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Go Go Go Cardio Kettlebell Circuit

How do you move fast?

Lower the reps.

This workout lowers the reps and it moves fast.

So... I don't know about you... but I got a need...

A need for speed!

(Anybody know the movie??)

Let's get into this circuit.

Go... Go... Go... Circuit Breakdown

Okay there are technically three mini-circuits in this workout... but one of them is really an active rest circuit.

Never heard of active rest... read my post on active rest exercises .

Here's the workout breakdown:

Circuit 1:

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    4 Kettlebell swings

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    2 Kettlebell snatches per side

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    2 Burpees

Circuit 2:

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    2 Racked squats

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    2 Racked lunges

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    1 Pop to goblet squat

"Circuit" 3:

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    60s Plank hold

Here's how this breaks down...

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    Do circuit 1 for a 2 minute AMRAP

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    Do the plank hold for a 1 minute "active rest"

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    Do circuit 2 for a 2 minute AMRAP

Count the number of rounds - obviously - for the AMRAP circuits.

For the active rest circuit... count (track) the number of times you had to put your knees down and grab a quick rest.

Equipment Note

In the video I use kettlebells. They just allow you to move a little faster.

But you can do this workout with dumbbells. It is tough to do swings with a dumbbell but definitely possible. You just have to go a little lighter.

For the pop to goblet squat... if you're using dumbbells... just do goblet squats.

Let's get into breaking these exercises down.

Go... Go... Go... Exercise Breakdown

Kettlebell Swings

Kindal in the loaded position with a good hip hinge and she's focused on staying balanced over her feet.
Kindal is nearly standing straight up as the kettlebell comes through her legs.
Kindal at the top of the kettlebell swing with her arms swinging out from her shoulders and her body locked out while maintaining her balance.

Get a down and dirty detailed breakdown and learn to master your kettlebell swing .

But for now we'll keep things high level.

Step 1

Get the kettlebell back into a balance power position.

You'll be deep in a full hip hinge. Make sure you don't lose balance and rock backwards.

Step 2

From your power position... plant your feet and fire from your hips hard to get the kettlebell moving.

Two things I want to stress here...

One... make sure your arms stay slightly bent but your arms freely rotate from your shoulder joint. I get stuck here too... it just takes practice.

Two... just because your hips are the primary mover does not mean you shoot your hips forward and arch your back.

At the top you're locked out and your body is in one straight line.

Kettlebell Snatches

Kindal in the loaded position of the kettlebell snatch and notice her non-weighted arm is swinging back to help with the hip hinge.
Kindal coming through the legs and you can notice she's nearly standing all the way up already.
Kindal has already pulled on the kettlebell and got it moving straight up. She is about to punch around the bell to get it over her head.
Kindal has punched around the kettlebell and as she punched she fully extends and presses the kettlebell over her head. This is very based on momentum.

Again... you can do these with kettlebells or dumbbells. The choice is yours!

Step 1

Get your kettlebell into a power position similar to the swing above.

For dumbbells... you'll do more of a floor snatch rather than swing snatch.

But this time make sure you let the arm that is not holding the kettlebell swing back to mimic the movement.

Focus on keeping your feet down and balanced so you can engage your hips more and not rock your body.

Step 2

Fire from your hips to get the action going.

As the kettlebell comes through your legs and out in front of you... tug up on it hard to redirect it's path straight up.

Besides your balance... your focus should now be to keep your elbow close to your body.

Step 3

As the kettlebell passes by your chest it will move above your elbow line and this is when you need to take control.

Punch around the kettlebell so you can reach it above your head and fully extend it up.

You don't want the kettlebell to flop over your arm... you punch around and extend up.

Step 4

Once your fully locked out at the top... get the bell back into a loaded position.

You can bring it down to rack first and then swing it back.

Or if you're more experienced... you can go straight from the top back to loaded.

Make sure you read my article about learning the kettlebell snatch . It will break down these moves in a lot more detail.

You might enjoy these posts too:

Burpees

Kindal is dropping down into the tuck position getting ready to jump back into the plank position.
Kindal jumps back to the top of the pushup position while focusing on keeping her body tight as she lands, but lose enough to drop into a pushup.
Kindal immediately drops into a pushup with control. This is not a sloppy pushup but a well structured pushup on the way down.
Kindal pushups back up and lets her hips sink a little because she transfers immediately into a jump back to the tuck position.
Kindal jumps out of the tuck position. You don't have to jump if you're not comfortable you can just get up on your tippy toes.

One of my favorites. I am going to keep this description short. But make sure you read my full burpee breakdown.

There are many burpee variations ... we're sticking to the classic here.

Step 1

Start standing up and drop down into a crouched position.

From here jump back so you're in a top of pushup plank.

This is a fast exercise so you have to balance by keeping your body tight and engaged while soft and moving fast.

It's okay to be a little sloppy during a burpee.

Step 2

Knock out a good pushup.

But here's the thing... your pushup form will breakdown a little as you push back up.

Why?

Because as you push back up... you're also getting ready to jump back into the crouched position.

This will cause your butt to drop a little as you push back up... that's okay. Keep going with it. You don't want to be too mechanical.

Step 3

Once you're back in the crouched position... jump straight up and get your feet either a little off the ground...

...or get to your tippy toes.

I prefer if you reach your arms straight up. But, even I, will will let my arms go behind me rather than up.

We can both work on it.

Top Of Pushup Plank

Kindal at the top of the pushup plank. Her legs are locked out and her core is pulled in. She is pushing through her shoulders and not letting them sink down.

Now that your heart rate is jacked up...

Your muscles are burning...

Let's see if we can sit in a top of pushup plank and work on:

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    Calming your mind

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    Bringing your heart rate down

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    Quieting the urges to put your knees down

This was really hard for me too...

But you can do this!

Racked Squats

Kindal at the top of the squat which is just a standing position. The difference is her feet are twisted into the ground, her shoulders are pulled back, and her core is pulled in.
Kindal at the bottom of the squat with her torso tall and she is perfectly balanced over her feet as she remains twisting her feet into the ground and core pulled in.

If you need help getting the kettlebell into rack... make sure you read my post about how to clean the kettlebell .

Read about the goblet squat and it will help you with mastering your squat form.

Step 1

Once you have the kettlebell in rack...

Make sure your stance is about hip to shoulder width apart. Over time you'll learn the optimal stance width for your body.

Slightly twist your feet into the ground to turn your leg muscles on and pull your abs in to help you stand up tall.

Step 2

With control go down into your squat.

Because you're twisting your feet into the ground... your knees should track laterally out. This helps prevent your knees from caving in and losing power.

Try to get a little below your hip level which is called parallel.

Like you always here me say... focus on balance. A balanced squat will never betray you.

Step 3

Fire up from the bottom of your squat.

For this workout... you can stop just before you lock your legs out.

While you miss out on the muscle flex... you do increase some time under weight tension... which is good.

Racked Lunges

Kindal standing in the top of the racked lunge. But her body is engaged and she's slightly twisting the front foot into the ground to prep for the step back.
Kindal at the bottom of the reverse racked lunge. She took a big step back but not too big. Her front knee is tracking over the outside of her front foot and her torso remains tall.

For this workout you will immediately go back into a lunge... a reverse lunge.

Don't step forward and lunge... step back and lunge.

Step 1

Get your kettlebell up in rack position.

Pull your core in and shoulders back so you can focus on good posture.

Step back into the lunge. You want to take a big step back but not too big...

You want your front knee to stay over the front part of your foot with active ankle flexion.

Step 2

At the bottom of the lunge... you also want your front knee being pushed out and tracking over the outside of your foot.

Activate your arches.

Keep your torso tall as you push off your back toes and come back to standing.

Remember... like a good squat and good lunge starts with good balance.

Pop To Goblet Squat

Kindal at the bottom of the pop squat. This is like a half and half of a squat down and a hip hinge with good balance over her feet.
Kindal at the top of the pop squat. This is a standing position but not quite as engaged as the top of squat because she is about to immediately go down into the squat.
Kindal at the bottom of the goblet squat. As she squatted down she focused on twisting her feet into the ground and keeping her torso tall.

This is a fun squat combination consisting of a pop squat and goblet squat.

It's an easy combo to learn

If you're using dumbbells.. do a single clean to dumbbell goblet squat. Read how to hold a dumbbell during a goblet squat .

Step 1

Step over your your kettlebell so the handle is in line with your ankles.

Squat down and grab the handle with both hands.

The same good squat form applies even though your arms are not in a normal squat position.

Step 2

Pop up with some momentum and use this to tug on the kettlebell and get it "floating" straight up.

As you stand fully up... the kettlebell will be in front of your chest.

Slide your hands around the hands so you can "catch" the kettlebell under the handles in a goblet position.

Step 3

Now you're in the normal start position for a goblet squat.

But because we're moving a little faster during this rep... you'll immediately drop down into a squat. It's okay to use a little momentum.

But don't lose balance.

Keep your balance tight and the rest of your squat rep should be good.

Are You Ready To Get Stronger With My Training?

There seems to be a lot going on with this workout... but you'll see that it FLYS by fast.

I love using smaller circuits in an already short workout circuit.

Let me know in the YouTube comments how this workout goes. I want to know if you did it.

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Are you more of a DIY lady?

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But right now... I want you to go get Go Go Go DONE!

Let me know how it goes in the YouTube comments . I love hearing from my fit ladies.

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You rock!

Kindal in s deep side kettlebell side lunge working her way through an intense metabolic strength workout.

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