Strength training is an important part of performing at the highest level across any sport.
Those who strength train are likely to have more athleticism, explosiveness, and a lower risk of injury.
And you don’t need to get under a barbell to reap the benefits of sports performance. In fact, a combination of dumbbell exercises and kettlebell exercises can put you on a path to better on field and on court performance.
While exercise selection for your workouts can vary depending on what sport you plan to play, there are some general exercises that can benefit anyone looking to improve their strength and explosiveness.
In this article, we will pair several of these exercises together into two workouts.
Like any workout routine on Legacy Muscle, it is important to keep in mind that these workouts are highly generalized. They have not been written for a specific individual or sport. Utilize it as a template and craft a workout containing exercises and reps/set schemes you are capable of performing to reach your goals.
Dumbbell and Kettlebell Workout for Athletic Performance Overview
The following workout routine provides two separate workouts. It can be performed 2-3 times per week in an alternating fashion. The frequency will depend on what point within the offseason you are in your strength workouts.
The workouts consist of 5 different exercises per workout. The exercises selected for the workout are dumbbell and kettlebell exercises that help with the goal of developing strength and explosiveness.
Since most of the exercises are technically demanding, you should aim to rest for 3 minutes in between sets to maximize recovery and focus on visualizing the form of your following set.
Remember, these are strength training sessions. As an athlete, you will have other workouts that train your conditioning as well as skill specific workouts for your sport.
Your strength training sessions are no time to fly through your exercises. Perform each exercise with strict form and take full advantage of your rest periods.
Prior to any workout it is important to perform a proper warm up. After your workout, ensure you perform a proper cool down.
Dumbbell and Kettlebell Workout A
| Exercise | Set Range | Rep Range |
| Kettlebell Swing | 2-4 | 5-8 |
| Kettlebell Goblet Squat | 2-4 | 6-8 |
| Kettlebell Clean | 2-4 | 3-8 |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 2-3 | 6-8 |
| Kettlebell Turkish Get Up | 2-3 | 6-10 |
Dumbbell and Kettlebell Workout B
| Exercise | Set Range | Rep Range |
| Dumbbell Row | 2-4 | 5-8 |
| Kettlebell Clean and Press | 2-4 | 3-8 |
| Kettlebell Suitcase Deadlift | 2-4 | 5-8 |
| Dumbbell Floor Press | 2-3 | 6-8 |
| Kettlebell Lunge | 2-3 | 5-8 Each |
Additional Exercises to Consider for Athletic Performance
There are many dumbbell and kettlebell exercises to consider when developing workout routines for sports performance.
I did my best to include some of the best bang for your buck exercises. That being said, you may want to experiment with substituting some of the following into your workouts to better fit your performance needs:
- Kettlebell Snatch
- Kettlebell Clean/Squat/Press
- Dumbbell Split Squats
- Dumbbell Bench Press
- Kettlebell or Dumbbell Lateral Lunges
- Kettlebell or Dumbbell Thrusters
Final Thoughts on Dumbbell and Kettlebell Workouts for Athletes
Dumbbells and kettlebells are perfect tools to utilize when building strength and explosiveness for athletic performance.
The exercises you will want to perform when training for athleticism require significant attention to detail and practice. Ensure you start by training these movement patterns with either light weight or no weight. And do not be afraid to elicit the help of a trained certified strength and conditioning coach to help you develop your form.
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