Strong ON!: 101 Minimalist Kettlebell Workouts to Blast Fat, Build Muscle, and Boost Flexibility―in 20 Minutes or Less

by Pat Flynn

Burn fat, boost muscle tone, build strength, increase endurance, and improve flexibility—in simple daily sessions at home with one versatile piece of equipment.

This straightforward, science-backed kettlebell program is proven to be effective and efficient, and even better, it will only take up 20 minutes of your day.

Pat Flynn is a commanding fitness leader with over 15 years of experience in the industry. His functional kettlebell program encapsulates his exercise expertise and provides you with a minimalist approach to generalist physical empowerment (that means burning the most calories in the least time and covering all the bases—from weight loss to lean muscle growth). This high-impact, easy-to-follow program requires just 15-20 minutes per session and produces notable results. 

Strong ON! offers a variety of streamlined workout agendas with helpful images and comprehensive justifications for its successful results. This foundational fitness guide coaches readers to  

The simplified science behind their exercise routinesThe Big 6 kettlebell techniques and how to execute them safely and effectivelyThe best 101 kettlebell workouts, including how to use them for your unique goalsHow to optimize your training with Pat’s foolproof diet plan and internet-famous 300 Swings challenge 
The scientific secret to a good exercise routine? Strip it down to its most essential components and leave it at that. Whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or expert kettlebell user, this book will transform you into a healthier version of yourself, both internally and externally. So, grab your kettlebell and get ready to achieve your fitness goals.

Genres: Fitness, Nonfiction, Health

224 pages, Paperback

Published December 17, 2024

Reviews

[Online Eccentric Librarian]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

The title says it all here - a simple set of kettlebell exercises and plans, with little fuss. The first 6 exercises include images while the next 12 include links to videos on YouTube.

The book breaks down as follows: Chapter 1: All fitness in a single sentence (the science and Strong On! philosophy). Chapter 2: Kettlebells 101 (why, toolkit, metabolic resistance training, complexes, combos, chains). Chapter 3: Your lift library (big 6 kettlebell lifts and how to do them, double your please, other exercises you'll sometimes encounter along the way). Chapter 4: Choose your generalist fitness adventure (for strength, muscle, conditioning and fat loss, mobility, on training cycles and deloads). Chapter 5: The motherlode 101 kettlebell workouts (strength workouts, muscle workouts, conditioning workouts, mobility workouts). Conclusion. Appendix 1: 300 swing kettlebell challenge. Appendix 2: The world's simplest scientific eating plan. Elevate your kettlebell game, dive into these (free) resources.

All the workouts have QR codes to youtube videos of the exercise but only the first groups has pictures (in black and white). The book is very quick and the author doesn't spend a lot of time on filler. The workouts themselves include a name, the exercise type, and then number of wraps. Each has a prescription time and weight recommendation.

In all, this is very easy to use and you shouldn't feel overwhelmed. The videos are a nice addition to actually see the exercise in practice. It's a bit cumbersome to go to Youtube all the time in the beginning but the videos are for reference when first starting, so you won't need to go there later. The QR codes means not having to type in URLs all the time. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Courtney Harp]

I heard Pat Flynn interviewed on The Art of Manliness podcast (not just for men!) and was super excited to purchase his book and learn about kettlebell workouts. I wanted a workout for 2025 that would assist in muscle strengthening and mobility without requiring a gym membership.

Strong ON! is a fun read with the bonus of QR codes linking to his YouTube videos. These are especially helpful for someone like me who is new to kettlebells and needs proper instruction to avoid injury. Pat has good energy and makes the workouts exciting, and I'm looking forward to a stronger me in 2025!

*The Pat Flynn currently associated with this book on Goodreads is incorrect. I've reached out to the author and hopefully, that will be corrected soon. I own the paperback version because there are helpful photos for techniques throughout the book, but the kindle version is the only option currently listed on Goodreads.

[Jason]

The perfect exercise book. Why?
(1) It doesn't take a lot time to read. High bang for your buck both in terms of cost and time to read. I read in about a day and a half.
(2) It provides structure of different workouts depending on if you want to focus on strength, muscle building conditioning or mobility. The structure includes prescribing 8 week training cycles and then for each cycle what the workout focus should be each day. This gives you a way to structure your weekly workouts.
(3) Flexibility: It includes 101 workouts themed across the 4 different workout types. Thus, while the overall structure is fixed, you have a lot of flexibility in terms of the specific workouts.
(4) Writing is fun, direct and enjoyable to read.
(5) Recommended by fitness expert Dan John.

I use kettlebells for my strength training so this is the perfect book for me.

[Macaira]

Unexpectedly great

I picked this up from my local library because it was recommended in one of their reading list for the new year. I found the author to be interesting and his writing style very fun. It was all easy to understand and straight to the point for the most part. I personally loved the additional unexpected topics of generalism, which I previously knew nothing about, and minimalism and their regard to his personal fitness philosophy. This book is not only a crash course in kettlebell moves but also includes an entire year of workout plans!

[Andrew Truswell]

an excellent overview

This book is suitable for beginners and experienced alike. My only negative is that there could be more about types of kettlebell, and there’s no mention of kettlebell sport

[Elvin Roldan]

Perfect book for kettlebell workout begginers

Perfect book for kettlebell begginers with good concepts and guidance on how to approach and program kettebell workouts without conplications and simple language.

[Markus Siering]

Quick read, very on point - and the work really starts after reading. Have a training plan for the next eight weeks. Lets see where this will get me :)

[Arlindorn]

Well it delivered what is expected. A lot of QR code with video to help understand the moves.

[Brandon]

Read on rec from a friend as was curious about adding kbells to my workouts. Will update review if/when/after i purchase some and let u know if see results.

April 2026: changing review to 5 stars! Have only done kbell workouts in the book and cardio since 1 JAN and have dropped 12 lbs and 2% body fat. Love the variety and that each workout is only 20 mins. Did lose some muscle mass in arms but gained in legs. Will continue to follow the plans and update again later. Bought 25, 35, and 40# kbells for home use and use 26, 40, and 44# at my local gym.