Kettlebell workout plan: 3-day program and free spreadsheet

How Kettlebell workout plan works

This is our own kettlebell program. You train three non-consecutive days, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with one bell in your hand at a time. StrongFirst builds its Kettlebell 101 workshop on three lifts: the swing, the get-up and the goblet squat. You get all three here, plus a press, a row, a clean and a snatch, so each week covers pushing, pulling, squatting and hip power.

Day 1: 5 sets of 10 two-hand swings, goblet squats for 4 sets of 8, then one-arm presses for 4 sets of 5 and one-arm rows for 4 sets of 8, both per side. Day 2: 3 Turkish get-ups per side as singles, one-arm cleans for 4 sets of 5 per side, then goblet squats for 3 sets of 10 and rows for 3 sets of 10 per side. Day 3: one-arm snatches for 5 sets of 5 per side, presses for 3 sets of 8 per side, and 10 sets of 10 swings to finish. We chose these lifts, sets and reps; no source prescribes this layout.

Two free sources shaped the numbers. In his swing article for Art of Manliness, Pavel Tsatsouline tells you to swing in sets of 10 with as much rest as you need, and sets 10 sets of 10 in 10 minutes as the mark to reach, which is how Day 3 ends. Steve Cotter's beginner session, published by Human Kinetics, runs 5 sets of 5 per hand on the swing, clean, press, push press, half snatch and front squat, with no more than a minute of rest. Our cleans and snatches use that 5-rep range.

Rest times in the app are ours: 60 seconds between swing, clean, snatch, row and get-up sets, and 90 seconds for presses and goblet squats. A session takes about 40 to 45 minutes.

Learn the swing first. StrongFirst instructor Brian Wright writes that its instructor course teaches the swing first, then the get-up, squat, press, snatch and clean. Leave the snatch out until your swing and clean feel smooth, and do one-arm swings for 5 sets of 5 per side in that slot. That swap is our advice.

You need two or three bells. Most people press, clean, snatch and get up with a lighter bell than they swing, squat or row. Type the bell you use for each lift and the sample week and spreadsheet fill in the rest. Our defaults are 16 kg and 12 kg placeholders, not recommendations for you.

Which plan to pick: choose this one if a few kettlebells are all you have and you want strength and conditioning in the same session. Choose the Dumbbell full body workout if you own adjustable dumbbells and a bench and care most about muscle, since dumbbells go up in smaller steps. Choose the Calisthenics program if you have a pull-up bar and no weights. Move to a barbell plan such as StrongLifts 5x5 when you want a heavy squat, bench and deadlift.

Pavel Tsatsouline's paid book Kettlebell Simple & Sinister holds the best-known kettlebell program. StrongFirst's page for the book describes it as a program of two exercises, the swing and the get-up. This plan does not copy it; buy the book if you want his program as written.

The in-app templates match this page, so Start-it loads the same lifts, sets and reps as the sample week.

The schedule

Train on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or any other days with rest between. Every set uses the same weight, the one you can lift for the written reps.

Day 1: Swing and press

Day 2: Get-up and clean

Day 3: Snatch and swings

Progression and stall rules

Weekly volume

Work sets per lift, counted from the schedule above (warm-ups not included).

Who it suits

Common mistakes

Squatting the swing

Push your hips back, keep your shins close to vertical and let your hips drive the bell. Pavel's article says not to lift it with your traps or back, and to finish tall with your glutes tight.

Rushing the get-up

Travis Jewett, writing for StrongFirst, says lifters who rush the get-up tend to rush other things too, and he flags the shoulder drifting up toward the ear as a common fault. Move slowly, and practise the first half on its own until it runs smooth.

Moving up a bell too soon

A 4 kg jump is large on a press or get-up. Own your current bell first, then bridge the gap one set at a time as the progression rules describe.

Snatching before you can clean

The snatch is the most technical lift in this plan. If your cleans still bang your forearm, keep doing one-arm swings in that slot for a few more weeks.

Cutting swing rest short

Pavel's article says that if your form or speed drops, you did not rest long enough. Keep every set of 10 crisp and walk around between sets.

Your sample week

For each lift, enter: Kettlebell you use for each lift. The weights below update as you type. Your numbers stay in your browser and are not saved. The numbers shown are an example lifter.

Units lb kg

Swing bell

Goblet squat bell

Press bell (one arm)

Row bell (one arm)

Turkish get-up bell

Clean bell (one arm)

Snatch bell (one arm)

Day 1: Swing and press

Day 2: Get-up and clean

Day 3: Snatch and swings

The spreadsheet

The file has three sheets: your numbers, the full week with every weight as a formula, and a progress table that carries the weights forward. It opens in Excel, Numbers and LibreOffice. The weights in the link below use the numbers you typed above.

Download the .xlsx

Want the weights to follow you into the gym? Create a free account and the program loads into Train for you.

How it compares

Kettlebell workout plan vs Dumbbell full body workout

Also three days at home, but with dumbbells and a bench. Dumbbells come in smaller steps, which suits muscle building. Pick this kettlebell plan if you want swings, cleans and snatches for power and conditioning with only a few bells. Read the Dumbbell full body workout guide.

Kettlebell workout plan vs Calisthenics program

Three days with no weights, climbing harder steps of pull-ups, dips, rows and push-ups. Pick it if you have a bar and no bells. Pick this plan if you own kettlebells and want loaded swings and squats. Read the Calisthenics program guide.

Kettlebell workout plan vs StrongLifts 5x5

A barbell plan that adds weight every session. Pick it once you have a rack and want a heavier squat, bench and deadlift. Read the StrongLifts 5x5 guide.

Common questions

What is a good kettlebell workout plan for beginners?

Three days a week built on the swing, the get-up and the goblet squat, the three lifts StrongFirst teaches in its Kettlebell 101 workshop. This plan adds a press, a row, a clean and a snatch. Learn the swing first, and hold off on the snatch until your clean is solid.

What size kettlebell should I start with?

It depends on your size and training history. Pavel's swing article calls a 24 kg bell about right for most men starting the swing. The sources we read give no figure for women. Presses and get-ups need a lighter bell than swings. Pick a bell you can move with clean form on every rep, and treat our 16 kg and 12 kg defaults as placeholders.

How do I progress when kettlebells jump 4 kg at a time?

Hit every rep of every set first, then change bells. Our method: once every set hits its reps with clean form for two sessions in a row, do your first set with the heavier bell and the rest with your current one. Move one more set across each week.

Can I swing on the days between?

For your first few weeks of learning the swing, Pavel's article suggests swinging daily if you can, in sets of 10 with full rest. Our advice: keep the three sessions here as your main work and add a few easy sets of swings on other days only if you recover well. Those extra sets are not in the sheet.

Is this Simple & Sinister?

No. Simple & Sinister is a paid book by Pavel Tsatsouline, built on the swing and the get-up. This is our own three-day plan with more lifts. Buy the book from StrongFirst if you want his program.

Do the in-app days match this page?

Yes. Start-it loads the three Kettlebell Program days with the same lifts, sets and reps. Reps on one-arm lifts count per side.

Know where you stand

Before you start, check how your lifts compare on the strength standards, estimate a max with the one-rep max calculator, or score your total with the DOTS calculator.

Sources and credit