While having a whole gym’s worth of equipment at your fingertips is nice, it’s certainly not essential for building strength. In fact, overcomplicating your workouts can get in the way of making progress – especially once you’re over 50, when building strength and recovering from training can become a little more challenging.

The key, as many experts will tell you, is consistently doing the basics – and doing them well.

That’s an approach content creator Tommy Lowery, who regularly shares his single-kettlebell workouts on Instagram, embodies in his own training.

In a recent video, he shared the four exercises he never skips in his quest to stay strong at 53. While these aren’t the only movements in his programme, they provide a solid foundation for more targeted upper- and lower-body work, as his other videos demonstrate.

‘I’ve learned that getting stronger after 50 doesn’t have to be complicated,’ he wrote in the caption. ‘Keep the workouts simple, stay consistent and keep showing up.’

The Kettlebell Exercises

In the video, Lowery combines the four exercises into a workout of three to five rounds, but you could just as easily slot them into your existing training plan. He recommends choosing a weight ‘that challenges you while still allowing good form’.

Perform 10 reps of each exercise without resting between movements. Rest for 60 seconds between rounds and complete 3-5 rounds in total.

A1. Alternating RDL × 10 reps

A2. Reverse Lunge × 10 reps

A3. Around the World × 10 reps

A4. Overhead Triceps Extension × 10 reps

How to Do the Moves

Alternating RDL

• Grab your kettlebell and let it hang at arm’s length in front of your thigh.
• Hinge at your hips and lower your torso until it’s almost parallel with the floor. Extend your left leg behind you, keeping your toes pointing towards the floor throughout. The kettlebell should travel straight down towards the floor in your right hand. Extend your left arm out to the side for balance.
• Return to the starting position without letting your left foot touch the floor. That’s one rep. Alternate sides every rep, completing five reps per side.

Reverse Lunge

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the kettlebell in both hands. Brace your core, squeeze your glutes and keep your gaze fixed on a point in front of you.
• Step one leg back, landing on your toes first. Lower until both knees are bent, keeping your front knee tracking over your toes and your torso upright.
• Drive through your front foot to return to the starting position.
• Alternate sides every rep, completing five reps per side.

Around the World

• Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding your kettlebell in one hand.
• Brace your core and move the kettlebell around your body, passing it from one hand to the other.
• Continue moving the kettlebell around your torso to complete a full 360-degree circle. Each full rotation counts as one rep.

Overhead Triceps Extension

• Hold your kettlebell in both hands overhead.
• Bend your elbows to slowly lower the weight behind your head, keeping your upper arms stationary.
• Once your elbows reach roughly 90 degrees, pause before extending your arms to return to the starting position by squeezing your triceps.

If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.

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Lauren Geall is deputy site editor for Women’s Health UK and Men’s Health UK. She graduated from Exeter University with a BA in English Literature before studying an MA in Magazine Journalism at City, University London. She’s been writing about health, fitness and wellbeing for over five years, with a total of seven years in digital journalism. Prior to her current role, she worked at Stylist as the acting health and fitness editor. As well as being a keen runner, Lauren is passionate about women’s sport and can often be found cheering on Arsenal Women at the Emirates or keeping tabs on the Red Roses’ latest win.