The 7 Best Kettlebell Exercises For Building Muscle

Kettlebell exercise isn’t often associated with building muscle. That being said kettlebell exercises can be used to build lean muscle. Add these kettlebell exercises into your training and workout routine to successfully build muscle with kettlebells.

4 min read
Sean Klein
Written by
Sean Klein
Published on
18/05/22
Last updated
12/01/23
In This Resource
  • The 7 Best Kettlebell Exercises For Building Muscle
  • Common Questions
  • Are kettlebells good to build muscle?
  • How do I build muscle with kettlebells?
  • What size kettlebell should I get to build muscle?
  • Which Kettlebell Exercise Is The Best For Building Muscle?

Kettlebells arn’t the most effective ways to build muscle as they require a lot of core stabilisation which can be the limiting factor. That being said they are still effective, especially if that the only type of equipment you have access to. Here are some of the most effective kettlebell exercises for building muscle.

The 7 Best Kettlebell Exercises For Building Muscle

Buy Kettlebells
Primary
Lower Body
Squat
Buy Kettlebells
Primary
Lower Body
Hinge
Buy Kettlebells
Secondary
Lower Body
Hinge
Buy Kettlebells
Primary
Upper Body
Horizontal Pull
Buy Kettlebells
Primary
Lower Body
Squat
Buy Kettlebells
Primary
Upper Body
Horizontal Pull
Buy Kettlebells
Primary
Upper Body
Horizontal Press

Common Questions

Are kettlebells good to build muscle?

Yes, they can be used to great effect to build muscle. That being said, dumbbells and barbells are much more widely used and are more effective in general if your sole goal is muscle growth.

How do I build muscle with kettlebells?

Building muscles requires doing 6-12 working sets (sets close to failure) per muscle group per week. So chose weights where you can do this for each muscle group. Building muscle takes time so be sure to be patient.

What size kettlebell should I get to build muscle?

You will want a range of kettlebells that are moderately heavy for each movement patterns. For example you will want a kettlebell that is heavy in the hinge movement patterns but you’ll also want one in the vertical press movement pattern which will be much lighter.

Which Kettlebell Exercise Is The Best For Building Muscle?

There is no one best exercise for building muscle. That being said, each muscle group has more effective exercises than others. for example avoiding single arm exercises when doing hypertrophy training as they require a lot of core stabilisation, avoiding complex exercises that cannot be loaded with high repetitions.

If you enjoyed this resource you can find more below or try Programme, a fitness app that plans every workout for you – based on your progress, equipment and lifestyle.

This resource was written by Sean Klein. Sean Richard Klein has thousands of hours of coaching experience and a BSc in Sports Science with Management from Loughborough University. He owns a gym in Bayonne France, CrossFit Essor, which runs group classes and a Personal training studio.

Sean Klein

Signature

Programme is a workout app that plans every workout for you

Programme learns from your past workouts, training experience and available equipment to create your optimal workout plan that adapts to your progress.