I originally wrote this article back in 2014 when I was the lead editor and head strength and conditioning contributor at Jiu Jitsu Magazine.
Now, in 2023, my views have changed on kettlebell training for BJJ.
Back then I was a fresh student of the RKC turned StrongFirst system, and eager to share the powerful benefits of kettlebell training with the BJJ community.
The kettlebell’s versatility makes it extremely useful for developing functional strength, power, and endurance that directly translates to the mat.
A few rounds of heavy KB circuits can leave you feeling just like you were shark tanked by a room full of black belts.
Plus, they’re efficient.
You can train with them anywhere and for multiple qualities.
In 2014 the 5 exercises I included were:
- One Arm Thruster
- Grappler’s Row
- Cossack Squat
- One Arm Swing
- Turkish Get Up
These are still phenomenal exercises for grapplers and I highly recommend them to anyone who trains.
And, kettlebells are still one of my favorite tools to train with, especially for minimalist strength and BJJ durability.
But, there was just one thing missing when I wrote that article; rotational exercises.
Nearly 10 years later, my beliefs on training have evolved, as have my needs as a grappler nearing 40.
So, here are the updated 5 best kettlebell exercises for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!
1. The Turkish Get Up
If you’ve read any of my content then you know how big I am on the Get Up for grapplers. I have written about it many times, including here and here, and now offer a free course on the Get Up here.
The Get Up was the last exercise in my list in 2014 and it remains in 2023, but now at the top! The Get Up is low hanging fruit that’s like taking your daily vitamins.
Plus, is has rotational components built in.
Do Get Ups for a wide range of benefits, especially for aging, banged up grapplers.
2. Kettlebell Windmill
The Windmill is almost like a brother to the Get Up. The two can work together and offer similar, but different benefits to the grappler.
It’s essentially a lateral hinge that takes the body though a unique range of motion that is often experienced on the mat. It’s sometimes known as a fit-in, or the motion you do in a hip throw.
Being strong in this range is hugely beneficial for grappling performance, but more importantly for injury prevention.
The main benefits of the Windmill are shoulder stability, core strength (specially the lateral core), hip mobility, and total body integration.
Much like the Get Up, you can use the Windmill to build strength and stability, but also to improve mobility, or as an assessment.
The Windmill has a unique ability to mobilize the hips, specifically hip rotation, which is absolutely critical for optimal BJJ performance.
3. Rotational Lunge To Clean
The Rotational Lunge to Clean is a combination exercise that is best performed with a kettlebell. This technique builds powerful rotational ability in combination with hip and leg strength and power.
It also trains the core in a way that directly translates to grappling athleticism while also fortifying the spine.
This move makes use of coiling core training, which is built on the spinal engine theory. My original education in kettlebells and strength training was completely void of core rotation.
In fact, it was built on anti-rotation, and always maintaining a braced, neutral spine.
I have come to discover that training exclusively in this way may have hurt me in the long run, including years of debilitating back pain.
The Rotational Lunge to Clean turns the low back from a point of vulnerability into a source of power and vitality.
4. Grapplers Row
The Grapplers Row remains on the updated list. World-class fitness and grappling coach Steve Maxwell taught me this one in 2011, and it’s been a staple in my routine ever since.
I’ve made a few tweaks over the years to the original version, which was essentially a single arm bent over row in a low lunge “takedown” position.
Everyone knows grapplers need powerful pulling muscles combined with a strong core. The Grapplers Row builds both, while also building stability and strength endurance in your takedown stance, including your postural muscles.
The updated tweaks I added to the Grapplers Row include adding a rotation, almost as if you were starting a lawn mower, and now I laterally flex the spine toward the pulling arm.
This lateral flexion allows you to tap into the low lat and really build the muscles of the lateral core.
It’s a 1-2 punch of stability and raw pulling power that makes you a force to reckon with on the mat.
5. Rotational Swings
The kettlebell swing is a beautiful exercise that produces explosive hip power, relevant for all athletics.
I still do traditional swings from time to time, however, I found after doing thousands of reps over the course of 10 or so years my glutes had become chronically tight and restricted.
I also started to question the neurological effects this type of anti-rotational training and consistently driving through the heel was having on my nervous system.
I suspect it had something to do with the back pain I battled for years.
So, instead of throwing out the swing altogether, I upgraded it, including a rotational component and allowing the spine to flex.
The result was rotational swings that still deliver explosive power, but without the low back compression.
I also keep the pressure in the balls of the foot and focus on consistent hip rotation in each rep. This has a nice way of building rotational hip power while also mobilizing each side of the hip.
Rotational swings deliver a kind of explosive athleticism and durability that take your grappling performance to a new level.
Bonus:
Kettlebell Cossack Squat
It’s hard to narrow down exercises into the top 5 but I believe the ones listed here give you the biggest bang for your buck as a grappler.
Most of them develop multiple qualities like strength and mobility.
The Cossack Squat is one of those movements that is exceptional at forging multiple qualities in one.
So I couldn’t leave it off the list.
The Cossack position is seen all over the mat, especially while passing and playing certain types of guards.
Training with the Kettlebell Cossack Squat builds single leg strength, mobilizes the hips, and takes you out of the sagittal plane with lateral motion.
This exercise works the small muscles around your hips and upper leg that get extremely tired from playing guard and forceful passing from the feet.
I use the bodyweight Cossack in every warm up, and with a light kettlebell for loaded mobility or a heavier one to build strength.
So there you have it.
New and improved for 2023 after over 10 years on the mat and in the trenches.
Which one did I forget? Feel free to comment below.
