Written by Will Duru, BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, award-winning Personal Trainer with over 10 years of experience in strength training and optimising recovery .
This kettlebell and bodyweight superset workout pairs four kettlebell lifts with four bodyweight moves. The kettlebell work trains your legs and hips. The bodyweight moves train your core, plus your chest and arms in the press-ups. You do four supersets of four rounds each, so expect a hard session.
A superset means doing two exercises back to back with little or no rest, then resting after the pair. Here, each pair mixes a lower-body kettlebell exercise with a bodyweight move for a different area. One set of muscles works while the other recovers.
This session suits people who already train. If you are new to kettlebells, learn the main moves first with our five kettlebell exercises at home.
Why Use a Kettlebell for Leg Training
A kettlebell’s weight sits below and away from its handle. That shape suits swinging and hinging moves like the kettlebell swing, where your hips drive the bell forward. It also works well for front-loaded moves like the goblet squat.
Goblet squats and kettlebell Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) load the big muscles of your legs: the quads, hamstrings and glutes. The 2026 ACSM resistance training position stand lists bodyweight and home-based training as effective options, so you do not need a full gym.
Research on kettlebells themselves is still limited. A 2019 scoping review found that most kettlebell studies were small. Treat big claims about kettlebells with caution.
Why Supersets Save Time
Supersets cut rest time, so you get the same work done in a shorter session. In one study of trained rugby players, a superset session took about 24 minutes. The same work done with normal rest took about 42 minutes (Weakley and colleagues, 2017).
The superset session also felt harder and raised markers of muscle damage the next day. Plan your recovery with that in mind. Our easy guide to supersets explains more ways to use them.
The Kettlebell and Bodyweight Superset Workout
Warm up first with a few minutes of easy movement. Focus on good form before speed or load. If you want to check your technique, the 12REPS app shows a trainer demonstration for each exercise in your plan.
If you wear a fitness tracker, treat its calorie number as a rough guess. A study of wrist-worn devices found that none estimated energy use within an acceptable error range.
Workout Table
| Exercise | Sets | Reps or time | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superset 1 | |||
| Goblet squat | 4 | 15 reps | None, go straight to the next exercise |
| Press-up or knee press-up | 4 | 12 to 20 reps | 60 to 90 seconds after the pair |
| Superset 2 | |||
| Reverse lunge | 4 | 20 reps (10 per leg) | None, go straight to the next exercise |
| Alternating plank reach-out | 4 | 45 seconds | 60 to 90 seconds after the pair |
| Superset 3 | |||
| Kettlebell swing | 4 | 15 reps | None, go straight to the next exercise |
| Ab rollout | 4 | 12 reps | 60 to 90 seconds after the pair |
| Superset 4 | |||
| Kettlebell Romanian deadlift (RDL) | 4 | 12 reps | None, go straight to the next exercise |
| Side plank | 4 | 30 seconds each side | 60 to 90 seconds after the pair |
Superset 1: Goblet Squat and Press-Up
- Goblet squat: Hold a kettlebell by the horns at your chest. Squat down, then stand back up. See our goblet squat form guide for the full technique.
- Press-up or knee press-up: Place your hands on the floor. Lower your chest toward the floor and push back up. Drop to your knees if you need to. The press-up exercise page shows the form.
Superset 2: Reverse Lunge and Plank Reach-Out
- Reverse lunge: Step one leg back and bend both knees. Push back up to standing, then switch legs. Our lunge guide covers the technique.
- Alternating plank reach-out: Start in a plank. Reach one arm forward, bring it back, then switch arms. Keep your hips as still as you can.
Superset 3: Kettlebell Swing and Ab Rollout
- Kettlebell swing: Hinge at your hips and hike the bell back between your legs. Snap your hips forward to swing it up to about chest or shoulder height. Your hips do the work, not your arms. Our kettlebell swing guide covers form and common mistakes.
- Ab rollout: Kneel and hold an ab wheel or bar. Roll it forward as far as you can control, then pull it back in. Do not let your lower back sag.
Superset 4: Kettlebell RDL and Side Plank
- Kettlebell RDL: Hold a kettlebell in front of your thighs. Hinge at your hips with a flat back, lowering the bell close to your legs. Then stand up tall.
- Side plank: Lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder. Lift your hips so your body forms a straight line. Hold, then switch sides.
How to Adjust the Workout
- If it is too hard: use knee press-ups, rest a little longer between supersets, or do fewer rounds while you build up.
- If it is too easy: use a heavier kettlebell for the squats, swings and RDLs once you can finish every set with good form.
- Progress gradually: increase the load over time, as the ACSM recommends, rather than adding everything at once.
Summary
This session trains your legs with kettlebell squats, swings and RDLs plus reverse lunges. The bodyweight moves train your core and upper body. Pairing them in supersets keeps the session short, but it is demanding, so build up to it.
Want more sessions in this style? Try our two full kettlebell and bodyweight superset sessions. On gym days, our machine leg day workout trains the same muscles with machines.
If you want sessions like this planned for you, 12REPS builds each workout around your goal, your equipment and your time. Every exercise has a trainer demonstration, and you log each set so you know what to beat next time. Find out more about the 12REPS app.
Sources
- 5 Things to Know About Creating an Effective Resistance Training Plan (ACSM position stand infographic). American College of Sports Medicine, 2026. https://acsm.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Resistance-Training-Position-Stand-infographic.pdf
- Kettlebell training in clinical practice: a scoping review (Meigh NJ, Keogh JWL, Schram B, Hing WA). BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2019. https://bmcsportsscimedrehabil.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s13102-019-0130-z
- The effects of traditional, superset, and tri-set resistance training structures on perceived intensity and physiological responses (Weakley JJS et al.). European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2017. https://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/id/eprint/3890/6/Weakley%20et%20al.pdf
- Accuracy in wrist-worn, sensor-based measurements of heart rate and energy expenditure in a diverse cohort (Shcherbina A et al.). bioRxiv full text; published in Journal of Personalized Medicine, 2017. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/094862.full.pdf
