Chipper Kettlebell Workouts Every Athlete Must Try

Chipper Kettlebell workouts will test your mental game, endurance and strength. Kettlebells are known for bridging the gap between strength work and stamina; their constantly changing centre of gravity replicates the forces that you’d encounter in day-to-day life.

The chipper format is one of the most popular structures in CrossFit training. The aim of these workouts is to make you reach fatigue in one task, then switch up the demands and keep going. There is a cumulative effect in chipper workouts of course, yet the variety allows for an incredibly high metabolic demand.

The variety also balances competition between athletes, as people naturally have strengths and weaknesses. When a workout features more than three or four movements, both are likely to come up.

Movements in every chipper workout are made intense by pace, load, reps or the combination of them. Ideally, the first round will be hard but possible, moving on to the subsequent rounds will usually require pacing, rest, and breaking the task up into manageable efforts.

How hard are you willing to push it with these chipper kettlebell workouts?

WOD 1

For time:

• 4km assault bike
• 50 box jump overs (24”/20”)
• 2km row
• 50 kettlebell swings (24/16kg)
• 1-mile run

Time cap:

Like with every other exercise technique comes first to assure you to train the right muscles and avoid injuries especially in the lower back section.

Here are five ways to improve your American kettlebell swing – the perfect exercise to train the complete posterior chain, strengthen your posture and work on your overall strength and conditioning.

WOD 2 – Chipper Kettlebell Workouts

Partner workout for time:

• 120 Goblet squats (24/16kg)
• 120 pull ups
• 120 goblet squats (24/16kg)

Every time you break

• 5 synchronised burpees

Time cap: 25 mins

Kettlebell goblet squats are a great way to introduce heavy squat loads without the need of a barbell. They are also useful for working on mobility issues any athlete might have, as the kettlebell can be used as a counterweight and allow them to squat deeper, into the position they ultimately want to be in.

As with all partner workouts, there’s no need to split the exercises evenly. Tackle either your strengths or, even better, your weaknesses!

WOD 3 – Chipper Kettlebell Workouts

For time:

• 400-meter run
• 50 alternating pistol squats
• 40 dual kettlebell deadlift high pulls (6/8kg)
• 30 KB snatches (10/12kg)
• 20 burpee box jump-overs
• 10 bar muscle-ups
• 400-meter run

Kettlebell deadlifts allow for large muscle activation and improve posture. Use the power of your glutes and hamstrings while keeping your core tight as you lift the weight off the floor. The pull in the end will help open up the chest and shoulders.

There are plenty of benefits to performing kettlebell deadlifts. Try out these six variations:

WOD 4 – Chipper Kettlebell Workouts

Kettlebell Karen

For time:

• 150 kettlebell thrusters

This WOD is a spinoff version of the benchmark CrossFit Girl Karen. Don’t be fooled, as this kettlebell variation is equally as brutal.

Complete the reps as fast as possible. Another variation of this workout is performing kettlebell swings.

WOD 5

For time:

• 50 deadlifts
• 50 KB front rack walking lunges
• 40 back squats
• 40 sit-ups
• 30 hang power cleans
• 30 box jumps
• 20 kettlebell overhead squats
• 20 kettlebell thrusters
• 100 double-unders

This workout is sure to leave your legs trembling, so we have left the prescribed weights empty for you to choose.

Source: RX'd Photography

WOD 6 – Chipper Kettlebell Workouts

For time, four rounds of:

• 20 alternating kettlebell snatches
• 15 kettlebell thrusters

Time cap: 25 minutes

Source: Gensan Italian Showdown

While this workout doesn’t necessarily test strength, a lot of stamina will be required. Both movements focus on the whole body and the kettlebell snatches will especially strengthen the lower back, shoulders and hip flexors.