extend your left leg away from you and keep your left arm beside your body
- Tighten your upper body muscles and tuck your chin
- Sit up and rest your left elbow on the floor next to your body
- Keep the weight above your head and arm locked. Watch your weight at all times
- Push up again and switch from left elbow to left hand on the ground, arm now extended
- Push through your right heel and lift your hips straight up
- Bring your left leg out behind you and place your left knee under your hip in a semi-kneeling position
- Lift your left arm and straighten your torso
- Keep right arm locked overhead as you push off front foot to stand, left leg meets right hip width apart
- Pause, then step your left leg back into a reverse lunge, knee flat on the ground
- Reverse each step back. Switch sides.
2. Kettlebells around the world
ATW tests core control, strengthens the muscles responsible for posture, and engages the upper body, including the shoulders, forearms, and wrists. It also improves coordination, balance, and stability, which could help you transfer skill into more technical lifts and complexes that require flow.
- Stand holding a kettlebell in one hand on one side of the handle
- Engage your core, pull your shoulders back and lengthen your spine
- Bend your pelvis slightly, maintain a slight bend in the knees, then send the kettlebell around your body using a circular motion with straight arms
- As the kettlebell passes in front of you, grab it with your other hand and pass it back behind your body
- Try to move at a controlled, fluid pace without leaning too far or touching your body. Change direction all the time.
3. Kettlebell Farmer’s Walk
The move makes it in every best exercise roundup we have. That’s because it’s a superb full-body exercise that trains and targets a lot of muscles, including the legs, glutes, lower back, shoulders, and forearms. Here’s how to do the farmer’s walk.
Avoid leaning back or favoring one side. You could use one or two weights depending on your ability.
- Place your feet hip-width apart with two kettlebells placed on either side of your feet
- Bend your knees and squat down with your chest proud and your weight distributed evenly across your feet
- Grab both kettlebells, strengthen your core and put your shoulders back and down
- Look forward and push the ground off to stand up, then start walking.
4. Overhead sit-ups with kettlebells
As you activate your lower back, abs, and hip flexor muscles, your arms and shoulders also work hard to keep the weight stable above your head. You could hold one or two kettlebells, depending on your ability.
- Start on your back with your legs extended in front of you
- Hold a kettlebell in your left hand using an underhand grip
- Extend your left arm behind your head
- Engage your core, then perform a sit-up, keeping your arm extended overhead in line with your shoulder
- Slowly lower your back to the floor with control. Switch sides.
- You could also practice holding a heavy kettlebell with both hands (see above).
5. Alternate swings with kettlebells
The swings strengthen the muscles along the posterior chain, including the back, glutes and hamstrings, and the overhead weight swing — American kettlebell swings — increases shoulder activation and core control. The alternation also tests your balance and stability, working your core muscles harder. Avoid squatting or bending your arms.
Learn more about how to do kettlebell swings.
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart (or slightly wider), toes pointing out at a 45-degree angle, and grip the kettlebell with one hand
- Maintain a slight flexion in the knee and put your shoulders back and down
- Prepare your core. Lean forward at the hips and push your butt back while keeping your back flat
- Swing the kettlebell between your legs, then explosively push it up to shoulder height, pushing through your hips and squeezing your glutes
- Switch the kettlebell with the other hand at the top, then control the downward descent.
6. Kettlebell Renegade Row
You hit most of your upper body muscles, including your back, biceps and stabilizing muscles deep in your core, as you try to hold your body in a plank position using the unstable base of the kettlebells. One Fitness Writer Did 40 Renegade Lines A Day For A Week—Here’s What Happened.
Squeeze your abs and glutes to keep your hips from sagging. The hard work comes from anti-rotation as your body attempts to turn outward as you lift your arm.
- Start in a plank position gripping a kettlebell in each hand
- Engage your core, then row one arm back until your elbow is slightly higher than your torso, then slowly lower it to the floor and switch sides
- Keep your hips straight without twisting them and in line with your shoulders
- Lower your knees if you prefer.
7. Kettlebell plank pull-through
The plank pull-through targets the major core muscles, arms and shoulders, back, biceps and glutes. The stabilizer muscles work to prevent rotation as you perform the lateral drag. In short, it’s a certified core-torcher.
Avoid swinging or dropping your hips and use your knees if necessary. Try dragging the weight from side to side if you prefer.
- Start in a high plank position with a kettlebell on your left side behind your hand
- Grab the kettlebell with your right hand, then lift the kettlebell up and across your body
- Place your right hand back on the floor, then repeat with your left hand, lifting and returning the weight to the starting position.
If these don’t hit the spot, check out more TG-approved ideas below.
More from Tom’s Guide
Here are more ways to burn up your core muscles and test your kettlebell skills.
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