Kettlebell front squats, like barbell front squats are a great exercise for the quads, and might be the single most compelling reason to get a pair of Kettlestacks; The Kettlestack's convenient swing and rack positions make heavy front squats a truly comfortable experience. Even better, the "bail out" is an easy reverse clean that will let you push yourself hard with full confidence. No power rack required - just a mat.

To start, clean a pair of KBs to the rack position; Keep your back flat and straight, head up, chest out, and feet at shoulder width. (Notice that you don't need a power rack, just a floor pad). Keep your core tight through the whole motion as you lower yourself. Keep the weight on the heels as you descend; You should be able to wiggle your toes.

If you've tried barbell front squats, then you might know the difficulty in holding the bar in the rack position requires that you keep your elbows up. Racked KBs are easier to hold in the rack than barbells; There is a certain balance point that requires very little effort from your arms and you can focus on your legs.

Take care to keep the back straight and head up, but if you are still being pulled forward (perhaps due to flexibility problems), try rolling the KBs around the outside of your shoulders to shift the balance point. Front squats can be challenging to your balance and flexibility but you will improve.

Try 3 sets of 10~15 reps with a pair of medium to heavy KBs. Extra challenging is to add front and side lunges with the KBs!

The KB CLEAN is similar to the olympic lift motion in that it emphasizes the hip snap to varying degrees. The clean starts the same as the 1 arm swing, the KB swings to about shoulder height, and the wrist is twisted outward a bit to coax the kettlebell to swing around the forearm. At the top of the clean, you pull the KB into your chest as it swings around your forearm. Be careful not to swing the KB too high or it will land hard on your arms. You can also practice this move with less hip snap to emphasize arms and shoulders. Not hard enough? Try cleans with two kettlebells. The hips can only contribute half as much help to each arm. You'll have to maintain a slightly wider stance to give the KBs room to swing.

For bodybuilders and advanced trainees that want a really good trap,arm and shoulder motion, keep the kettlebells on the outside of the legs, and clean from a dead rest. The outside clean cancels the hip's assistance and resembles the cheating or hammer curl except that there is an explosive shrug at the start to overcome the kettlebell's unique sticking point near the top of the clean. Like the swing, slight changes in timing and position greatly affect the emphasis.

Try 3 sets of regular double cleans with a light or medium KB in the 15~20 rep range (clean form), to get a feel for the motion and the cardio burn.

Maybe, the best part about the clean is that the rack position serves as the starting point for two great KB motions: military press and the Front Squats. Taken together, the clean and military press (C&P) make a great compound motion that hits the whole arm and shoulder along with a challenging cardio load. The C&P has another aspect, just before the KBs rack you should be loose. Then, tighten up and let the KBs compress your rack position. This preloads your traps and shoulder muscles so that you have a strong foundation for the following pressing motion.

For trainees new to KBs, find a weight %33 less than your dumbbell press and try clean and pressing for 3 sets of 6~8 reps. Focus on form and balance. An interesting aside point, if you switch the military press for a jerk, you have the challenging Russian kettlebell event called "Long cycle". Advanced Russian heavyweights are capable of over 100 reps of clean and jerk with a pair of 32Kg in a 10 minute period.

Once you know how to clean and rack a pair of kettlebells, it's time for double front squats.