Hard but Effective 30 min Single Kettlebell CrossFit Workout

Welcome to the 30 min Single Kettlebell CrossFit workout.

If you wondering why I am so fond of the kettlebells as a training tool, make sure to give the following article a read which goes in-depth on the benefits of kettlebell training and gives you some guidance on what to look for when buying one.

What can you expect from this workout:

• The complete duration of this training session is around 45 minutes including a warm-up and cool-down.
• You will need only one kettlebell as equipment but I would encourage you to try a few different kettlebell weights before you start to see what is the best fit for you.
• You will be performing two exercises that will tax your whole body.
• A suggestion on how to approach the workout and how to scale in case of injuries or else can be found down below.

Let’s get to the workout.

Warm-Up

Before we start, I want to remind you to never skip your warm-up!

It’s just as important as your actual workout.

Just to give you a few important facts on why you should warm-up:

• Increases blood flow
• Reduces the chance of injury
• Increases range of motion
• Improves performance

I could go on and keep rambling about the importance of warming up but I already did that in a different article. (click below to learn more)

If you feel a little more stiffness in your body after a long day of work, use this warm-up routine:

30 min Single Kettlebell CrossFit Workout

50-40-30-20-10 reps of:

Kettlebell Overhead Squat
Kettlebell Swing

(Click on the link to see a movement demonstration)

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How to approach?

The workout is quite tricky and might look easy on paper, but as the reps accumulate you will feel it more and more in your core and shoulders.

Unless you have insane muscle endurance in your core and shoulders, I would suggest the following approach:

• Don’t try to go unbroken on the sets of 50/40/30 and even 20.
• If you can, start with 10 reps at a time (for the overhead squat, this might be the best strategy, to switch arms every 10 reps) and have short breaks in between.
• If 10 reps are too much, go down to 8 or even 5 reps.
• The most important thing will be to keep the breaks in between your sets as short as possible otherwise this could turn into a very, very long workout.
• Even if you get tired, focus on good, solid technique.

How to scale?

Before scaling the movement, always reduce the number of reps first if it’s too much volume for you.

In case you need to adjust the movement because of for example an injury, this is what I would suggest to you:

• Kettlebell Overhead Squat: a good alternative would be either doing a single kettlebell front squat or a kettlebell goblet squat
• Kettlebell Swing: you can either perform a kettlebell good morning, a banded good morning, or a bodyweight good morning to get a similar stimulus but with more control

(Click on the link to see a movement demonstration)

Workout of the Day

Took the kettlebell for a ride.

50-40-30-20-10 reps of:
– Kettlebell Overhead Squat
– Kettlebell Swing

Tip:
Split the reps for the OH squat. 25 reps per side on the 1st set, 20 on the 2nd, and so on.

Pace yourself. Shoulders will be taxed.

Happy Sweating! pic.twitter.com/arQqCQNnvI

— Lily | Workoutfrolic (@WorkoutFrolic) April 19, 2022

Cooldown

After a long workout like that make sure to have a proper cool-down to avoid injuries and give your body the time to recover: