Simple and sweaty, this 20-minute kettlebell blast will give you an excellent workout when time is of the essence

WORDS: Ollie McCarthy

OK, so the name may be slightly exaggerated. Or maybe it’s exactly what it says on the tin. This 20-minute kettlebell blast is deceptive. It lulls you into a false sense of security in the first few rounds only to punish you in the latter stages.

But, when you are pressed for time, this is one of my go-to sessions. It’s also a testing session I use with my kettlebell class.

It’s simple and sweaty; you use one weight; four exercises; an ascending rep series of 20 minutes.

The exercises are as follows: kettlebell swing, kettlebell squat, kettlebell row, press up.

Start by completing five reps of each exercise. Once you have done that, you have completed the round. As you start the next round, you increase the reps by 5 (so 10 reps of each exercise.) Each time you start a new round you increase the reps by 5. The aim is to see how many rounds you can complete in 20 minutes.

Rest as you need and if you need to break up the reps for each exercise you can.

As a rule of thumb, if you are getting into the 30 rep rounds you have probably gone too light. And if you don’t get out of the 15 rep rounds, you have probably gone too heavy.

Give it a go and let me know how you get on. If you want to test your fitness, then revisit it every month or so to see if you can beat your previous score.

Kettlebell swing

Hinge at the hips and push your bum back. Make sure you aren’t squatting the weight. Stand tall, squeeze your glutes and tense your quad. The kettlebell shouldn’t come above shoulder height.

Kettlebell squat

I’m not too precious about how you hold the kettlebell so long as it’s at the chest. Try to sit as low as you can, keeping your chest up. Stand tall at the top locking, your hips and quads out.

Kettlebell row

Start with the kettlebell on the floor between your feet. Hinge at the hip so you push your bum back but keep your chest up slightly. Row the kettlebell to your sternum and squeeze your shoulders back. Then return to the floor under control.

Press-up

Straight body position at the top. Lower your chest to the floor keeping your hips up. Return to the start position making sure you lock your arms out fully