The kettlebell swing is the primary reason that kettlebells are known to be one of the most effective workout tools around. I would argue that the most effective workout tool is your own body, after that, the kettlebell. The swing is the best exercise with the best tool you can find, needless to say, it is important and will provide massive results. However, with all of that said, I would estimate that most people are doing their swings wrong. When I say wrong, I mean either inefficiently or unsafely, and often times both. If they are only inefficient, yet unlikely to injure you unto themselves, this still may be a sign of potential injury down the road. The kettlebell swing is about developing better motor patterns for everyday lifting, this helps diminish synergistic dominance. Synergistic dominance is where the “helper” muscle in any given movement ends up doing more work than the primary mover. This happens for many reasons, often because of a sedentary lifestyle causing tightness in the hips and shoulders that throw other areas out of whack.
The basic moves in kettlebell training can take a long time to master. A simple deadlift is a coordination of dynamic and static strength in your entire body. In order to deadlift weight properly, one must get their feet flat, hips moving, back straight, shoulders engaged and time in breathing as well. For anyone that has never practiced functional exercise before, this can be quite challenging to do at first. I often compare it to driving a standard transmission car, where every push of the clutch pedal and shift of the gear must be thought about, until eventually you become unconsciously competent.
Using Your Core in the Kettlebell Swing:
When it comes to most of the movements involved in the world of functional strength, a great deal of coordination is typically involved. When people learn the most basic lift of all, the deadlift, they often have to pay attention to many different factors in order to perform it correctly. What may look like a basic lifting motion is often really a complicated combination of coordinated collaborations between various muscle groups. The deadlift requires you to push through the center of your foot, using your glutes and hamstrings while keeping your back completely flat. You will need to tie in bracing in your core with breathing and good range of motion just for the simple deadlift. That’s a lot to concentration at first! Just like driving a car, the coordination becomes second nature, and when that happens you can progress your training. The swing comes after the deadlift, as it is a very similar movement but done more quickly and requires greater core stability.
While I have often talked about good technique in the kettlebell swings, and even talked about this very topic in the past, I feel it is time to dig deeper about proper bracing in your core when you swing a kettlebell. Even with my clients that have been training with me for a while, I often see this mistake trying to creep it’s way back in. I often see people at the top of the swing arch their back, lengthen their abdomen, and keep their hips closed. The kettlebell swing is about developing a strong posterior chain and much needed flexibility in the hip flexors. If you aren’t taking the opportunity with every kettlebell swing to open up your hips to neutral and plank out with proper alignment, then you will not get the benefit of the exercise.
In this video, I am going to go into depth about what to look out for and give you a visual reference to guide you in correcting your swing. Observe your technique or team up with a friend and continually re assess your movement. The kettlebell swing, like so many other exercises, is a plank in motion. You must demonstrate the best plank possible in order to see the benefit you can expect from the swing. You may notice that the heavier the bell, the more obvious this demand becomes. For this reason, the heavier bells can actually fix the swing better than the lighter bells. Proceed the way you know is the best for you and never swing the kettlebell with anything less than excellent technique.
The focus of this video is specifically about utilizing your core when swinging the kettlebell, I will show you what not to do as well as what to do. While my focus today is specific about this one issue that I very commonly see, although it certainly isn’t the only one. You may also observe my swings and compare them with your own on many other levels. Often one issue will lead to another and another. Keeping your feet flat is key and not rounding your back as you come down is probably the first thing to learn. My goal is to polish your swings. By doing this you will be able to swing heavier, safer and the greatest benefit from them.
Thank you for reading,
Peter Hirsh
If you observe fifty people swinging a kettlebell, the chances are you will see fifty variations of the kettlebell swing. Most of the time this is because the person is still learning good form or hasn’t been instructed properly. It can also be a result of the practitioner performing perfectly appropriate variations, which I am going to demonstrate for you today. There are three kettlebell swing variations that are completely safe and effective. In fact, they are the reason kettlebells have the reputation of being such an effective workout tool. Let’s take a look at the three variations of the kettlebell swing:
Hard style two handed swing:
The kettlebell was developed to be a one handed tool. However, the two handed swing has it’s place and importance in your training as well. The two handed swing will allow you to progress your strength phase dead lift into the power phase. It will also allow you to swing a greater overall load than the one handed swing, albeit for shorter repetitions. Keep your back flat, your feet flat and hip snap as you plank at the top.
Hard style One handed swing:
The hard style one handed swing looks very similar to the two handed swing, with the exception of the free hand. On the one handed swing the free hand will follow the path of the kettlebell to assist in the momentum and help float the bell. This swing will require you to resist any rotation in your core and you will not follow the bell down as deeply with your chest. Similar to the two handed hard style swing, you will end in the plank position with a hip snap. Generally, keep these to lower reps of eight to twenty.
Pro Style one handed swing:
The pro-style, or girevoy sport style, kettlebell swing is specifically for endurance training. It is excellent for competition but not the most appropriate for the casual practitioner. The pro style swing will allow you to follow the path of the bell downward with a chest drop and slight torso rotation. This swing isn’t accompanied by the hip snap at the end like the hard style swing.
What do they all have in common?
- The are all driven by the hips, with a flat back and feet flat on the ground
- They all go to shoulder level, no higher
- They all require the pendulum with acceleration and deceleration in your glutes and hamstrings
What other differences?
Two handed hard style: Your most able swing. You should be able to use a heavier bell and really learn the move. This swing uses more muscle than cardio. When your grip fatigues in this swing you are done here, no free hand to switch to!
One handed hard style: Promotes side to side unity more than two handed swings. You may also be able to last longer in your grip because you can switch back and forth. You will feel this more in your upper back than the two handed swing and you will really have to fine tune your technique to perform it right.
Pro style swing: For high rep with medium/heavy bells. By following the pendulum this swing doesn’t resist the momentum of the bell as much. You will last longer for high reps, requiring total concentration for a longer period of time. Use these mainly for variation unless you have a goal to compete in the sport. The hard style kettlebell movements are generally safer and more appropriate for the at home practitioner and all around athlete.
Thank you for reading!
Peter Hirsh
For more information on the Kettlebell Swing click here.
The kettlebell swing is one of the most fundamental lifts for building overall strength and conditioning, not to mention burning calories. Although a wonderful exercise I often see people performing the swing improperly. Today I am going to talk about fixing the kettlebell swing and address the common mistakes I see people making.
When fixing The kettlebell swing, the first mistake I will address is swinging the bell higher than shoulder level. This has become a common mistake among people due to poor instruction. Swinging the bell above shoulder level defeats the purpose of the swing, and is potentially dangerous; avoid any instructors who say otherwise.
The next mistake I see often is the preemptive squat. This is a term I use to describe people sitting back in the swing too early. When you reach the top of the swing, the tight plank position, let the bell fall in a controlled arc. Sit back with your hips the moment the bell reaches your body. I see many people trying to squat too soon, this changes the arc of the bell making it feel heavier and can aggravate your knees, elbows, and shoulders.
Swinging the bell too low is another very common mistake. The kettlebell swing is a front to back movement, not up and down. You should be able to swing a kettlebell while standing directly over another kettlebell, if you hit the bell on the ground; you’re swinging too low. In fact, you should have lots of clearance.
Swinging with knees. If your knees rock backward in the backswing and forward in the upswing, you’re swinging with your knees. Learn to keep your knees in the same place - directly over the ankle regardless of the phase of the swing you are in.
Rounding of the back. People that haven’t perfected the deadlift often suffer from this deviation. Learn how to sit back into your hips with a flat back, practice it until you can’t get it wrong before even considering kettlebell swings.
Feet and knees roll out or in during the movement. Your feet should be flat on the ground; training with shoes that have cushy soles can cause this to occur. I recommend barefoot or minimalist shoes, even Converse all stars aren’t a bad way to go because the sole is flat.
Too big of an arc is another common mistake when swinging a kettlebell. Many people end up making a very big arc in their swing. Pull the bell back toward you by pulling your shoulder blades together. Keeping the bell front to back instead of up and down and not squatting too early also helps tame the arc.
These are not the only problems I correct with kettlebell swings but they are the most common. Watch my video carefully and ask yourself if you are keeping the same form. If you have questions about your kettlebell training let me know what help you would like to see in the future!
Thank you for reading,
Peter Hirsh
