Does the Kettlebell Work Your Lower Back?

Like most common exercise tools, kettlebells aren't designed to work any specific muscle group, but you can certainly use them to strengthen your lower back. The key to working this important part of your core is knowing which kettlebell exercises target the lower-back muscles. Even if you use the kettlebell for dynamic movements, warm up before you hoist the weight by performing joint mobility exercises.

  1. Swinging the Halo

    • A dedicated core exercise, the halo works the abdominal muscles in front of your core and the lower-back muscles to the rear. The activity gets its name because you circle the kettlebell above your head in the middle of the exercise. The halo also works perfectly as part of an extended warm-up.

    The Windmill

    • As with many kettlebell movements, the kettlebell windmill -- so called because it resembles the standard toe-touching windmill exercise, except that you press and hold a kettlebell above your head -- strengthens numerous muscles, including those in your lower back. Windmills rotate your spine as you bend to touch your toes with the opposite hand. The exercise also extends the spine as you rise to an erect position. Spinal rotation involves lower-back muscles such as the psoas major, quadratus lumborum and iliocastalis lumborum. The erector spinae and quadratus lumborum are engaged during spinal extension.

    Swing It

    • If you do a kettlebell workout, the chances are good that you perform some type of swing. The basic single-handed swing involves almost every joint in your body. Although it doesn’t target the lower back, the erector spinae and other lower-back muscles perform supporting and stabilizing roles as your spine rotates and extends.

    Squatting with a Pass

    • Squats themselves target your glutes and quads and also engage the lower back to a lesser extent. Adding an around-the-body pass works your lower back more forcefully, according to certified kettlebell trainer Steve Maxwell. Perform the exercise by squatting and then passing the kettlebell around your body, both clockwise and counterclockwise.

    Turkish Get-Ups

    • When you’re looking to build your core muscles, including your lower back, kettlebell expert Mike Mahler recommends the Turkish get-up as an efficient exercise that also strengthens your shoulders. You may wish to place the Turkish get-up in the middle of your routine to offer a very brief break, because you begin by lying on the floor. To get the maximum benefit from the exercise, you must get up steadily, rising into a lunge and then an erect position. Move slowly through the exercise at first. Gradually move faster, working harder and giving your core a better workout.

    Deadlift Your Kettlebells

    • Deadlifts provide an efficient compound exercise that works a variety of muscles, including your lumbar, or lower, spine area. Perform bent-knee deadlifts by holding a kettlebell in each hand. Do straight-leg deadlifts by raising a single kettlebell in one hand. Either way, you’ll work the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum muscles in your lower back. The straight-leg version also strengthens the psoas major. Single-leg deadlifts work to improve your balance.