Hug the bell, nail your squat depth.
Keep your chest up and the bell tight to your body, let your elbows brush the inside of your knees.
Holding a kettlebell by the horns at your chest turns the squat into a self-correcting drill, the front load makes you sit tall and drop straight down between your knees, exactly where a squat should live. The quads do the lifting while your core works overtime to keep the bell from folding you forward. It's the smartest way to learn squat depth, and a legit leg builder in its own right when you slow the reps down.
It's the best squat teacher there is, and plenty for legs early on. Eventually the heaviest kettlebell you can hold caps the load, and that's when the barbell takes over for strength. The pattern you built carries straight across.
The bell at your chest counterbalances you, letting you sit between your knees with an upright torso. With your elbows brushing inside your knees at the bottom, depth arrives almost by accident.
One you can hold at your chest for 10 to 15 comfortable reps, commonly somewhere around 8 to 16 kg depending on your base. The bell should challenge your legs, not your arms' ability to hold it.
