Kettlebells are a staple in many big box gyms, boutique studios, and home workout spaces. With their rounded handles and compact profiles, they come in handy for all types of strength training. Whether you’re interested in building muscle, increasing core stability, or upping your heart rate, kettlebell exercises can be an efficient and powerful way to level up your training.

Though they may be best known for swinging and squatting, kettlebells can also be used to train your upper body. Next time you’re looking to burn out your biceps, triceps, or shoulders, consider picking up a bell—below, we have everything you need to know about kettlebell arm exercises, including which ones come recommended by Peloton instructor Joslyn Thompson-Rule. 

Why Should You Use Kettlebell Exercises for Arms?

Machines, other free weights, and bodyweight training can all help you achieve stronger arms, but kettlebells have some unique advantages. They’re a popular piece of equipment used in functional strength training (that is, working out to condition your body for everyday movements) since you can use them in a variety of ways to build strength, power, endurance, and flexibility. Kettlebell exercises that incorporate explosive or swinging movements (like cleans or kettlebell swings) are especially helpful for building those functional fitness skills by activating the kinetic chain and improving neuromuscular coordination, according to a 2024 research review published in Cureus.

Maintaining your grasp on a kettlebell’s handle during workouts may also help you improve your grip strength, which is considered a hallmark of healthy aging. A 2022 study published in BMC Geriatrics explored the effects of six months of high-intensity kettlebell training on people ages 59 to 79, and found that it significantly improved their grip strength. The participants also experienced small-to-moderate improvements in cardiovascular fitness, body composition, and muscular strength and endurance.

If you’ve only ever used other types of weights for an upper body workout, reaching for a kettlebell on a whim can be mildly humbling. “There’s a misconception that kettlebells will be easy to navigate if you already work with dumbbells or barbells,” Joslyn says. “They definitely take a little getting used to, but are a fantastic tool.” 

If you’re up for it, kettlebells can challenge your body in new ways thanks to their design. “They’re a different stimulus compared to dumbbells because of the weight distribution, and are more challenging, requiring increased core control to stabilize the movement,” Joslyn says.

The same can be said for other stabilizer muscles in your body. For example, performing a one-handed overhead press with a kettlebell will engage the stabilizer muscles in your shoulder more so than with a dumbbell, according to a 2022 study published in the journal Sensors. That’s because the center of mass is within the bell of the kettlebell, which hangs alongside your arm during an overhead press, forcing your shoulder muscles to counteract external rotation. (On the other hand, a dumbbell’s center of mass is within the handle, which lines up directly with your elbow during an overhead press.) Having stronger stabilizers helps protect your joints and keep them moving properly, helping to reduce the risk of injury.  

How Often Should You Do Kettlebell Arm Exercises? 

Generally speaking, Joslyn recommends incorporating kettlebell arm exercises one to two times per week, or whenever you’re training your upper body. How often you should incorporate resistance training sessions into your routine will depend on your current fitness level, goals, and preferences. As a general recommendation, the US Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans suggests that adults incorporate at least two days per week of strength training sessions that hit all major muscle groups (along with 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity cardio).

You might structure your routine with a workout split (e.g. a program that alternates between upper body and lower body days or push and pull movements) or simply do total body strength workouts every few days—how often you want to include kettlebell moves in those sessions is up to you. If you want to let someone else do the planning, try following a trainer-designed strength workout or program, like those offered in the Peloton App and Peloton Strength+. 

How to Warm Up for Upper Body Kettlebell Exercises

While it can be tempting to dive right in, it’s important to take a few minutes to warm up the muscles that you’ll be using during your upper body workout. Fitness experts often recommend dynamic warm-ups (vs static stretches that require you to hold still) to prepare your body physically and psychologically and reduce the risk of injury, according to a 2024 article in the journal Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation. 

Before an upper body kettlebell workout, you’ll want to get your arms moving along with other key players. “I would ensure the shoulders, spine, and overhead position are well warmed up,” Joslyn says. She suggests cycling through the following three exercises.

World’s Greatest Stretch

The world’s greatest stretch gets its name from the fact that it (nearly) does it all, stretching your hips, glutes, hamstrings, chest, back, and shoulders. 

Bear Walkouts

This dynamic bear plank will light up your core while engaging most of the muscles in your upper body, including your chest, shoulders, triceps, and back.

Kettlebell Halos

This kettlebell move is the ultimate shoulder warm-up, as it takes the joints through a huge range of motion, preparing them for whatever strength work lies ahead. Choose a lighter kettlebell (or dumbbell) for this exercise.

9 Most Effective Kettlebell Exercises for Arms

It’s possible to use kettlebells for exercises that isolate your arm muscles (i.e., your biceps, triceps, and forearms), but Joslyn generally recommends tapping them for exercises that work your entire upper body. “When selecting my favorite kettlebell arm exercises, I lean more toward compound moves (like presses, rows, etc.) as I think they’re safer,” she says. “I would be less inclined to do isolated movements like biceps curls with them—for that, I prefer dumbbells.”

Here’s a breakdown of how to do Joslyn’s nine favorite upper body kettlebell exercises:

Single-Arm Kettlebell Overhead Press

The single-arm kettlebell overhead press—similar to one you’d do with a dumbbell—mainly works your shoulders, triceps, and traps (part of your upper back).

Dual Kettlebell Overhead Press

This exercise is similar to the single-arm kettlebell overhead press, but you’ll use two kettlebells to work both arms at the same time.

Half-Kneeling Kettlebell Overhead Press

When you perform an overhead press in a half-kneeling stance, it also challenges your core stability.

Kettlebell Bent-Over Row

Bent-over rows work your back, shoulders, biceps, and core. You can do this move one side at a time or with a kettlebell in each hand.

Kettlebell Gorilla Row

Gorilla rows are similar to bent-over rows, but you rest the kettlebells on the ground between reps. To get low enough to reach the handles, you’ll likely need to widen your stance and more deeply bend at your knees and hips.

Kettlebell Biceps Curl

Joslyn isn’t a big fan of single-arm kettlebell biceps curls because of the kettlebell’s shape, but she likes this two-handed version of the classic arm exercise.

Kettlebell Push Press

A push press is like an overhead press, but you leverage a slight bend in your knees to explosively push the weight above your head.

Kettlebell Floor Press

A floor press offers more shoulder support and allows for a more limited range of motion compared to a bench press. You can do this move one side at a time or work your whole chest at once by holding a kettlebell in each hand.

Kettlebell Lawn Mower Row

During a lawn mower row (also called a single-arm row), you’ll stand in a static lunge and row a weight on one side as though you’re pulling a lawn mower’s handle to start it.

The Takeaway

Kettlebells have a bit of a learning curve, but they’re worth the effort when improving your functional fitness is a priority. While kettlebells aren’t Joslyn’s top choice for arm isolation exercises, she loves the weights for compound movements that fire up muscles throughout your upper body. If you'd like a little more guidance in mastering the moves, Peloton's new kettlebell classes, available on the Peloton App under the Kettlebells Collection, have exactly what you're looking for.

Whether you're pressing, rowing, or curling, the unique shape and weight distribution of a kettlebell challenge your stability and coordination in ways that dumbbells just can’t—and that should be the only motivation you need to add them to your next workout.