The 11 BEST Double Kettlebell Exercises?
- Geoff Neupert
- Aug 24
- 3 min read
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"E" had been stuck on a pair of 24kg kettlebells for years.
After just over a month of working together on technique — he pressed a pair of 28s for 4 explosive reps.
I had to double-check they weren't 24s.
The weights didn't change. The programming didn't change. His technique changed. And that's the thing almost nobody in kettlebell training talks about clearly enough.
Here are the 11 best double kettlebell exercises — ranked in order — and the technique principle that makes all of them work.
THE 11 BEST DOUBLE KETTLEBELL EXERCISES — RANKED:
In order of priority and training value:
1 — Clean + Press
Trains hip power. Builds upper body strength and muscle. My go-to exercise for men over 40. Starts with the hip drive of the Clean and finishes with the strict strength demand of the Press.
2 — Clean + Push Press
Trains hip power. Builds upper body power, strength, and muscle. The leg drive in the Push Press means you can handle more load overhead than a strict press — which means more overload and more adaptation.
3 — Clean + Jerk
Trains hip power. Builds upper body power, strength, and muscle. Can typically handle more weight than the Push Press. Requires more thoracic spine mobility — if that's a limitation, start with the Push Press.
4 — Clean
The delivery system for all overhead work. Outstanding upper back builder and one of the best heart and lung conditioners available with kettlebells. Often underrated as a standalone exercise.
5 — Front Squat
Teaches the proper double KB rack position while building serious core strength and leg strength simultaneously. The Double Front Squat is also one of the best technique diagnostic tools I know — it finds every tension leak in your body instantly.
6 — Press
THE upper body strength and muscle building exercise. No leg drive. No momentum. Pure pressing strength. If you want shoulders, upper back, and arms that look like you actually train — this is where it starts.
7 — Snatch
Lower body power builder and upper back muscle developer. Excellent for cardiovascular conditioning. Requires more technical proficiency than the swing but delivers more total body demand.
8 — Push Press
Second best upper body strength and muscle exercise. The leg drive allows heavier loads overhead than strict pressing. Requires more coordination than the Press — earn the Press first, then add the Push Press.
9 — Jerk
Develops upper body and overhead power. Can add muscle and serves as cardiovascular conditioning. The downside: requires excellent thoracic spine and shoulder mobility. If either is limited, the Jerk will find it immediately.
10 — Swing
Overloads the hips and posterior chain. Teaches full hip drive. Outstanding grip strengthener and cardiovascular conditioning tool. The entry point for all other kettlebell exercises — and more than enough on its own for many men.
11 — High Pull
Teaches the arc control that carries over to the Snatch. Develops the upper back. Decent cardiovascular conditioning tool. Best used as a teaching drill rather than a primary training exercise.
NOTABLE MENTIONS:
These exercises belong on the list — but only once you own the first 11. If you know the proper technique for the exercises above, these become natural extensions:
Farmer Carries, Rack Carries, Overhead Carries, Mixed Carries
See-Saw Press
Renegade Row
Sots Press / See-Saw Sots Press
Z-Press / See-Saw Z-Press
V-Press / See-Saw V-Press
THE CLIENT STORY THAT PROVES THE POINT:
"E" had been stuck on a pair of 24kg kettlebells for years. Not months. Years.
We spent just over a month working together on one thing: technique. Specifically on the Swing, the Double Clean, the Double Press, and the Double Front Squat.
After that month, the 24s felt like 20s.
He pressed a brand new pair of 28s for 4 explosive reps. I had to ask him to confirm they weren't 24s. Same story on the Front Squat. One cue about his feet — keep pressure in your whole foot through the toe box on both the ascent and descent, don't let your weight drift back into your heels — and he instantly got deeper, his core felt rock solid, and the wobble disappeared. One cue. Instant improvement. No new program. No heavier bells. Just technique cleaned up.
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