What Muscle Does the Kettlebell Halo Exercise Hit?

A kettlebell provides an intense workout for all your major muscle groups. This resistance-training tool was developed more than 300 years ago by Russian strongmen to improve their endurance, strength, balance and flexibility. No longer reserved for strongmen, kettlebells have made their way into most fitness centers. Pick up a bell and try the halo exercise for a heavenly core-strengthening workout with an added upper-body bonus.

  1. Kettlebell

    • A kettlebell resembles a cannonball with a handle. The weights of the bells vary. The American Council on Exercise recommends a starting weight between 8 and 15 pounds for women and 15 to 25 pounds for men. Pick a comfortable weight that you can use to complete eight to 15 halos in each direction.

    Halo

    • In the halo exercise, the kettlebell passes around your head in the shape of a halo. Stand tall and position your feet hip-width apart. Hold the bell in front of your chest with the handle pointing down. Grasp the handles, but face the bottom of the bell up. Exhale and lift the bell over your head. Slightly bend your elbows so the bell begins behind your head. Keep your elbows bent and circle the bell around your head in a clockwise direction. Perform up to 15 halos and then reverse the direction and perform an equal number of halos.

    Core

    • As you perform the halo, pull your navel toward your spine. Your transverse abdominis flattens your stomach, acting like a corset to keep you tight and stable around your middle. The halo strengthens your core as you shift the weight around your head. Your abdominals contract to counterbalance the weight of the bell and keep your torso from shifting side-to-side. The rectus abdominis, down the center of your abdomen, contracts when you bring the kettlebell toward the front, which causes a shortening in the distance between your ribs and hips. Your obliques, along the sides of your abdomen, contract when the bell passes to each side and you slightly bend sideways to shorten the space between your rib cage and hip bone.

    Upper Body

    • The halo also improves the muscle tone of your arms and shoulders. The muscles of your shoulders contract and increase in mobility as you rotate the bell around your head. The triceps on the backs of your upper arms and the biceps on the fronts of your upper arms remain in a contracted state to support the bent-elbow position.