Double Kettlebell Windmill
- Primary muscleAbs
- EquipmentKettlebell
- DifficultyAdvanced
- TypeCore · Rotation
- Secondary muscles
- Delts, Hamstrings
- Body part
- Core
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
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Two kettlebells at once separate this from every other windmill: one stays pressed overhead while the other hangs from your lower hand and slides toward the floor as you hinge sideways. The bottom bell pulls you deeper into the position, so earn the single-bell Kettlebell Windmill first and start remarkably light here.
How to do the Double Kettlebell Windmill
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in your right hand.
- Extend your right arm overhead, keeping your eyes on the kettlebell.
- Rotate your left foot 45 degrees to the left and your right foot 90 degrees to the right.
- Bend at the waist to the left, keeping your right arm extended overhead.
- Lower the kettlebell towards the ground, reaching towards your left foot.
- Pause for a moment, then engage your core and push through your right foot to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.
Tip: Pivot on the back foot and let the hips turn with the shoulders so the rotation is shared across the whole body.
Muscles worked
Primary
Abs · Core
The obliques rotate the torso and resist the return, and you should feel the side of the waist tighten on each side as you turn.
Secondary
Common mistakes
- Twisting from the lower back — the rotation should come from the mid back and hips; keep the lower back neutral and let the hips turn with you on standing variations.
- Using the arms to swing — on cable and band rotations the arms stay locked out in front of you and the torso does the turning.
- Rushing the reps — control the return and pause briefly at the end range on each side instead of bouncing back and forth.
- Loading barbell twists heavy — gravity barely resists rotation, so keep barbell twists light and controlled, and use a cable or band when you want real rotational load.
Where it fits in a workout
Rotations work at the end of a session with the other core work, or as a warm-up before throws and rotational sports. Superset cable rotations with a cable side bend or pull-through on the same stack.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without kettlebell
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.