What Are Hot Potato Kettlebell Exercises?

Kettlebells open up various exercises designed to develop your mid-section, arms and legs, but some are not terribly clear. Hot potato kettlebell exercises fall into the latter category. At first, they seem surprisingly easy and do not seem to work multiple muscles. That changes the first time you bring a kettlebell up and start tossing it between your hands.

  1. Form

    • Correct form ensures you target the correct muscles when performing any modification of the kettlebell hot potato. To start, place a kettlebell 24 inches in front of your toes, keep your feet slightly wider than your hips. Bend over, grab the handle of the kettlebell, swing the kettlebell between your legs and then swing it up, toward your head while keeping your abdominal muscles contracted. Hold the kettlebell in this position, with bent elbows and slightly bent knees. This is your starting position for all variations of the hot potato exercise.

    Praying Hot Potato

    • When in the starting position, hold the handle of the kettlebell while pointing the bell section of the weight at the ceiling. Allow the kettlebell body to lower until it sits on the outside of your forearm. Flick your wrist and weight toward the center of your body. Release the handle as you slide the fingers of your other hand through the handle opening. Keep your hands close together to better your chances of maintaining control of the weight. Continue flicking the weight between your hands for 10 repetitions before resting for the next set.

    Bottom Up Hot Potato

    • Two different types of hot potato exercises fall into the "bottom up" category. The first type keeps the handle in your hand, but you hold the weight vertically as you toss it from hand to hand. It engages your forearm as you struggle to keep the kettlebell vertical. Keep the repetitions around 10 per set, while performing two to three sets before resting. For the second type, you hold the kettlebell body in one hand, with the handle resting against the inside of your forearm. You throw the body of the kettlebell from hand to hand. This takes balance away from exercise, but still requires tight core muscles to balance your body.

    Posture Variations

    • The position of the kettlebell handle in relation to your hands is not the only variation to the hot potato exercise. Increase the bend of your knees to sink your body into a squat position. Perform one or all of the hot potato variations while staying in the squat. Add additional leg resistance by bouncing your body up and down 1 inch each time the kettlebell changes from one hand to the other.