Kettlebell Figure 8

Secondary muscles
Delts, Forearms
Body part
Core
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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Threading a kettlebell between your legs in a continuous figure 8 makes your trunk resist the bell's shifting pull while your hands trade it off behind each knee. Grip and rhythm limit the sets more than raw strength does, so choose a bell you can pass smoothly for 30 to 45 seconds at a stretch.

How to do the Kettlebell Figure 8

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in one hand.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  3. Pass the kettlebell between your legs, switching hands as it reaches the back of your legs.
  4. As the kettlebell comes forward, pass it to the other hand between your legs.
  5. Continue passing the kettlebell between your legs in a figure 8 motion.
  6. Maintain a steady pace and engage your core throughout the exercise.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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

Easier and harder

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

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. 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.