If kettlebells require a little creativity to turn them into an effective chest-building tool, when it comes to training your legs, this is where they really come into their own.

The unique combination of the kettlebell’s handle and the way its weight is distributed makes it almost purpose-built for ballistic exercises. Movements such as swings and snatches allow you to accelerate the bell hard, producing huge amounts of force through your hips, glutes and hamstrings – and making relatively light weights feel seriously heavy.

After all, force isn’t just about how much weight you can move, but how quickly you can accelerate it. You might not be able to load a kettlebell swing like a 200kg deadlift, but try moving that kettlebell as explosively as possible for 10 reps and your posterior chain probably won’t be complaining about the lack of plates.

Their shape also makes them incredibly practical for more traditional strength work. Whether you’re holding one in a goblet position, racking a pair across your shoulders or letting them hang by your sides, the handle and compact distribution of the load can make them easier to hold onto than many other free weights. On exercises such as deadlifts, lunges and loaded carries, that can mean your legs get plenty of work before your grip starts grumbling.

Then there’s the convenience. Kettlebells are compact, portable and almost indestructible. Combine one or two bells with a solid arsenal of bodyweight movements and you’ve effectively got a fully fledged gym that sits neatly in that cupboard under your stairs.

From squats and lunges to explosive swings, snatches and heavy carries, these are the kettlebell exercises you need to build bigger, stronger and more powerful legs.

Kettlebell Goblet Squat

If you only own one kettlebell, the goblet squat should be one of your staples. Holding the load in front of your body provides a useful counterbalance, allowing you to sit deeply into your squat while hammering your quads and glutes.

• Hold a kettlebell close to your chest.
• You can grip the handle with both hands or flip the bell upside down and cradle the body itself – use whichever feels most comfortable and secure.
• Sink your hips back and bend your knees, squatting as deeply as you can while keeping your torso upright.
• Drive through your feet to stand explosively back up.

Kettlebell Front-Rack Squat

The front rack allows you to keep one or two kettlebells tight to your body, making it a solid option when goblet squats become limited by how comfortably you can hold the bell. With two bells, you can also pile significantly more load onto your legs.

• Clean one or two kettlebells into a front-rack position, with your elbows tucked and the bells resting against your forearms and upper arms.
• Brace your core, push your hips back and bend your knees, sinking into a deep squat.
• Keep your chest proud and fists tight beneath your chin before driving the floor away to stand back up.

Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift

The RDL shifts the emphasis away from your quads and onto your posterior chain. Think less about lowering the kettlebells towards the floor and more about pushing your hips backwards until your hamstrings are screaming at you to stop.

• Stand tall holding one or two kettlebells in front of your thighs.
• Soften your knees and push your hips backwards, lowering the bells down your legs while keeping your back flat.
• Continue until you feel a deep stretch through your hamstrings, then drive your hips forwards and squeeze your glutes hard to return to standing.

Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift

Taking a wider stance allows you to sit closer to the kettlebell while bringing your inner thighs into the equation. It’s also one of the simplest ways to turn a heavy kettlebell into a genuinely challenging lower-body movement.

• Stand with a wide stance and place a kettlebell between your feet.
• Push your hips backwards and bend your knees to grip the handle with both hands.
• Brace your core and drive through the floor, extending your knees and hips simultaneously to stand tall.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top before lowering the bell back to the floor under control.

Double Kettlebell Deadlift

Two kettlebells immediately double your loading potential, while their handles make them straightforward to position either side of your body. Unlike a barbell, there’s also nothing running across your shins, allowing the bells to travel naturally alongside you.

• Stand with a kettlebell outside each foot.
• Push your hips backwards and bend your knees until you can grip both handles.
• Take a deep breath, filling your core, flatten your back and drive the floor away, standing tall with the bells hanging at your sides.
• Reverse the movement under control, pushing your hips backwards before returning the bells to the floor.

Suitcase Deadlift

Putting all of the load on one side turns a deadlift into an anti-rotation exercise as well as a leg-builder. Your job is simple: lift the kettlebell without allowing it to pull you sideways.

• Place a kettlebell next to one foot.
• Hinge at your hips, bend your knees and grip the handle with one hand.
• Brace your core hard and keep your shoulders and hips square as you drive through the floor to stand.
• Lower the bell under control without leaning towards the weighted side.
• Complete your reps, then switch hands.
• Squeeze the non-working hand hard to create tension through the whole body and stop yourself from slacking on the ‘resting’ side.

Kettlebell Swing

This is where kettlebells earn their reputation. The swing teaches you to accelerate load violently using your hips, turning a relatively modest weight into a serious challenge for your glutes and hamstrings while developing the ability to produce force quickly.

• Stand with a kettlebell slightly in front of you.
• Hinge at the hips and reach forwards to grip the handle.
• Hike the bell back between your thighs, then explosively drive your hips forwards, using the momentum to propel the bell to around chest height.
• Allow it to fall naturally before hinging again and immediately powering into the next rep.
• Your arms guide the bell – your hips provide the horsepower.

American Kettlebell Swing

The American swing takes the bell all the way overhead rather than stopping around chest height. That extra range adds more work for your shoulders and upper back, but the initial acceleration should still come from an explosive hip extension. What this creates is a degree of ‘accountability’ for the hip drive – if you start phoning in reps, the bell won’t make it all the way up.

• Perform a kettlebell swing as normal, driving your hips forward powerfully, but allow the momentum to carry the bell upwards until your arms finish overhead.
• Keep your ribs down and avoid excessively arching your lower back at the top.
• Allow the bell to fall, guiding it back between your legs before snapping your hips forwards into the next rep.

Double Kettlebell Swing

Once one kettlebell no longer provides enough resistance, swinging two allows you to significantly increase the load without changing the basic mechanics. More mass means you’ll have to produce more force to get those bells moving.

• Take a slightly wider stance with a kettlebell in each hand.
• Hinge forward and hike both bells backwards between your legs.
• Explosively extend your hips, using that acceleration to propel both bells forward.
• Allow them to reach around chest height before gravity takes over.
• Hinge as they travel back between your legs and immediately drive into your next rep.

Kettlebell Snatch

Yes, the snatch is a full-body exercise. But getting a kettlebell from between your legs to overhead in one fluid movement requires an enormous burst of acceleration from your posterior chain. Your hips, glutes and hamstrings start the party; your upper body finishes it.

• Place a kettlebell in front of you and grip it with one hand.
• Hike it backwards between your legs before explosively extending your hips.
• As the bell accelerates upwards, keep it close to your body, pulling your elbow high before punching your hand towards the ceiling and allowing the bell to roll smoothly around your wrist.
• Reverse the movement and flow directly into your next rep.

Goblet Lunge

Holding one kettlebell at your chest gives you three easy options. Forward lunges demand more deceleration as you step and catch your weight; reverse lunges tend to feel more controlled and allow you to load the working leg deliberately; walking lunges keep you moving continuously and are ideal for piling up volume.

• Hold a kettlebell tightly against your chest.
• For forward lunges, step forward and lower your back knee towards the floor before driving back to standing.
• For reverse lunges, step backward instead, keeping your weight over the front leg.
• For walking lunges, drive through your front foot and bring your rear leg straight through into the next stride.

Front-Rack Kettlebell Lunge

Rack a kettlebell on each shoulder and suddenly lunges become a much heavier proposition. As with the goblet version, you can move forward, backward or continuously depending on what you want from the exercise. Use a single bell in this position to make the load off-centre and add an anti-rotation stimulus.

• Clean two kettlebells into your front rack and brace your trunk hard.
• Step forward, bending both knees until your rear knee approaches the floor, then drive back to standing.
• Reverse the direction for reverse lunges, or continue stepping forward for walking lunges.
• Keep the bells tight to your body and resist letting your torso collapse as fatigue builds.

Suitcase Kettlebell Lunge

Letting the kettlebells hang by your sides removes the demands of the front-rack position while adding plenty of work for your grip. Hold one bell to create an offset suitcase lunge, or one in each hand for a heavier farmer’s variation.

• Stand tall holding one or two kettlebells by your sides.
• Keeping your chest up, step forward or back and bend both knees until your rear knee approaches the floor.
• Drive through your working foot to return to standing.
• With a single bell, fight hard to keep your torso upright rather than allowing the load to pull you sideways.

Suitcase Carry

Loaded carries might not look like conventional leg training, but take a heavy enough kettlebell for a long enough walk and your lower body will get the message. The unilateral suitcase variation also forces your obliques and trunk to work hard to keep you upright.

• Pick up a heavy kettlebell in one hand and stand as tall as possible.
• Pull your shoulder down and back, brace your core and begin walking with controlled, purposeful steps.
• Resist leaning towards or away from the weight.
• Walk for your prescribed distance or time, switch hands and repeat.

Farmer’s Carry

Simple, unpleasant but an incredibly effective and underrated exercise. A pair of heavy kettlebells lets you load your entire body while covering ground, challenging your legs and trunk alongside your grip and cardiovascular system.

• Stand between two heavy kettlebells, hinge down and deadlift them to your sides.
• Stand tall, brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
• Walk forward with quick, controlled steps, keeping your chest proud and avoiding excessive side-to-side movement.
• Keep going for your prescribed distance or time before lowering the bells under control.