You only get one body, and it\u2019s with you for life. I want to help you build a body that you enjoy living in, and I don\u2019t want you to spend much money in the process. From my experience, kettlebell<\/a> training<\/a> delivers on both fronts \u2013 and then some. <\/p>\n A kettlebell is a relatively inexpensive lump of iron with a handle that lasts a lifetime. Better yet, it\u2019s versatile enough to help you improve every facet of fitness \u2013 strength<\/a>, mobility, muscle<\/a>, cardiovascular fitness and more. All you need is to know is how to use it.<\/p>\n That\u2019s where coach Dan John comes in. John has been making people fitter since 1979, shaping the way we train with kettlebells and inventing many exercises now seen as commonplace, such as the goblet squat<\/a>. Over the last couple of years, I\u2019ve enjoyed a series of interviews with him in which he revealed his five-step method for starting kettlebell training \u2013 whatever your fitness level.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you were to stick me in a prison where all I had was a 16kg or 20kg kettlebell<\/a>, and you told me I would only be let out when I was in the best shape of my life, I could pull it off,\u201d John told me during our first meeting. Having since put his teachings into practice, I\u2019m inclined to agree. <\/p>\n Now, his five-step guide to kettlebell training for beginners is ready to share. The links below dive into more detail on each step, while the article that follows contains a whistle-stop tour of the plan alongside sample workout videos for each stage. <\/p>\n Dan John\u2019s five-step guide to kettlebell training for beginners<\/p>\n John\u2019s first lesson is that everyday fitness is a simple three-part formula: \u201cStrength training, walking and caloric correctness.\u201d Your priority should be to make strength training sessions a regular part of your routine, he says. <\/p>\n Next, establish a decent dose of daily movement through walking<\/a>, then consume an appropriate number of calories for your activity levels. Brownie points are on offer if you can include some form of protein, fibre and fruit or vegetables with each meal. Now you are ready to train. <\/p>\n John sees the body as a series of interconnected systems rather than isolated parts, so he prefers to target movement patterns instead of specific muscles with his workouts. <\/p>\n There are five basic human movements, according to John: push, pull, hinge at the hips, squat and loaded carry. If you can touch on each of these on a regular basis, you will feel the benefits. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n The good news is that you can hit all five with just three fundamental exercises<\/a>: the kettlebell swing, goblet squat and press-up. You can find an example of how to weave these into a quick workout in the Instagram post embedded above. <\/p>\n Learning these movements is step one of training with kettlebells. (Although, if you do not feel ready for a dynamic exercise like the kettlebell swing, you can swap it out for a kettlebell glute bridge<\/a>.) You can then combine these moves in any number of ways to create fun, effective and efficient workouts. <\/p>\n Step two in your introduction to kettlebell training is adding loaded carries<\/a> into your workouts. This simply means picking up a weight<\/a> and carrying it, whether you\u2019re holding it at your side, at your shoulder or overhead. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cLoaded carries offer the most bang for your buck of any exercise,\u201d says John. \u201cThe weird thing about the whole loaded carry family is, I don\u2019t care what you do, you will benefit just by doing them. If you\u2019ve never done a loaded carry, try it, then ask me more questions.\u201d <\/p>\n Step three is incorporating a second kettlebell<\/a> into your training, broadening your exercise horizons even further. There are three key exercises to learn here: the double kettlebell clean, double kettlebell front squat and double kettlebell press \u2013 the third entry being \u201cthe best thing you can do with kettlebells,\u201d according to John. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cYou can call the area from your neck to your knees whatever you want,\u201d John says. \u201cLots of people call it the core, but saying \u2018the core\u2019 is like saying \u2018doing cardio\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s an overused term. The three words I use for this area are armour, anaconda and arrow.\u201d <\/p>\n Armour means packing on muscle, anaconda is the harnessing of internal pressure (bracing) for stability, and arrow refers to the ability to move powerfully. John believes training with two kettlebells is largely unrivalled in its ability to develop all three areas, building a fit, functional and robust body. <\/p>\n Step four is to take your training outside<\/a>. You don\u2019t need me to tell you that spending time in nature is good for your health, so why not combine this with your regular workouts for bonus perks? There are some unexpected extra benefits on offer too. <\/p>\n For one, your workout starts early. Lugging a kettlebell to your chosen spot in a park is a decent warm-up in and of itself, and it covers your loaded carry work for the day. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Training outside also makes you more adaptable, John says. And adaptation is the reason we exercise, whether that\u2019s wanting to look better, perform better or feel better, mentally and physically. <\/p>\n \u201cTraining outside makes you more like a jazz performer,\u201d John says. \u201cMaybe the ground is soggy so you can\u2019t do a lot of ground work; maybe it\u2019s unseasonably hot; maybe your usual spot has been taken by a family picnic. You have to adapt.\u201d <\/p>\n Finally, we reach step five. You have the constituent parts of a successful exercise plan, and now you just need to put them all together. John gives an example of how to do so in this sample kettlebell training plan<\/a>. <\/p>\n However, he also encourages intuitiveness among his clients. No one knows your body and what it is capable of better than you do. It is down to you to use the raw ingredients above appropriately and create a suitable exercise plan. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cAs you learn more moves, you can figure out that one day a week is a mobility day, one or two days a week are \u2018get sweaty\u2019 days and one or two days a week are \u2018get strong\u2019 days,\u201d John adds. \u201cThe piece of equipment remains the same \u2013 the kettlebell.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou also always have to leave something in the tank,\u201d he continues. \u201cIf you work out so hard today that it impacts your workout tomorrow, you\u2019ll actually end up regressing. It\u2019s far better to have 365 days of training consistently than one incredibly hard session followed by nothing for the next few days.\u201d <\/p>\n Therein lies the quiet beauty of the kettlebell. It sits in the corner of a room for most of the day like a glorified doorstop, then transforms into an entire gym when it comes time to exercise. <\/p>\n Having a whole gym on hand at any hour of the day allows for accessible, time-savvy workouts, and these in turn lead to consistency \u2013 the common denominator behind any successful fitness plan. To start transforming your fitness, simply grab a kettlebell and get into the swing of things. <\/p>\n Get the Well Enough newsletter<\/p>\n![\"Get](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Well-Enough-Harry-3_2.png\")
Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore (The Independent)<\/p>\n