Strengthen Your Entire Body With This 3-Move Kettlebell Circuit From Celebrity Trainer Ben Bruno
You don’t need much equipment—or space—to get a really great total-body workout. That’s the premise of a three-part, do-anywhere kettlebell workout that celebrity trainer Ben Bruno shared yesterday on the Today show.
“Anybody can do this workout,” Bruno told hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb of the circuit, including his client Kate Upton, who Bruno said cranks through the moves—step-through lunges, hollow body presses, and squat press-outs—with “twice as much weight” as he demoed. (Bruno also trains Chelsea Handler, among other celebs and professional athletes.) “When you do these three [moves] in a circuit, it will get your heart rate going like crazy,” he added.
You can check out the circuit here.
As Bruno mentioned, this weighted sequence will simultaneously challenge your muscles and your heart.
"It gives you a really good bang for your buck," Bruno tells SELF. "In terms of strength and conditioning, it checks both boxes."
All three exercises are complex (or compound) exercises, Stephanie Mansour, Chicago-based certified personal trainer, tells SELF. That means there are at least two different elements to every exercise. This complexity makes the moves more physically demanding than one-dimensional exercises, she explains. Because of this, your heart will be beating a little faster than it would during your typical strength training workout.
“This circuit is as close to a full-body workout as you are going to get,” Mark DiSalvo, NYC-based certified strength and conditioning specialist, tells SELF. Together, the moves target essentially every major muscle group in your body, from your shoulders to your core to your calves.
The circuit also incorporates different types of lower-body movements, which Bruno says is important for building an overall strong and balanced body.
"I like to blend hip-dominant moves with knee-dominant moves," Bruno tells SELF of the inspiration for this circuit. "Most people overdo knee-focused quad work, and I like to focus on hip-dominant glute work." With lunges and squats, this circuit hits both types of movements.
Here’s how to do the circuit and more on the benefits of each move.
Bruno recommends doing this circuit three to four times for a full total-body workout.
With all of these moves, “start light [with weight] and build up,” he advises, recommending a 10-pound kettlebell. If you're a beginner, try each move with just your bodyweight first to make sure you can master the proper form before loading up.
Step-Through Lunge — 6 reps each side
Grab a medium-weight kettlebell (or dumbbell or plate) and hold it in front of your chest with both hands.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Holding the weight steady, step back (about 2 feet) with your left foot, landing on the ball of your left foot and keeping your heel off the ground.
Bend both knees to create two 90-degree angles with your legs. In this positioning, your shoulders should be directly above your hips and your chest should be upright (not leaning forward or back). Your right shin should be perpendicular to the floor and your right knee should be stacked above your right ankle. Your butt and core should be engaged.
Push through the heel of your right foot to return to the starting position, but instead of placing your left foot on the ground, keep it lifted.
Step forward (about 2 feet) with your left foot, and plant it firmly on the ground.
Bend both knees to create two 90-degree angles with your legs. As with the reverse lunge, in this positioning, your shoulders should be directly above your hips and your chest should be upright. Your left shin should be perpendicular to the floor and your knee should be stacked above your ankle. Your butt and core should be engaged.
Push through your left foot to return to the starting position, but once again, instead of placing your foot on the ground, move directly into another reverse lunge. The weight should remain stable throughout. This is one rep.
Do 6 reps, and then repeat on the other side.
The lunging movements of this exercise work your quads, hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, and calves, says DiSalvo. Compared to lunges done in just one direction, this combo sequence “challenges you from a coordination standpoint,” says DiSalvo. Plus, it's a “really healthy, easy way to work your hips,” because you are moving them through multiple angles of flexion. What’s more, the kettlebell component requires additional strength from your core, shoulders, and back.
“The kettlebell is a really easy way to load the movement to progress it,” says DiSalvo, because “any time you hold something in front of you, you are loading up your core through the act of staying upright and not letting gravity pull you.”
As you perform the lunges, make sure that you aren’t wobbling from side to side and that your knees aren’t caving in or out, says DiSalvo. If you have trouble balancing and/or keeping your knees stabilized, your load may be too heavy. Decrease it. If you're not sure how heavy to lift, start with just your bodyweight. “Don’t add any weight until you get the balance of movement,” advises DiSalvo.
If you’re a beginner, you may want to hold onto a bar or chair for extra balance, says Mansour. You also want to think about pushing down through the heel (rather than the toes) of the foot that is grounded, she adds. “This will send the work up through the hamstrings,” she explains, “and will also protect your knees by reducing the stress and strain on the front of your leg.”
Hollow Body Press — 10 reps each side
Holding a weight again (either a kettlebell or dumbbell would work best here), sit on your butt, tilt your torso back slightly and raise your legs straight out in front of you so that they form one long line and hover as close to the floor as possible (without touching it).
Your butt should be the only point of contact with the ground.
Make a fist with your left hand and extend that arm straight out to the side.
Grab the weight with your right hand and press it straight overhead until your arm is fully extended.
Pause for a moment at the top of the press and then slowly lower the weight back down. This is 1 rep.
Do 10 reps, and then switch arms for another 10 reps.
This move, which Bruno told Today is “very, very hard,” requires serious core work, particularly from your anterior core (AKA the muscles on the front side of your core). “Your rectus abdominis [what you think of when you think of your abs] has to stay contracted the whole time,” says DiSalvo.
You’ll also feel this in your quads, chest, and shoulders, but those areas aren’t the main focus, says DiSalvo. If you feel a big burn in your upper body, that may be a sign that your core isn’t yet able to handle all the strength demanded by this move and is transferring some of the work elsewhere, explains DiSalvo. That’s OK, he says, and gives you something to work toward. “The stronger your core gets, the more you will feel this move in your core.”
Major muscles in your back, including your lats (the broadest muscles on each side of your back) and rear deltoids (muscles on the back of your shoulders), have to work hard to maintain stability throughout. “Your back is contracting to be a stable base,” DiSalvo adds, on which you perform the movement. “It’s a very advanced exercise because one part of your body [your back] has to actively contract while other side of body has to move.”
Your head positioning is key to good form here. Don’t tuck your chin, says DiSalvo. Instead, think of your head and neck as an extension of your spine and keep them in one long, straight line. “You will feel [the burn from] the exercise a lot more if your head is in the right place.”
Another tip: Try to keep you back as flat as possible and press your arm straight overhead rather than up and back, says Mansour. “If you feel like you are arching your upper back too much or reaching your arm back, your weight might be too heavy,” she says. At the top of the movement, you should still be able to see the kettlebell if you gaze just your eyes (not your head) upward, explains Mansour. If you can’t, you’re probably reaching back too far. Also, make sure to squeeze your abs throughout to keep them engaged as much as possible.
If you feel any strain in your low back as you do this move, reduce the load on your core by lifting your legs a little higher off the ground, or setting your feet on the ground, says Mansour.
Squat Press-Out — 10 reps
Grab your kettlebell (or dumbbell) and hold it at your chest in both hands. Stand tall with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Engage your core.
Bend your knees and push your butt back and down to lower into a squat as you simultaneously press the weight straight out in front of you until both arms are fully extended.
Pause for a moment at the bottom of the movement and then drive through your heels to return to standing as you simultaneously bend your elbows to bring the weight in toward your chest.
Squeeze your glutes as you stand back up. This is 1 rep.
Do 10 reps.
These weighted squats can actually help your form, Bruno says. "A big reason for the press-out part is that the weight acts as a counterbalance to help you maintain upright posture in your squat," he explains. "It really cleans up the move." A common mistake with squats is leaning too far forward, DiSalvo adds, but “you won’t do that with this move." Because of the press-out component, “your lats will engage more to keep you upright as you push with your triceps.”
You’ll work all the muscles targeted by a standard squat—including your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core—with additional work required by your triceps, pecs, and rectus abdominis, thanks to the press-outs, says DiSalvo.
The one caveat: You might not be able to sink as deeply into your squat, says DiSalvo. “You might lose depth, but you’ll improve your overall hip and back positioning, which will serve you better in the long term.”
When squatting, make sure that your lower back doesn’t arch, says Mansour. Bracing your abs will help with this.
