36-Min Kettlebell Upper Body and Core Strength Workout | Sculpt Arms, Shoulders & Abs!

Hey, everybody. I'm Amy from Bodyfit by Amy. And this is your kettlebell, upper body and core workout. In this workout, we are going to strengthen and sculpt your entire upper body, arms, back, shoulders, chest and abs. And within this, I'll be giving you lots of different options to work to your fitness level. Are you ready? Let's do it. Let's start. Just by getting our bodies warm, we can march and pump those arms. We're going to get a full body dynamic war up. Yes, we're just working our upper body today, but that does involve our core, our torso, our spine, and it always feels good to get that mobility through our entire body. Right. So we can go ahead and start rolling those shoulders. Start small to the back. Make them a little bigger as you go. You can see behind me I have three kettlebells. They are all different sizes. I have my 17 pound, my 26 pound and my 35 pound. I'll probably be using all of them at some point today. Let's those arms out big open right through here and you can add a little step out or side lunge to it just to open up the hips right here. So we'll be doing some stuff where we're working with the kettle bell in one hand, some single sided, right side and left side, and some things where we are taking it between two hands, all of it. I will give you options to work to your fitness level. Let's take those arms up to an eye, drive the hips to the back and then to a Y, hips to the back. Just alternating between those two. So we warm up through the spine and through those shoulders. So I'm going to encourage you to be where you are today. You do you use the option that is right for you. Of course, if you don't have kettlebells, you can sub in a dumbbell or if something feels too heavy or too light, you can use a dumbbell. Kettlebells just make it a lot more fun. One of my favorite tools, weight distribution, is a little different. They move a little bit differently. So it's a great way to add variety and get our body moving in a different way. Spice up those workouts. Right through here. One more. And here, let's take our hands flat back down and round it up all the way through. So throughout this workout, we have three quick circuits. We're going to be alternating between some upper body push, upper body pull, and of course some core. And again, I'll try to cue you when you may want to go a little heavier or a Little lighter. Let's take those legs out right through here. So we'll be mainly focused on strength today. Some things may get your heart rate up a little bit more, but the goal is to get our body resistance training, strength training, getting our body under load to strengthen our muscles and our bones and improve our overall health. So we're going to hinge it right here, and if you can, you're going to inchworm it out. If that's not right for you, you can go down to your knees and walk it out. You can stay on those toes or just stay up on the hinge, but drive the hips to the back. Walk yourself out. Warming up through the spine, through the core, and through that upper body. Right through here. Taking your time, feeling the core kick in. And one more. Let's take it one more. And if you're up, go ahead and meet me down on the mat, either on your knees or on your toes, and can be here. We'll go a little forward and back into our core. And then let's rotate to the side so you can drop that knee if you need to and rotate from the all fours position. Or you can be in that high plank up to you. Whatever is a better option for you. Let's get one more each side from the knees or from the toes. So we're opening up through the shoulder, through the back and through the spine and the obliques. Go ahead and walk those hands back. Take your time. Slowly roll it up. All right, team, tap it out and reach across. All right, so here is what we have got today. We're getting it done. We're going to start with some upper body pull with a single arm row. So with that, I want you to try to go heavy with it. I'll give you the option to use the bench. You notice I have a bench behind me. It is totally optional. If you don't have a bench, don't worry. Everything can be done on the floor. If you have one, there are some great ways to use it, and I'm going to show you. All right, so first round of everything is 40 seconds. Second round is 30 seconds. We'll try to get through this workout quickly. Big stretch right through here. All right, so our first exercise is a single arm row. These are the big muscles, our lats all down our spine. So if you have something heavy, I'm going to try to do this with my 35. You can either be in a staggered stance here, Nice flat back pull from the floor towards the hip, or if you have the bench, it's a great way to rest your knee on here or something that you can use as a bench, maybe a couch or a sturdy chair. Take this leg out to the side and back just a bit. And again, pulling from the floor. You don't have to go all the way to the floor, but we want a nice flat back. So get set. Standing or on the bench. Here we go. Pull towards your hip and down so you're squeezing. And the reason I say hip, or sometimes you'll hear me say rib cage is to try to keep it out of those upper shoulders. Right. Not here. Really pulling down to work along the spine. And again, because of the weight distribution of the kettlebell, it does make it more challenging because that weight, that ball, is at the bottom. Squeeze. Yes. Got five seconds. Can we get maybe two more? Oh, that's heavy for me. But I'm gonna keep challenging myself, even if I have to slow down. Let's take it other side. So again, you can either stagger from a standing position, but you do want to be low with it. So we're not pulling with just our arms. We want to be using the back or knee on top. Let's get it done. Ponytail. 3, 2, 1. Core engage. So core is in nice and tight. Hips and torso are parallel to the floor, so we're not twisting with it. Right. Left side is harder for me, but I'm gonna go for it right here. Yes. Ah. Side is always harder for me, and there's nothing wrong one. If I needed to to go a little lighter, maybe I'll do that on my second set or to slow it down, but I always don't want to lose my form. If you're starting to lose your form, maybe a little bit too heavy. Last one, and relax. All right, team, so the next thing we have got is our overhead press. So we're gonna take the kettlebell between one hand, and we're just gonna press and down just like that, here to here. All right, so we're here. Medium to heavy kettlebell. We're not going to let ourselves arch our back. We're going to pull that core in tight and just press it here. You don't have to go straight over your head. Think a little bit out in front. Core engage. Three, two, one. Here we go. Up and down. Right here, we're going over our head. And again, if you start to feel like you're arching your back one that way, maybe the weight may be a little too heavy, and you may want to go a little lighter or maybe a little bit Too light. You may want to go a little heavier. Maybe that you have too much room either way. Keeping the core engaged. Over the head. In 3, 2, 1. And relax. All right, team, our next one is going to be a core exercise, but it's gonna look simple but feel hard. We're gonna hold the weight at one side, and we're gonna do a march. Here's what we've got. We're gonna go 20 seconds holding it on the right. This is just your offset carry or march, and the same thing. Other side. A carry would just be walking around the room with it. If you'd rather do that, I want you to try to go heavy because it's low. It's going to pull you down. But that's where we're really going to use our core. All right, so it is a March. We're going 20 seconds, right. 20 seconds left in 3, 2, 1. Now, I want you to think it's not just a march, right? We're not just here, but knee raise. Feel how that's different, right? Trying to go heavy with this and really use your core. Let's switch our sides right here. I like to have this other hand out. That helps me try not to let it pull us. Right. That's where the challenge comes in to play. Right here. And relax. All right, team, so we're gonna go through each one of those again, this time with our row. If you want to do a full rotation, you're going to turn it all the way in and down. You can just to make it a little different. You don't have to. It's 30 seconds. With our press, we're going to separate it out right and left. If that's not right for you, you just keep it between two hands. I'm gonna go with my light one, and then we're going to do a racked march instead. So 30 seconds on round two. Hang with me on that row. Try to go heavy. Let's step it back. 30 seconds again. I'm going to turn my wrist and my elbow and my shoulder for that mobility and still work on my strength. 3, 2, 1. Right here. Bring it up. And here. Core is still engaged. I'm still keeping the shoulders and the hips square to the floor while I pull with my back. Yes. Five seconds. Can I get one or two more and relax? Turn yourself around. Remember, again, you can be staggered on the floor, standing, or knee on a bench. Let's get it done. We've got 30 seconds. Wrap that core. Rotate if you can. Three, two, one. So this whole workout is back to basic strength. We're never going to do anything too crazy, but I am giving you some options just to get a little variety, especially in that second round, like this rotation. But they're options if you're a beginner or you're new to this or you feel better going a little heavier on your true back to basics. That's where I want you to be. Right here. Yes, team. Three, two, one. And relax. Oh, man. We'll see if that 35 comes back out. All right, team, so this time, if you were able, if you have a kettlebell that works for one hand or you have the strength to do it, don't worry if you don't. We're gonna rack it here, up and in. All right, so I'm gonna go with my 17. If that's not right for you, I just want you to keep it here for two rounds. We're gonna go 30 seconds on each side, a little breather in between. So rack it here, as in on your collarbone. You're resting right here. You're going to rotate up in the press, then back down. We'll rest in between. Again, be aware of that core. Stack those hips under the ribs in three, two, one. And here. Yes, you can. This is gonna get tough for me. I know. So I'm gonna really take my time with it. Right. Sometimes we do this from the mat, from a kneeling position or half kneeling, and it starts to get challenging, and we feel more of that core again. Starts to feel like too much. Take it between two hands. Finish out here. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Breathe for a second. Let those arms stretch. Yes. Now we'll take it. Same thing. Other side again. Out and in. And if it starts to get heavy like it did for me, take it between two. Racket. I gotta switch my watch here. Yes. Three, two, and bring it in. Take it out and in. I know that is tough, so do the best you can. We're out and in. And if you start to feel like you're losing form, like, I feel like I'm gonna get a little twisty. I'm just gonna take it here, up and down. Last 10 seconds. Just want to give you that option because you might have a lighter kettlebell or you might have that strength to go heavy. Three, two, one. Relax. All right, team, so we're gonna keep the shoulders working to that core. Last thing here with that march, but here's what I want. If you can go a little heavier and rack it, we're gonna march for 30. We're gonna march for 30. All right. A little different. If you want even more of a challenge, you can do that march overhead. I'm gonna keep it here, so I'm gonna go medium 26. It's gonna be challenging, but remember, it's my core, even though the arms are gonna feel it too. So join me here. Here we go. It's a march. And again, if you'd rather it be a carry, you can walk around the room with it, still being aware of your core, but you might feel better here. You can also hold it between two hands in the middle. I know. Keeping it up. Feel that core. Feel that upper body. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Relax. Stretch those out. All right. I know we should have put them together right in another workout you'd probably do. And here, bringing it up and down. We've done that before. For now, let's Finish Strong. Racket. 3, 2. March. Single March or weighted march, as in single sided. If you want to keep it down below, that works too. Don't underestimate this exercise and try to go heavy, all right? As in try to go heavy. Don't underestimate this exercise, thinking that it's easy. Go heavy. Use your core balance. This is one of the most functional core exercises out there, and it is harder than it looks when you're really challenging yourself with the weight. 3, 2, 1. Relax, team. All right, let's shake out those arms. All right, so I know that was a lot, so no time on the clock. Just get a little stretch through here so you can stretch it out. Then we're gonna grab some water. I know that was a long first circuit. Don't worry. They get a little shorter as we go, and we're going to be taking some stuff down onto the mat. Let's reach it over right here. Yes. All right, team, now that we're stretched out, let's grab a quick sip of water. Cheers, y'. All. A little more isolated. That's a right side, left side. Let's take it to this next round. Same thing. We're going to have some right side, left side. We're going to start with a slinger curl. So this is a bicep exercise. Then we're taking it down onto the bench. Single sided press. I'm going to give you an option to have two, but here's what we got. Your slinger curl. Go a little heavier than you normally would do on your biceps because this is what it looks like. We're going to use some power to sling it and catch it. So lots of core here. You can pick up your feet like that or you can pivot if that weight is too heavy. You can have a hand here and a hand on top and just turn it this way you can still get the slinger curl. One hand on the bottom of the bell, one hand on top. If you can get the power with it, then catch it. Lots of core when we stop, lots of arm. Go heavier than you normally would on your bicep. Let's get it done. We're gonna get right side, left side. Then we're taking it down to the bench. We'll have a single sided press and then we'll get some core in three. Let's get it done. Two, one. 40 seconds. Sling and catch and back all in one side using some power. It's one of my favorite power moves, but it doesn't have to be a power move. Again, if you want to have a hand here, turn and back. You can still get the swing, but it's just a little more controlled and you have both hands helping if you want to sling, catch, and back. I know many of you told me in the past that you really enjoy the slinger curl. I know I do. I really feel strong in my arms when I do it. You can certainly take it between two hands as well. 3, 2, 1. Relax it down. Stretch that arm back, right? Lots of biceps, lots of shoulder, and then lots of core. As we twist and as we contract, let's get the same thing. Other side. Then we take it down to the bench. Love a good power move, right? In three, two, one. Let's do it. And back right here. Here, Take it up here. Oh. 10 seconds. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And relax. Meet me down on the floor or down on the bench. Either is fine. Here is what we're looking at. We are going to take it with a single sided press. Now, if that is not right for you, maybe you have a heavier kettlebell or you're not comfortable holding it on one side. Then I want you to take it between two hands. So watch me from here. I'm gonna come down on one side. I'm gonna press to the center. It is gonna get heavy. I know. You can always have this hand for a little extra help if you need to put it between two hands. Watch me here. You can also just be right here. Let's take it right side or in the center, starting at the top. 3, 2, 1. Again. If you have a heavier kettlebell, I love a close grip press with that kettlebell as well. I have to go a Little lighter on this one. Let's go with this guy right here. Here we go. And sometimes it's helpful to have. I filmed another workout right before this, this, and I think I'm just feeling a little fatigued, and that's okay, right? It is not about going as heavy as we can or as hard as we can every single time. It's about finding what works for you and where you are today. Relax, team. I'm gonna go with this 17 the whole time, so it's gonna pull you a little bit, especially if you're on the mat. And again, that's where the core is involved. What I wanted for this workout is everything to stabilize our core, work our core while we're also getting that upper body. All right, team, let's take it here. Other side. 3, 2, 1. So what I was saying is sometimes it is helpful to have that other hand going down at the same time. Right here. The advantage of the bench, you can get a little lower with it, right? So you get that stretch and you get more of the range of motion. And it's going to pull your core a little bit as you go to that side. Really stabilize here. But perfectly fine to do this on the mat as well here. Yes. And relax. All right, team, so we're going to take it here. We are going to take it to a pull over crunch. So lighter kettle bell if you have it. Your pullover is what I call Barbie arms. So a little bend in those elbows and you're going over the head, upper back, and shoulders. And then we're going to bring the knees in if you want. Tap the toes down as you pull over. You can lift the shoulders with it, but you don't have to. You can just do the upper body. You can just do the upper and the knees coming in. Or you can do a full crunch with it. Join me here. Starting here. Barbie arms. You don't have to go all the way over, but just to hear everything in. Here we go. Pull over crunch. Lots of stabilization, lots of upper back, top of the shoulders, and a little bit of the arms. It's not triceps, but we are going to get the triceps in later in this workout. Right here. Here. Right here. Yes, you can. And up. Drop the toes, everything in 10 seconds. Then we're back to the top. Slinger curl, single sided press, and pull over crunch. Three, two, one, Relax. All right, team. I know, I'm feeling it too. All right, here is what we've got. We're gonna take it. Slinger curl again, 30 seconds each side. However you did it before with the power. With one or with two hands. That works, buys and tries, right? Then we got our single sided press or together. Then we're gonna finish it with that pullover crunch. All right, let's finish this round. Right side, left side, right side, left side. Together. 30 seconds. Only this time, zip up that core in three, into one. Here we go. Sling it. And back. Sling back. Lots of power, lots of core. Especially when you grab it. Feel that core contract. Little twist with it. Obliques. Lots of arms here. Boom. And relax. Catch your breath. Same thing. Other side in. And here. Or two hands, but twist for your abs. Catch for your abs. Lift with those arms. Strong arms, strong abs. In 3, 2, 1. 30 seconds. And here. Bring it up. Oh, yes. Turn into it. Catch it. Last one. And relax. All right, team, down onto your bench or the floor. Single sided this time. If you want to turn into it in the same way we switched our row. If you want to turn to get a little bit of movement through the joint, you can. Otherwise meet me down on the mat or all the way down on the floor. Either one is fine. But let's finish strong. If you want to turn it in and then Turn it out. 3. Get set. Core engage. 2, 1. Let's do it. Turn it in. Turn it. Palm facing forward. Palm facing in. Use that core to stay stabilized. And again, if you need this. Two hands. That works. Two here. Yes. Five seconds. Can I get at least two more? Woo. Yes, you can. Relax. Get set for that other side. Do whatever you need to do to switch that kettle bell safely. Or again, two hands right in the center. In 3, 2, 1. Turn. Palms facing out. Facing in away from you. Turn them in. Using that core to help you stabilize. Not letting it pull your back this way. Whether or not you're on the mat or on the floor or sorry, on the floor or on the bed. You knew what I meant, right? And here. Boom. Last one. Yes, team. All right. Pull over. Crunch. Again. Barbie arms. Soft bend in the elbows, upper back and shoulders. If you want to lift the shoulders along with those hips, you can. If you want to take it a little bit to the side for a little bit of obliques. That works too. 3, 2, 1. Drop it down. Everything in it can. Just like this. Or you can even just do a march. Maybe that's a better option for you. Lift the shoulders if you want. Take it a little bit to the side if that feels good for you. Yes, you can. I know. Three, two, one. Finish out strong. Yes. All right, team, let's grab some water. Home stretch of this workout. Who is feeling that core? Me too. Cheers, y'. All. All right, let's finish it out. Really feeling my core after that. All right, bench close by. We're gonna use it in just a minute. Last round. It's gonna be a fun one. All right, so we're putting some things together on this just for fun. Maybe some of these more compound moves or two handed moves that you see me do. We did a lot of isolations, right side, left side. But you've seen me do in a lot of the other full body workouts. The first one is a clean and a press. So if you feel comfortable doing this, you're clean, you're going to toss that kettlebell to yourself, you're going to do a press. All right? If you're feeling spicy, you want to get a little squat with it, you can or half squat, but I know this is an upper body workout. You didn't come here for squats. If that doesn't feel right for you, you can just do a bicep curl with two hands and a press. All right, we're starting with that. Getting that heart pumping a little bit. 40 seconds, here we go. We got your clean, we got your press. Back down, back down. So a little hinge here, toss to yourself, little press. It's all power. If that's not right for you, you can do the curl and the press. Down and down. Curl. Either one. Let's finish it strong. One more. Yes. Relax. All right, team, we're gonna keep that kettlebell right in front. We're gonna do a gorilla row, but we're gonna go wide with it. So wide row. And here and here. So I want you to have to reach across a little bit so we really get a little bit of a twist. But keep those hips square, wide for your back and your shoulders. Heart rate's up. Right, let's get it done. 30, 40 seconds. 3, 2, 1. And here, right here. Wide. Yes, you can. Nice flat back. You're staying low with it. I know that makes it a little more challenging. You just stay down there with it, but it gets that back working and that core stabilizing. Last one and relax. All right, meet me on the mat. I actually want you to be on the mat this time. I'm going to try my heavy, but I'm gonna have a little lighter one close by. This time. You can either just do that close grip press like you may have done before, or if you feel comfortable with it, it's overhead triceps. Not everybody loves that. So if you want to just keep the close grip press, you're still going to get the triceps, but you're flat on the floor, bending at the elbows or pressing here. Shift those shoulders back. Here we go. Now, it's okay on this if you don't have as much range of motion as you do. Maybe when you're with dumbbells, that's okay. I just want you to shift it back a little bit so it's going not right to your forehead, but a little bit over your head still through the elbows. And again, you're still going to get your triceps working for this motion. So that feels better for you, that feels safer for you. Maybe your hands are a little sweaty like mine. That's okay. But if you can get a little bit of tries back of the arms. Yes. Five, four, three, two, one. Last thing. Let's turn it over. Here's what we got. Team Kettlebell in the front. When our elbow's here, we're tapping, we're tapping. All right. You can also be on your knees if that's better for you, but a little reach to the kettlebell, so make sure you're far enough back. Let's bring it up in that high play or low plank. 3, 2. Elbow plank or genie plank, actually, rather. So hands can be here. We're here. Maybe straight on is better. So you are going to get a little movement. That's what we want because it's a little bit of a hip dip to get obliques, but also lots of core. We'll get all those again for 30. Then we'll call it a day. Team. I know. 10 seconds. 4, 3, 2. And relax. All right, team. Each one again. Let's get it done. We're starting with our clean and our press or curl and press. Lots of power. Gorilla row matte. Then we call it a day. 3, 2, 1. 30 seconds. Clean down and down. A little bit of power. Little half squat. Yes. Or here. Clean press. Down and down. 10 seconds. Yes, you can. Last one. Relax. Ha. There is that heart rate right now. We're gonna go wide with it. 30 seconds. Wide and wide. All right, so you're crossing a little bit. We're getting our shoulders. Here we go. And mostly pulling from our back. That's helpful. Sometimes this helps. Going out wide. I like a hand here, so I can really stay low with it. Save this last, last lightning round for the end so we could really add some power. Still isolating those muscles, still making them Work hard for strength. 3, 2, 1. Relax. Meet me on the mat. We got triceps, then we got that tap. I'm gonna go a little lighter on my triceps so I can get a little more range of motion. You do you. You meet me all the way down. Core engage. Shift it back. Here we go. This is where sometimes it gets a little tricky because I know sometimes we have that. A bigger kettlebell. Some of the bigger, especially if you have a plastic one or some of the bigger ones with a wider base, gets a little harder to hold. So just do the best you can. And again, if you need to, this works. I know. Yes. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Last one, team. We're gonna get that little tap. If you want to add something to it. Here, here, here, here. But you don't have to pick what's best for you for these last 30. Here we go. Or how about tap? Rotate in. Tap. You can be on your knees too strong. Core. Stay lifted. Yes, team. I feel like I'm getting further away from my kettlebell. Five seconds. One more each side. Three, two, one. Stretch it back. Yes. We did it. I want you to stretch back with that child's pose. Right here, man. Yes. Big stretch. If you want. Put one arm under, get that little shoulder stretch right through here. And then other side, reach. And then coming up on all fours, roll through. Cat. Cow. We're going to keep this cool down pretty short, so please make sure that you get some more stretching on your own after this workout, but also through your week. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today to get this upper body and core kettlebell workout. Roll back onto your feet. Come up halfway. You can hold that little stretch there. Either hands on your legs or on the floor on the bench. Slowly make your way up. Leave me a comment, let me know how are you feeling? Feeling, especially if you have some options. And again, it's okay if you don't. If you have some options on those kettlebells. Let's reach. Pull that arm over. You can really isolate and make it hard for that single sided unilateral movement. And even those things we do together, right? It can be super challenging. It's a great way to build some more strength, especially if you maybe have some lighter dumbbells. A kettlebell is a good way to do it. Get something heavier where maybe you can go and ahead. Heavy on your rows or your presses. But then we put them together for some other things. Reach those arms to the back. Grab if you can. Again, one of my favorite tools. That's why I have a bunch of videos on them. But let me know how you're feeling in the comments. How you're feeling after this workout. Let's press those fingertips down. Let your head drop so we stretch all the way through here. And of course, don't forget to subscribe to my channel so we can get more people people moving. And I can keep making these workouts for you. Check out everything in the description. Join us in the BodyFit Athletic Club on the BodyFit by Amy app. Right through here, team. Yes. Let's get one big deep breath in and out. You did it. That was your kettlebell, upper body and core strength workout. Great job, everybody.