Smart Workout Diary

Kettlebell Advanced Windmill

The Kettlebell Advanced Windmill is a unilateral hip-hinge exercise performed while holding a kettlebell locked out overhead. It emphasizes the obliques and core while challenging shoulder stability, hip mobility, and hamstring flexibility. It supports full-body control, trunk strength, and overhead stability.

Demonstration

Kettlebell Advanced Windmill — demonstration 1
Kettlebell Advanced Windmill — demonstration 2

Instructions

  1. Set up: Stand with feet slightly wider than hip width. Clean and press one kettlebell overhead, keeping the working arm straight and the wrist neutral.
  2. Find position: Turn both feet about 30–45 degrees away from the overhead arm. Keep your eyes on the kettlebell and brace your abdomen.
  3. Hinge and rotate: Push the hip beneath the kettlebell back and slightly outward. Keep the overhead arm vertical as you hinge at the hips and rotate your chest open.
  4. Lower with control: Slide the free hand down the inside of the forward leg toward the floor. Keep the spine long, knees softly bent, and the kettlebell stacked over the shoulder.
  5. Return: Press the feet into the floor and drive the hips forward to stand tall, maintaining the locked-out overhead position. Complete all repetitions on one side before changing sides.
Muscle Group
Obliques
Type
Strength
Mechanics
Compound
Equipment
Kettlebell
Difficulty
Expert

Technique tips

  1. Keep the bell stacked: The kettlebell should stay vertically aligned over the shoulder rather than drifting forward or behind you.
  2. Move from the hips: Avoid rounding through the lower back; let the hips travel back while the chest rotates open.
  3. Use a manageable load: Start light enough to control the overhead position through the full range of motion.
Exercise library