Ultimate Kettlebell Leg Workout To Sculpt Amazing Legs

Stronger legs are obtained by lifting weights; however, we don’t always have multiple machines and equipment or an appropriate amount of time to train these leg muscles with.

This is where the kettlebell workouts come into play, as kettlebells can be a very useful and versatile tool for training your legs when you have little time for your exercise sessions or don’t have access to a fully-equipped gym.

Below we have a professionally created kettlebell leg workout for you as well as some additional leg and lower-body kettlebell exercises. Ideally, perform the following workout twice per week to strengthen your legs and develop more muscle mass. You can perform these exercises with either one kettlebell or two kettlebells.

Kettlebell Leg Workout

Single-side Back Lunge with Overhead Hold

Technique

1. Start by standing upright with feet hip-width apart, holding a kettlebell from the handle with your left hand
2. Extend your left arm to move the kettlebell above your head
3. Move your left leg back and bend the right knee to lunge down while holding the kettlebell up and keeping your back and core tight
4. Push through your right leg and move the left leg forward to get back into an upright position. This is one repetition
5. The overhead hold performed with this lunge helps you build your core muscles as well as upper body and lower body strength

Reps and Sets

Perform 8-12 repetitions on each side for 3-4 sets

Sumo Squats

Technique

1. Stand upright with your legs shoulder-width apart and holding a kettlebell from the handle with both hands. Your toes should point slightly outwards
2. Hold the kettlebell down in front of you so that it is placed between your legs
3. Hinge the hips back and bend your knees to squat down
4. Push through your legs and glutes to stand up. This is one repetition

Reps and Sets

Perform 10-12 repetitions for 3-4 sets if using a light kettlebell, or 6-8 repetitions for 5 sets if using a heavy weight

Romanian Deadlifts

Technique

1. Start by standing upright, with your legs placed hip-width apart and holding a kettlebell from the handle using both hands
2. Extend your arms down to lower the kettlebell in front of your legs
3. Keeping your core engaged and the back neutral, hinge back at the hips to move your trunk forward while lowering the kettlebell down along your legs
4. Push through your glutes and hamstring to get back to a standing position. This is one repetition

Reps and Sets

Perform 10-12 repetitions for 3-4 sets if using a light kettlebell, or 6-8 repetitions for 5 sets if using a heavy weight

Glute Bridges

Technique

1. Start by putting a mat on the floor and sitting down on it 
2. Position a kettlebell on your hips area, then bend your knees to place your feet flat on the floor shoulder width apart and lie down
3. Using your glutes, push your hips up until your trunk and legs are aligned. Hold the kettlebell throughout to prevent it from falling
4. Keeping the legs engaged, slowly hinge back at the hips to lower the glutes down to the floor. This is one repetition

Reps and Sets

Perform 12-15 repetitions for 3-4 sets if using a light kettlebell, or 6-8 repetitions for 5 sets if using a heavy kettlebell

Goblet Squats

Technique

1. Start by standing upright with your legs hip-width apart and holding a kettlebell with both hands against your chest
2. Hinge back at the hips and bend your knees to squat down, keeping your core tight and your back neutral
3. Push through your legs and glutes to stand back up. This is one repetition

Reps and Sets

Perform 10-12 repetitions for 3-4 sets if using a lighter kettlebell or 6-8 repetitions for 5 sets if using a heavy kettlebell.

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What Are The Benefits Of Kettlebell Training?

Standard

- Improve balance and coordination.

- Increase strength and power in the legs.

Emotional

- Feel more confident about your body shape.

- Boost energy levels for daily activities.

Health

- Strengthen your core muscles and back muscles.

- Improve posture and reduce the risk of injury.

- Burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time for effective fat loss.

Aesthetic

- Create longer, leaner muscle definition in the legs.

- Increase muscle mass and size in the legs to help create a balanced physique.

- Enhance athletic performance with improved strength, power, and balance.

What Are The Best Kettlebell Exercises For Legs?

Some of the best kettlebell leg exercises include squats, deadlifts, reverse lunges, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, and kettlebell swings. All of these kettlebell variation exercises use the dynamic motion of the kettlebell to challenge your balance and coordination while you're targeting your leg muscles.

Squats are the most well-known exercise that you can perform with a kettlebell, and they work all of the major muscle groups in your legs, from your quads and hamstrings to your calves and glutes. Deadlifts and reverse lunges also target these leg muscles, but they mostly engage the core muscles and hips.

Single-leg Romanian deadlifts require you to stand on one leg while you keep your right foot and your back straight and hinge at the hip, raising your leg straight and the kettlebell up in front of you. This exercise is great for improving balance and targeting those hard-to-reach muscles in the posterior chain.

Finally, the kettlebell swings are a great full-body cardio workout that improves power, strength, and endurance. To perform the kettlebell swing, stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and hold the kettlebell in both hands. Swing it forward and then backward between your legs while maintaining a neutral spine.

Double Kettlebell Leg Exercises

Double kettlebell leg exercises provide a challenging and effective way to target multiple large muscle groups in the lower body. This type of exercise allows you to use heavier weights, which helps to increase strength, power, and endurance while also building a balanced physique.

Two of the most popular double kettlebell leg exercises are squats and Bulgarian split squats. Squats such as the goblet squat will work all of the major muscles in your legs, from your quads to your glutes and hamstrings. For the Bulgarian split squat, you'll stand on one leg while holding both kettlebells at arm’s length in front of you. Step your hips forward into the squat position and then back up to the standing position, alternating legs with each repetition.

Both of these kettlebell leg workouts can be modified to increase or decrease the difficulty as needed. If you’re looking for an extra challenge, you can also add a kettlebell press or a kettlebell snatch between each rep. This will help engage your core and upper body muscles while also increasing the intensity of your workout.

Kettlebell Leg Workout Ideas

Now that you have a good selection of kettlebell leg exercises to choose from, you can put them together into a full-leg workout routine.

To keep your lower body exercises and kettlebell workouts balanced, it is recommended to select 1 or 2 exercises from each category until your fitness level increases and you feel comfortable doing more:

For The Hamstrings

• Kettlebell Good Morning
• Kettlebell Single Arm Deadlift
• Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift
• Kettlebell Two Handed Swing
• Kettlebell Windmill

For The Quadriceps

• Kettlebell Goblet Squat
• Kettlebell Racked Squat
• Kettlebell Racked Reverse Lunge
• Kettlebell Bob and Weave
• Kettlebell Side Lunge
• Kettlebell Pistol Squat
• Kettlebell Lunge with Rotation
• Kettlebell Double Lunge

For The Whole Body

• Kettlebell Clean & Press
• Kettlebell Thruster
• Kettlebell Lunge and Press
• Kettlebell Snatch

Final words

Overall, kettlebell training is an excellent way to increase strength, endurance, and mobility in the legs while toning them at the same time. It can help you achieve a strong body that looks both powerful and healthy. With the proper form and dedication to training, you can reap all the benefits of training legs with kettlebells!

If you don’t have access to a gym or don’t have multiple fitness tools around your house, you can still develop strong legs by doing these kettlebell exercises that target your lower body muscles.

References

Cotter, S., 2022. Kettlebell training. Human kinetics.

Wu, H.W., Tsai, C.F., Liang, K.H. and Chang, Y.W., 2020. Effect of loading devices on muscle activation in squat and lunge. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 29(2), pp.200-205.