Kettlebell Drills

Kettlebell Drills

By: Bill Welker

Originally Published in: The Wrestling Drill Book - Human Kinetics

Kettlebells offer another form of lifting that has received a lot of attention recently. You can acquire kettlebells in various weights ranging from 5 pounds to 100 pounds. (Some brands of kettlebells are also available in metric units.) Many wrestling coaches perceive kettlebells as being more versatile in some respects than traditional dumbbells. You can grab them with either one hand or two, depending on the exercise. Following are six of the most popular lifts. They can be done in sets of the same exercise or as a circuit, going from one exercise to the next.

Warm-up: Hang a light kettlebell from each arm at your side. Twist your hands in a clockwise direction and then reverse directions. You can also take a light kettlebell and rotate it around your body, changing hands as you swing the kettlebell around your back. Rotate in each direction.

Double-Arm Swing

Stand with legs wider than shoulder-width apart with the kettlebell between the legs. With both hands, grab the kettlebell in a squat position (a). Then swing the kettlebell forward to the height of the shoulders (b). Keep the arms extended and use the power of your legs, hips, and lower back to propel the kettlebell. Once it is at shoulder height, allow the weight to descend downward between the legs; then repeat the exercise. Do 8 to 15 repetitions.

Single-Arm Swing

The swing is similar to the double-arm swing, except that the wrestler is using one arm at a time. This will force the body to use more rotation of the torso. Starting with the right arm, place the kettlebell between the legs but closer to the right leg (a) . Then swing the kettlebell upward above the head (b). Finally, drop the weight back to the starting position. Do 8 to 15 repetitions with the right arm. Then repeat the procedure with the left arm.

Military Press

To do military presses with the kettlebells, wrestlers need to learn how to cradle the kettlebell in each hand without smashing or bruising the forearms. You start the exercise in the squat position, holding a kettlebell in each hand (a) . Using a curling and cleaning motion, lift the kettlebells to shoulder height (b). This will involve some practice. Finally, press the kettlebells overhead (c). Wrestlers can either press both kettlebells at the same time or alternate arms.

Squat

Cradle the kettlebells in each hand at shoulder height. Then do conventional parallel squats. Do 15 to 20 squats using lighter-weight kettlebells.

Forward Lunge

The kettlebells are held at shoulder height. When performing the forward lunge, make sure to take a long step. The lead leg should form a 90-degree angle at the knee. Furthermore, the trailing leg should almost touch the mat. Wrestlers can lunge in place or alternate legs for 8 to 15 repetitions. Another variation would be to forward lunge 20 to 50 feet across the mat, alternating legs.

Lawn Mower

The lawn mower drill can be done bending at the waist (a), or by placing one hand and knee on a bench or box (b) , lifting the kettlebell with one arm as though starting a lawn mower. Do 8 to 15 repetitions with each arm. This is a great exercise for the shoulders, and upper and lower back.