There are almost endless options, and training workouts that you have to choose from when you’re training at home. Some are good, a few are great, but many are terrible. Here’s a brief list of options for some programs for the best home workout programs.

Criteria:

1. Simple - programs need to be understandable and easy to follow for someone who isn’t regularly training or who doesn’t have a background in the area.

2. Little or no equipment - most programs should involve a single tool; a barbell, a kettlebell, bodyweight, or somewhere to do a pull-up.

3. Restorative - these should be programs that work when people are suffering from high stress, that build their immune system rather than compromising it (hint: there’ll be no HIIT here...)

4. Still available to buy / access - there are some fantastic programs that are no longer on the market, for the majority of people, me telling you or reminding you of it does no good.

Easy Strength

Easy Strength is a collaboration between Pavel and Dan John. There is an entire book dedicated to this idea, and Dan John has several posts available about the Even Easier Strength program. Essentially it is a push, a pull, a hinge, a carry, ballistics, and some ab work. You can find a link to Dan’s article on the topic as well as a sample below.

Key Idea - 10 reps of each of the main moves + approx. 40 ballistics. Movements should always be easy (about 65-75% effort).

Push - Push Up 2 x 5

Pull - Kettlebell row 2 x 5L/5R

Hinge - Single leg deadlift 2 x 5L/5R

Carry - TGU 5 x 1L/1R

Ballistics - Swings 4 x 10 2H OTM

Ab Work - Dead bugs 2 x 20L/20R

You would gradually let the weight go up as you did this, and might find you need a few kettlebells to make this work, but this is a relatively low equipment program that could have a big impact on your wellness and strength when you reintegrate heavier programming back into your life.

The World’s Fittest Book

Ross Edgley is an abnormal human, he’s done a bunch of different feats that are almost unbelievable, and this The World’s Fittest Book is very well worth a read. In it, he has a simple program from Andy Bolton for people who are looking to improve their conditioning using the swing. It starts with 5 sets of 5 swings done on the minute, then increases by 1 rep per set in each session (5x5, 5x6, 5x7, 5x8, 5x9, 5x10) before then increasing by 1 set per session until you’re at 10x10 (6x10, 7x10, 8x,10, 9x10, 10x10) before you shift over and use a heavier bell. Super simple, logically effective.

I liked the idea of applying this with some strength movements as well, for instance, push-ups and goblet squats. I would do these on alternate minutes with a minute rest following the same rep progression with a bell or weight you could move 12-13 times. For instance, when doing 5x5, you’d do 5 push-ups at 0:00, 5 squats at 1:00, and then rest at 2:00, before starting the process again at 3:00. Proceeding through for 5 rounds. Then you just creep that on up towards 10 sets of 10.

Rite of Passage

It’s an oldy but a goody. Written by Pavel in Enter the Kettlebell a decade ago, this is still my favourite pressing program. Involving pressing ladders that start insanely easy (6 reps!) and cruise towards extremely intense (150 reps!), this program followed with an appropriately sized bell will do wonderful things for your body - just make sure you don’t overdo it!

My advice, which is similar to that provided in the book, is that you want to use a 7-8 rep max bell if you’re starting out, but for people who are a little stronger, I’d suggest using a kettlebell that’s closer to your 8-10 rep max bell and planning on doing a few cycles. You don’t want to be riding the line when you do your 150, you want to be enjoying easy, life-sustaining gains, not struggling with bad reps at the pointy end, and those bells tend to be the ones that do the trick when it comes to this plan.

Power to the People

So you’ve only got barbells? This is a wonderful plan that will make things really easy. Essentially 2x5 on a hinge and a press 5 days per week. Low stress, high yield, Power to the People is a great program for someone who’s early on in their barbell practice or someone who’s never followed a properly periodised program.

Kettlebell Strong / Kettlebell Burn

These are two programs from Geoff Neupert. They are quite different in tone, but Geoff’s programs are almost always fantastic. Kettlebell Strong is a simple strength program that uses double bells and a simple progression in such a way that you’ll get thicker and stronger without putting undue stress through your system.

Kettlebell Burn (currently being given away for free) is a clever fat loss program that uses swings, get-ups, and a handful of other basic kettlebell movements to make you feel good, move well, and ramp up your metabolic rate. This one takes some time a few days a week, but if you’re someone who thrives on a bit of a sweat, this one is nice.

Finding the right program for training at home can be tough but any of the programs mentioned above will help you get on the right track. If you’re interested in training with us at our gym in East Brisbane, contact us and find out how you can get started with a Personal Training session or a Beginner Kettlebell Workshop.

The 5 Best Kettlebell At-Home Workouts