Kettlebell Exercises During Situps

Kettlebells are typically used in explosive exercises such as the kettlebell swing or the snatch. These exercises are good core workouts in their own right, but if you want to target the abdominals and hip flexors more directly with your kettlebells, you can add them to situp movements. Start with the standard situp, then, as your strength builds, move on to the more advanced movements and the Roman chair.

  1. Kettlebell Situp

    • Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Grasp the sides of the kettlebell's handles and hold it pressed against your chest. Raise your upper body to an upright position, perpendicular to the floor, while keeping your heels on the ground. Then return to the starting position to complete one rep. You can either increase the weight to build more strength, or the number of repetitions to build endurance.

    Kettlebell Situp with Press

    • This move is a good way to increase the difficulty of the kettlebell situp, and to build toward more difficult maneuvers. As you lower yourself back to a flat position in the situp, extend your arms so the kettlebell is above your head. When you sit up, pull it back to your chest. When you are at the top of the sit up motion, press the kettlebell overhead, lower it back to your chest, then return to starting position.

    Get-Up Situp

    • This exercise is so called because your arm positioning is similar to the “Turkish get-up” exercise. Lie flat with your legs straight out. Hold a kettlebell straight up toward the ceiling in one arm. Raise your upper body to an upright position, all the while keeping your arm pointed straight upward. The straight legs make this a tougher core exercise; holding the kettlebell overhead also works the shoulder stabilizers. Make sure to do an equal amount on both sides.

    Kettlebell Situp With Legs Up

    • Lie on your back and raise your legs straight up. Lift your upper body and arms upward, and touch the kettlebell to your toes. As you get better at this, you can turn the exercise into a pike. Lie flat with your arms extended over your head, holding the kettlebell on the floor. Raise both your upper and lower body in a pincer movement, and touch the kettlebell to your toes. Then return to the starting position.

    Roman Chair Kettlebell Situps

    • You can also perform each of these exercises on the Roman chair or glute ham raise station. This allows for a greater range of motion, and the upward force exerted by your legs to hold you in place adds an additional dimension to the exercise. To make the exercises even tougher use two kettlebells.