Kettlebell chest workout

When you think of kettlebells, you may not think of bodybuilding-style workouts. You probably think of lean guys with Russian accents swinging a kettlebell with rocking horse-like movement.

For the most part, you would be right. The shape of a kettlebell is optimized for swinging, cleaning, and snatching. But you can also use kettlebells to work specific muscle groups like you would with dumbbells or barbells. That includes the chest muscles.

In this article, I cover chest exercises you can do with a kettlebell and provide three chest workouts you can repeat over a three-month training cycle.

What differentiates these workouts is the rep and set scheme. But more on that below.

If you’re a kettlebell training fan, check out the Outdoor Muscle YouTube Channel and Instagram account, where I regularly post kettlebell workouts and exercises.

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Hypertrophy Workouts

According to the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), there are two types of hypertrophy:

“Myofibrillar hypertrophy. This type of muscular hypertrophy involves an increase in the number of protein filament bundles known as myofibrils. Myofibrils help the muscle contract and relax. Increasing myofibrils boost muscular strength. With myofibril hypertrophy, the muscle also becomes more dense.

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. You can also increase the volume of fluid within the muscle. This is called sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. This fluid provides the energy the muscle needs during weight training. Similar to how adding water to a balloon makes the balloon grow, more fluid in the muscle makes it look bigger.”

Several factors must be incorporated into the training program when training for hypertrophy. 

1 – Sets and Reps: According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, “While there are a number of ways to induce hypertrophy in the weight room, it seems that employing multiple sets with moderate loads (6-12 reps, 65-85% 1RM) and rest periods (60 seconds).” 

2 – Mechanical Tension: Mechanical tension is the tension in the muscles caused by resistance training. Numerous studies indicated mechanical tension, specifically eccentric muscle contractions (think lowering the barbell to your chest during a bench press), plays an important role in hypertrophy.

3 – Progressive Overload: “Progressive overload is a principle of resistance training exercise program design that typically relies on increasing load to increase neuromuscular demand to facilitate further adaptations.” What this means in practice is that you increase the load (heavier weights), the reps/sets (more volume), or the frequency (number of training sessions) gradually over a training cycle. Progressive overload training benefits not only hypertrophy but strength training and muscular endurance training as well.

Kettlebell Chest Workout for Muscle Growth

The kettlebell chest workout below incorporates the above principles to contribute to building pectoral muscles. You will need access to moderate to heavy kettlebells to complete this hypertrophy workout.

Frequency: Complete the below workout once or twice weekly, depending on your schedule and how well recovered you feel. This type of workout fits best in a bodybuilding-type split such as the following:

Chest and Triceps – Monday

Back and Biceps – Wednesday

Legs and Shoulders – Friday

Sets/Reps: The ideal rep range for hypertrophy is 6-12 reps. This is not to say that you can’t build muscle with other rep ranges, but this rep range is considered the most successful for a hypertrophic response to training. Weeks one through four of this workout will use three sets per exercise. Weeks five through eight will use four sets. Weeks nine through 12 will use five sets. I chose to vary the number of sets because kettlebells do not increase in load in small increments, so it is easier to achieve progressive overload by increasing the volume instead of the load when using kettlebells.

Weight: As the rep range drops over the 12 weeks, use these periods to increase your weight for each exercise when possible. Kettlebells can be difficult to increase in size, as they often have larger jumps in weight than barbells and dumbbells. The best time to make the jump to a larger kettlebell is during a period of reduced reps.

Feel free to start with lighter weights if these movements are new or challenging for you. Skill improvements will come with time and practice.

Mechanical Tension: To maximize mechanical tension, focus on explosive concentric muscle contractions (think pressing a barbell up from your chest during the bench press). You will lower the kettlebell (eccentric contraction) using a slow three-second count. Explode upward, resist downward.

Rest Periods: Rest one to three minutes between sets. Rest 48-72 hours before training the pectoral muscles again. Rest days are an essential aspect of any training program. Make sure you give your muscles time to recover between training sessions. This is the time when growth and repair take place.

Number of Exercises: This workout includes six exercises. The pectoral muscles have three regions – the upper, mid, and lower chest. All chest exercises will work each of these regions, but making some minor changes to an exercise can place a greater emphasis on each part of the muscle. I include at least one pressing movement to help target each region of the chest, plus one movement to focus on the sternal attachment of the pecs. You will also need a bench to perform some of the movements.

The Exercises

This workout includes six effective kettlebell chest exercises that will support any fitness routine, whether you follow this workout or another. Keep in mind that any of the exercises below that are done on an adjustable bench, such as the incline bell press, can also be performed in the flat or decline positions. Some individuals may find a specific angle causes shoulder pain or discomfort. Adjust the bench to suit your needs, or skip that exercise if that’s the case. Always speak with a health professional before engaging in a new workout program, especially if you have a pre-existing injury or health condition.

Incline Bell Press

Any incline chest exercise will focus on the upper chest or clavicular pectoral muscles. From a hypertrophy standpoint, this is one of the more difficult areas to build muscle mass due to the small size of the muscle attachments. You will need a single kettlebell for this exercise.

How to Do the Incline Bell Press

• Start by setting an adjustable bench to an incline of approximately 45 degrees. Plant your feet on the ground, maintain bench contact with your shoulders, butt, and head. A slight arch in the lower back is okay.
• Grip a heavy kettlebell by the bell, not the horns or handle.
• Press the bell upward above your chest.
• Squeeze your pecs at the top of the range of motion, then slowly reverse the movement to return to the starting position.

Flat Bench Press

You can use kettlebells to get a good flat bench chest workout. There are two grip options for this exercise. You can hold the kettlebells by the handles or a single kettlebell by the horns. The horn grip uses a reduced range of motion but effectively targets the sternal pectoral muscles in a way that is unique to the kettlebell.

How to Do Kettlebell Flat Bench Press

• Lie flat on a bench with your feet on the floor. Maintain bench contact with your butt, shoulders, and head. 
• Hold a kettlebell in each hand at chest level.
• Press the kettlebells over your chest, bringing the bells inward as you reach the top of the range of motion.
• Reverse the movement to return to the starting position.

How to Do Horns Grip Flat Bench Press

• Lie flat on a bench with your feet on the floor. Maintain bench contact with your butt, shoulders, and head. 
• Hold a single kettlebell at your chest by the horns.
• Press the kettlebell over your chest, squeezing your pecs throughout the entire range of motion.
• Lower the kettlebell back to your chest to return to the starting position.

Decline Floor Press

The decline floor press is one of my favorite kettlebell exercises. This exercise is an advanced variation of the kettlebell floor press. I like to skip the adjustable bench on this exercise for two reasons. First – not everyone has access to an adjustable bench. Second, maintaining the proper form required for this exercise is a great way to work core and glute muscles in addition to the sternal pec muscles. You will need a pair of kettlebells for this exercise.

How to Do Decline Floor Press

• Start by lying flat on the ground. Bring your feet toward your butt like you are going to do a sit-up.
• Hold a kettlebell in each hand by the handle.
• Thrust your hips upward and hold them in that position.
• Now, press the kettlebells over your chest.
• Square your pec muscles at the top of the range of motion, then slowly reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
• Maintain the glute bridge throughout the entire set.

Kettlebell Push-Ups

Kettlebell push-ups are one of the more dynamic kettlebell chest exercises for building upper body strength. There are a variety of ways to perform kettlebell push-ups. The exact method you use isn’t as important as maintaining the slow eccentric muscle contraction as you lower your body and the explosive concentric contraction as you raise your body. Below is one of the more challenging ways to do push-ups.

How to Do the Single Kettlebell Push-Up

• Place a kettlebell on the ground so that the handle is horizontal to your body.
• Get into the push-up position, placing your hands close together on the handle.
• Slowly lower your upper body to the handle of the kettlebell. 
• Pause, then explode upward to return to the starting position.
• Squeeze your pecs at the top of the range of motion, then slowly reverse the movement to return to the starting position.

Kettlebell Pull-Overs

The kettlebell pullover is a great way to work the lats and pecs in a single exercise. With any exercise that involves bringing a weight over your face, make sure to maintain good form and a tight grip throughout the movement.

How to Do Kettlebell Pull-Overs

• Lie flat on a bench in the supine position. Place your feet on the ground and maintain bench contact with your butt, shoulders, and head.
• Hold a kettlebell by the bell over your chest with your arms extended. Maintain a slight bend in the elbows.
• Lower the kettlebell behind your head, maintaining the slight elbow bend.
• Pause briefly, then bring the kettlebell back to the starting position over your chest.
• For extra emphasis on the chest, perform a kettlebell chest press between each pullover rep.

Kettlebell Flies

The kettlebell fly is one of the best kettlebell chest exercises for working the sternal head of the pectoral muscles and building chest strength. 

How to Do Kettlebell Flies

• Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the floor. Hold a kettlebell in each hand with your palms facing each other. Extend your arms so you are holding the pair of kettlebells over your chest.
• Lower the kettlebell, maintaining a slight bend in your elbows.
• Extend your arms to the sides and lower the weights, keeping a slight bend in your elbows. You should feel a good stretch in your chest at the bottom of the range of motion.
• Reverse the movement, returning the weights to the starting position.
• You can also perform flys in the incline or decline position.

Kettlebell Chest Workout Weeks 1-12

There are a ton of different ways to train your chest with kettlebells. Like any hypertrophy workout, an effective workout with kettlebells uses the correct form, sufficiently exhausts the trained muscle group, and includes enough volume to stimulate muscle growth.

Below is a sample program progressing from beginner to advanced. The first three weeks include a low volume of sets/reps to allow a beginner to develop the neural adaptations needed to perform the exercises. It can performed for as many weeks as necessary before moving to the intermediate workout, which increases the number of sets and incorporates an additional exercise. The advanced workout incorporates another set and another exercise.

Whether you choose to use one or more of these workouts or design your own kettlebell chest routines, make sure your focus is on progressive overload. A little bit more weight. A little more volume. A few more exercises. That’s the recipe for hypertrophy, strength, power, and muscular endurance over time.

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Single Kettlebell Training for Beginners [+Training Plan]

Week 1-4

Incline Bell Press: 3 x 10-12

Decline KB Floor Press: 3 x 10-12

Single Kettlebell Push-Ups: 2 x 10-12; 1 x Max reps

Rest Between Sets: 1-2 minutes

Week 5-8

KB Incline Flies: 4 x 8-10

KB Pull-Overs: 4 x 8-10

Flat Bench KB Press: 4 x 8-10

Single KBPush Ups: 3 x 10-12; 1 x Max Reps

Rest Between Sets: 1.5 – 2.5 minutes

Weeks 9-12

Incline Bell Press: 5 x 6-8

Decline KB Floor Press: 4 x 6-8

Flat KB Flies: 5 x 6-8

KB Pull-Overs: 4 x 6-8

KB Push Ups: 4 x 10-12, 1 x Max Reps

Rest Between Sets: 1.5 – 3 minutes

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