Using Your Core in the Kettlebell Swing

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