I’m a huge fan of using Kettlebells in Bootcamp type workouts. I’ve previously written a blog on the Kettlebell AMRAP, which is one of my favourites. One of my other favourite Kettlebell workouts for Bootcamp is the “Kettlebell 300”. Being Greek myself I love the movie “300” (about the 300 Spartans) and everything associated with it, which means I love this workout!
Kettlebells offer a unique way to train by forcing your body to stabilize the joints in a different way than dumbbells do, and are great to incorporate an added challenge to functional training, improved grip strength, explosive power movements, and plyometrics.
Incorporating kettlebell work into group fitness is a refreshing challenge to present to your loyal class-attendees. Check out the 401 on the “Kettlebell 300” workout below!
Equipment Needed for the “Kettlebell 300”
In this workout, each participant will require one Kettlebell. The weight of the Kettlebell will depend on the strength and experience of the participant, however use the recommendations below as a “guideline”
Beginner Female – 8kgs
Beginner Male – 12kgs
Intermediate Female – 12kgs
Intermediate Male – 16kgs
Advanced Female – 16kgs
Advanced Male – 20kgs
Workout Description
The workout is called the “300” because upon completion of the workout, all participants will have completed 300 repetitions of five different exercises, done in sets of six for five total rounds. The breakdown is as follows:
Right Side
Single Arm Swing x 6 reps
Single Leg Deadlift x 6 reps
Single Arm Clean x 6 reps
Single Arm Squat x 6 reps
Single Arm Shoulder Press x 6 reps
= 30 reps
Left Side
Single Arm Swing x 6 reps
Single Leg Deadlift x 6 reps
Single Arm Clean x 6 reps
Single Arm Squat x 6reps
Single Arm Shoulder Press x 6 reps
= 30 reps
Total = 60 reps
Repeat for 5 rounds = 300 reps
Workout Length
In terms of how long this workout will take, there are just too many variables to consider such as the following:
- Participant fitness level
- Participant experience with Kettlebell
- Weight of the Kettlebell
- Whether there are any other exercises added in
However, to give you some indication you’re probably looking at about a 15-20 min workout. I recommend trying the workout yourself before instructing a class or Bootcamp to perform the workout.
Variations
The above exercises are just my recommendations, you can obviously substitute the exercises with any Kettlebell exercises (e.g. Kettlebell Bottoms Up Shoulder Press, Kettlebell Hip Thrust, Kettlebell Overhead Lunge, etc), any bodyweight exercise (e.g. push-ups, squats, burpees) or any exercise at all really – depending on what equipment you have (e.g. med ball slams, battle rope slams, etc).
You could also choose to vary up the type of kettlebell swing. Instead of a standard swing you could program swing variations such as a skier swing or a pendulum swing
You can also choose to add ‘locomotion’ exercises after each round of the kettlebell 300.
Example 1
- Complete the 30 reps on the right side
- 20-meter shuttle run
- Complete 30 reps on the left side
- 20-meter shuttle run
- Repeat for 5 rounds
Example 2
- Complete the 30 reps on the right side
- 10-meter bear crawl
- Complete 30 reps on the left side
- 20-meter bear crawl
- Repeat for 5 rounds
Example 3
- Complete the 30 reps on the right side
- 10-meter lateral crab walk
- Complete 30 reps on the left side
- 20-meter lateral crab walk
- Repeat for 5 sounds
You can substitute with whatever locomotion exercise of your choice e.g. walking lunges, lateral shuttle runs, broad jumps, etc.
You could also vary the drill up by completing the right side first (all 150 reps) followed by the left side (150 reps).
Kettlebell Training
Kettlebell training is a specific skill set and usually requires its own specialty certification. If you’re a Personal Trainer or Group Fitness Instructor and to upskill in Kettlebells, I recommend checking out Fitness Education Online’s Kettlebell Certification.
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