Jump-start your weight-loss results in less than 20 minutes with akettlebell workout.
About This Workout
The buzz on HIT (high-intensity interval training) is heating up, with new boutique sweat shops modeled on this to-the-max method popping up everywhere. "All-out intervals push your body past what it's used to, which means you're shocking your muscles and forcing them to change," says Eric Salvador, the head instructor for the Fhitting Room, a recently opened HIT studio in New York City. Jump-start your results in just 19 minutes with Salvador's killer kettlebell routine. Using a pair of 10- to 15-pound kettlebells, do as many reps as you can of an exercise in a minute, rest for 30 seconds, then move on to the next. Rest for one minute after completing the circuit, then repeat it once more. You'll burn a scorching 10 calories or so every minute and feel firmer by the time you towel off.
I am a 53-year-old neurosurgeon and girya aficionado.
Kettlebells are an ideal tool for treating back pain. They not only strengthen the back, but also enable improved posture, improved bending form, and patient confidence. If you are already an experienced kettlebell user, this is likely already evident, but if you are a patient with back pain, read on and open your mind to some extraordinary possibilities.
A personal history of back pain resulted in my professional transformation from a general interest in the brain and spine, to a holistic focus on the cause, treatment, and philosophy of back pain. I spent the first 20 years of my career cultivating techniques to pinpoint, and then surgically treat the often-elusive anatomical generator responsible for back pain. However, personal and professional experience led me to shift my focus towards enabling patients suffering with back pain to help themselves—independently—without their surgeon, therapist, chiropractor, medications, etc.
My journey began when I was a teenager. At the time, any of my athletic endeavors triggered back pain. I accepted this pain as a part of my life. In retrospect, it was a healthy reaction attributable to my innocent age. My acceptance of the pain allowed me to exercise my back—even while in pain. I used a Roman chair (hyperextension machine) that happened to be in my basement. After exercising, I would feel a measure of relief. However, most of my patients are not innocent teenagers and tend to regard their back pain with anxiety. They assume the pain is a result of an injury and something broken must be "fixed".
Later in life I experienced my first herniated disc. After obtaining an MRI, I discovered that I not only had a herniated disc, but also had a chronic stress fracture with a laxity between my L5 and S1 bones. This latter fracture is called a spondylolisthesis.
My reaction to the MRI was eerily similar to the reaction that I tended to criticize in my patients. I was afraid because I thought something was broken. I ultimately managed to overcome my fears and embrace back strengthening again—but this time, with kettlebells.
As in my teen years, I was successful again with exercise. I began to study the muscles of the back (particularly the multifidus and gluteus muscles) in more detail to understand their potential role in both the cause of—and solution to—back pain. I began to encourage my more ambitious and open-minded patients to embrace the idea of back strengthening with kettlebells as a solution to their back pain—even while they were in pain. Almost always, patients who made the effort were rewarded with less pain. These patients learned how their posture and form could change with kettlebell training. Exercise changed their bodies, and their changed bodies changed their minds.
EXERCISE AND PAIN RELIEF: USING STRESS TO CREATE STRENGTH
Back pain can be successfully treated by harnessing the synergy between the brain and the body—or in this case the brain and back—and by harnessing the equally extraordinary capacity of the body (and back) to adapt and change when properly stressed.
Kettlebell training is an excellent medium for using the body’s self-healing and self-changing capabilities. I have used it successfully, at first personally, then professionally with my patients. The typical back pain sufferer usually stares back at me incredulously when I suggest such an aggressive treatment for back pain!
To imagine how kettlebells can help back pain sufferers, it is helpful in to envision the body (and back) as antifragile. The term, borrowed from Nassim Taleb’s book Antifragile, refers to entities which are not eroded or weakened by stress, but instead become stronger.
Our capacity to change as a result of stress is called phenotypic plasticity. Recent research has shown that much of what was once thought to be meaningless DNA in our genome is likely dedicated to individual cells’ capacity to adapt to environmental stressors. This adaptation occurs in the alteration and expression of proteins. When stress is applied to an organism—a cell, an organ, or the entire individual—the adaptation is cumulative and interdependent. The organism’s design changes to match the functional demand created by the stress. This biological matching of functional demand to structural design is called symmorphosis.
An example of symmorphosis in healthcare is the treatment of heart disease. The traditional approach to a minor heart event would focus on medication to protect against a future event. An alternative approach to the same heart event would be to make the coronary arteries bigger. How many of you would look to fundamentally change your heart by gradually training for and competing in marathons? How many of you would become a vegan in order to improve your vascular function? In other words, how many of you would use the body’s capacity to change itself (symmorphosis) as the primary treatment of a disease? Focusing on causing the cells, organs, and body to adapt to a stressor is quite different than the "quick fix" most of my patients crave or have come to expect.
Similarly, in cases of back pain, the back can be changed by the appropriate use of kettlebells. Fundamentally altering the fabric of the back with kettlebells will result in decreased back pain, despite the many possible causes for that pain. The pain may be the result of a herniated disc or spondylolisthesis (which was the case with my situation). Back pain can also be the result of postural changes, muscle imbalances, disused muscles, muscle spasms, or scar tissue in muscles of the back. Kettlebell training is an excellent way of treating all of these etiologies for back pain because the back muscles can change. Back strengthening in this setting can also result in less pain by diminishing the motion between the spinal bones. Thus, the back can be held stiff while bending or getting up from a chair, preventing the sensation of pain.
Back pain always has a psychological component. Kettlebells utilize the psychological principles of embodied cognition. This concept suggests that our minds are inexorably bound to our bodies. For example, we all know that we smile because we are happy, but often forget that we are also happy because we smile. Likewise, learning to move our bodies with increased back strength, improved posture, and form will alter our perceptions of back pain. This is a biologic "bait and switch" of sorts. The patient’s improved mental state is also described by a psychological principle called self-efficacy—the patient’s belief that he or she is able to achieve the goal.
CHANGING MINDS, CHANGING BACKS
My belief in symmorphosis as an approach to back pain, and using kettlebells to treat the pain while strengthening the back, motivated me to write a book on the subject—The End of Back Pain. Obviously, no treatment is perfect and no treatment is universal for all back pain sufferers. However, we healthcare providers are currently doing a poor job of treating back pain. More and more money is being spent on disappointing results.
Earlier, I alluded to my patients’ incredulity when I suggest back strengthening as a treatment for back pain. This conceptual transition is often a difficult task for the patient. When I send patients to physical therapy, therapists often suggest that my measures are draconian. The therapists provide the more "sensible" advice: "let pain be your guide" in what exercises to perform. This resonates with most patients, as they have been indoctrinated with this idea for years. However, I believe that it is wrong. Therapists attempt to protect themselves from legal liability by advising their patients to be guided by the "sensible" warning sign of pain, but in doing so, they limit the patients’ potential gains. This "sensible" advice may in fact be detrimental advice!
As difficult as it is for me, as a physician, to convince my patients of the efficacy of kettlebells to diminish back pain, I’d imagine it’s even harder for kettlebell instructors to encourage their clients to strengthen their backs when they have back pain. If the client subsequently becomes a patient of a therapist or doctor, one can only imagine the ensuing conversation… "He did WHAT to you?"
The scientific rationale provided in my book, and my own experience of empirical success treating back pain with back strengthening, supports the use of kettlebells as an effectual treatment option for back pain sufferers. Ultimately, it is my hope that the onus and responsibility for treating back pain will be shifted from the healthcare providers to the back pain sufferers themselves. Kettlebell instructors are indispensible in this paradigm, as proper form, technique, variety, and safety are essential to success. The key to treating the patient with back pain is to find the "sweet spot". An approach that is too aggressive could potentially result in a set-back, while too little effort might not yield results. Proper supervision by kettlebell instructors maximizes the potential for healing.
One of my favorite quotes is by Michelangelo, "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short: but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark". This is a perfect conceptual guideline for exercising with kettlebells as a treatment for back pain.
Dr. Patrick Roth is a neurosurgeon practicing in New Jersey. He is the Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Hackensack University Medical Center and the Director of the Hackensack Neurosurgical Residency Program. He has authored numerous publications related to the spine. He has been a perennial recipient of Castle and Connolly "Top Doctors" as well as New York Magazine’s "Best Doctors" and New Jersey Magazine’s "Top Doctors" His interests include medical decision-making, minimally invasive spinal surgery, and rehabilitation of back pain. He has had a life-long interest in exercise and diet. He lives in northern New Jersey with his wife and two children.
“In football as in watchmaking, talent and elegance mean nothing without rigor and precision.”
Lionel Messi
Tara’s Road to StrongFirst: Mastering the Turkish Get Up
My kettlebell instructor Todd Scheidt never let me flail the bell around like a crazy person. But now it’s different, I have officially signed up for the SFG I certification and paid the nonrefundable fee. Aside from what that means to me personally, it also means I am representing Todd as his first student to pursue SFG certification. Todd has moved from my trainer to my coach, critiquing each movement as it’s executed.
Currently we are concentrating on the Turkish Get Up (TGU). Usually we warm up with a naked TGU (without a kettlebell, get your mind out of the gutter). Next the pink 18lb kettlebell is added. I hate the pink bell not because it’s pink but because it’s the lightest kettlebell in the gym. That being said, I have come to understand and appreciate the need for warming up, giving your body the signal things are going to get real.
At this point I can regularly get the 26lb bell and have occasionally gotten the 30lb and 35lb bells up for my Turkish Get Up. My short-term goal is to get the 35lb with both talent and elegance through rigor and precision.
Right now I’m focusing a lot on keeping my elbow locked through out the movement.
Below are the TGU steps highlighted with the cues Todd gives at each point.
Initial: A strong Turkish Get Up begins with a deep hand position on the bell, straight wrist, and a packed shoulder.
To elbow: When you sit up think about pulling your elbow (free hand side) into the ground rather than punching or pushing up with the bell. Keep your eyes on the kettlebell.
To hand: Keep your shoulder down and packed as much as possible. Avoid the shoulder creeping up towards your ear during transition.
Low sweep: Brace hard off the hand that is on the ground. Think about externally rotating it against the ground (even though your hand won’t actually move). The cue will help tighten up the Lats and keep the shoulder packed. This is the scary part for me. I am working to trust my strength as I hold a heavy weight over my head and balance on one hand.
To kneeling position (before you windshield): Be in a good position to use hips to make it look smooth. If you are too far away and your upper body parallel to the ground you will lose strength and the move will appear abrupt.
Windshield to lunge up (finish): Complete the windshield and make sure the shoulder remains packed, rib cage down and abs tight to complete a smooth lunge up. Remember to look straight ahead.
Down: Reverse the process.
Overall: Maintain a tight packed shoulder at all times (bell side) and with the opposing side when making ground contact. Tension should be felt throughout, be fully engaged. No mindless get ups!
Most Breaking Muscle readers are not interested in becoming better at ballet.However, these recent findings might impact your sports performance. Ballet dancers had better balance and leaping ability after completing this simple kettlebell program.
The Method
The researchers divided a group of advanced ballet dancers into two groups. One group trained with the usual ballet jump training. The other group replaced the traditional jump training with a kettlebell protocol based on Pavel Tsatsouline’s book, Simple and Sinister. They were trained how to use the kettlebell by StrongFirst kettlebell instructors.
This is the protocol that they completed for three months:
20 one handed swings every minute on the minute for 5 minutes (10 with each hand).
Rest one minute.
Turkish get ups, alternating hands every minute on the minute for 10 minutes.
"In my eye, much of the benefit occurs because you have to reverse the velocity of a heavy weight as it hits the bottom of the [kettlebell] swing."
What They Measured
Balance - The researchers used an Argo Stabilometric platform to measure balance. This machine is used to gauge how much a person sways back and forth and how quickly. In general, we are always fine-tuning our balance as we stand. Dancers were tested while standing on one foot with their eyes shut.
Jumping - The researchers used an optical system to test how high the dancers could jump and how long they contacted the ground. Optical analysis can measure differences in jumps to the thousandths of a second. Ballet dancers need to be able to jump without a big counterbalance movement. A ballet dancer swinging her arms to generate jump is not as elegant. Thus, the dancer jumps from an upright position, then lands and jumps right back in the air.
Heart Rate - The researchers measured heart rate and blood pressure to determine conditioning differences between the groups.
What They Found
As seen in the two figures below, the researchers found improvements in balance and jumps for the kettlebell training group of dancers, while the control group remained the same. Resting heart rate also improved for the kettlebell training group.
What the Research Means For You
One of the more interesting findings in this article is that balance improved. Ballet dancers would seem to already have great balance. Improving beyond their baseline is an impressive finding. Vertical leap increases have been shown in previous research. This study offered a different take on vertical leap, since ballet dancers jump in an upright posture with no swinging of their arms.
Why You Should Care
I write a great deal about the kettlebell swing, and I continue to be impressed by all of the positive effects. It is a simple exercise to teach athletes and the benefits are high.In my eye, much of the benefit occurs because you have to reverse the velocity of a heavy weight as it hits the bottom of the swing. The muscles go from lengthening to shortening quickly, which is important for ballet dancers.
For the rest of us, this change leads to many positive adaptations in the body, including increased absolute strength (e.g., the deadlift), increased vertical leap (seen also in college volleyball players), and balance.
Note: Thanks to Fabio Zonin, Master StrongFirst Instructor, for sharing these results.
References:
1. Borgatti, E., Marcolin, G., Zonin, F., Grigoletto, D. & Paoli, A., "Effects of kettlebell training on lower limb power, body balance, blood pressure and heart rate in a group of dancers," Italian Society of Motor and Sports Sciences (SISMeS), October 2-4, 2015.
My son Brayden and I came up with an original Kettlebell exercise that we are going to call the “Synergy Snatch” or aka “Figure 8 Snatch”. No matter what you call it, it is our new favorite Kettlebell exercise and we’re rolling it out now into our Synergy Kettlebell classes.
The Figure 8 and the Snatch are both very fun and beneficial Kettlebell exercises. So what we started doing at Synergy Kettlebell is combining the two for an even bigger bang for your buck. Give it a try and see what you think.
My recommendation is to start with a set of 4 minutes straight, non-stop work, and progress your way up to a 10 minute set. Start using a Kettlebell weight that is comfortable for you to use, say a medium weight (not too heavy, but not too light), and if it feels easier then increase your reps to ratchet up your intensity. That way you experience a better workout without having to go heavier from the start.
When you can perform an 8-10 minute set with the starting weight you chose then it becomes time to shorten your set and increase your Kettlebell weight so that you are always challenging yourself.
By overcoming challenges we are able to progress. It is through our challenges that we become stronger. Let me know what you think and how it goes for you. For more exercise tips, workouts, and free Kettlebell technique videos visit my website here: http://BobGaronTraining.com
The hip hinge serves as a precursor to everything you probably want to improve, from athletic performance to body composition.
The ultimate hip hinge or hip snap movement is the kettlebell swing... and you're probably doing it wrong.
Many lifters and athletes make the mistake of breaking with their knees first and making it more of a squat pattern. This is wrong. You want to hinge with the hips first, "attack the zipper," and keep the kettlebell as close to the body as possible.
Hip Hinging for Strength and Fat Loss
The hip hinge is a crucial ingredient for pretty much every lower-body movement you'll perform in the gym that doesn't involve a machine or sitting down. Get it down now and it makes everything easier down the road.
The hip hinge is nothing more than any movement which involves flexion/extension originating at the hips and which also involves a posterior weight shift. Breaking it down more, it's important to note that the hip hinge is in no way associated with a squat pattern.
Hip Hinge = maximal hip bend, minimal knee bend. Squat = maximal hip bend, maximal knee bend.
While grooving both patterns is important, I'll place more emphasis on the hip hinge because, well, most people move like shit and don't perform it properly. As a coach, the sooner I can correct the pattern and get an athlete or weekend warrior to perform it right, the sooner I can introduce any exercise I want. The hip hinge makes the learning curve infinitely smaller.
Additionally, the hip hinge (and by extension the hip snap) serves as a precursor to everything I'm looking to improve as a coach, whether it pertains to athletic performance, improved strength in the weight room, improved body composition, or even better posture. About the only thing the hip hinge doesn't help with is body odor or the inability to commit to a relationship.
Grooving the Hip Hinge
The hip hinge needs to be broken down and regressed so that people get it. Lifters with a history of back pain – in particular, flexion-intolerant back pain – will often be unable to hinge through the hips and often compensate by going into excessive lumbar flexion. People with extension-based back pain will still have a hard time hinging through the hips and prefer to crank through their lower back and cause harm to the facet joints and/or pars.
Those aren't the only culprits. People with excessive laxity will have a hard time hinging and may prefer to go into excessive knee hyperextension – with no posterior weight shift – and give the illusion of a clean pattern because they're able to touch their toes. And people who are just "tight" in general and have the movement quality of a pregnant turtle will do whatever-the-hell-it-is-they-do to get the job done. And it won't look pretty.
Here are some of my favorite drills to help introduce the movement:
The Wall Hip Hinge
This is about as basic as it gets. The idea here is to lock the rib cage down (don't allow it to flair out), brace the abs, and to think about "pushing" the butt back until it touches the wall.
Some people may have to start closer to the wall than others.
Rip Trainer Hip Hinge
This plays into a lot of what physical therapist Gray Cook says about loading the hip hinge. There's just something that "clicks" when you add a light resistance and someone has to think about pulling themselves into position. The same rules apply, however: Lock the rib cage down, brace the abs, and don't allow the lower back to hyperextend.
Behind the Head Hip Hinge
This drill is a bit more advanced in nature:
Placing a kettlebell or dumbbell behind the head, slowly think about pushing your hips back without allowing the lumbar spine to hyperextend. This is a fantastic exercise to drill home the point of extending through the hips and not the lower back.
Kettlebell Swing: The Ultimate Hip Hinge Movement
The kettlebell swing is the ultimate hip snap movement and as Dan John notes, "Learning to have symmetry in the movement can jumpstart you to an injury-free career. Do it fast and it's the one-stop shop to fat-loss, power, and improved athletic ability."
Swings are an underappreciated and underutilized exercise. The swing, when done correctly, helps groove a rock-solid hip hinge pattern. And as any competent strength coach will tell you, the deadlift requires a rock solid hip hinge pattern. This is non-negotiable.
Learning to push the hips back and engaging the posterior chain (namely hamstrings and glutes) during a swing will undoubtedly carry over well into the weight-room. It's important to note, though, that the swing is a bit more complicated than just picking up "one of those cannonball looking thingamajiggies" and tossing it around.
The swing deserves some attention to detail. Above all:It's not a squat swing, it's a hip-snap swing.
Many lifters will make the mistake of breaking with their knees first and making it more of a squat pattern. This is wrong and will increase stress on the lower back. We want to hinge with the hips first, "attack the zipper," and keep the kettlebell as close to the body as possible. If the bell itself is trekking below the knees, it's a safe bet you're not hinging and are instead squatting.
Another mistake many people make is allowing the kettlebell to drift away from the body. When we transition from the hike pass to the actual swing and end up with our arms fully extended out in front of us, it's important not to let the bell itself "get away" and cause more shear load on the spine.
You're going to snap/push your hips through and the arms are just along for the ride. When your arms are fully extended, the objective is not to be holding on for dear life; you're going to "relax" for split second, and then pull the kettlebell back down towards the swing portion.
During the "relax" portion, however, you want to be fast (and loose) at the top, but not to the point where the kettlebell is going to jolt your spine (for lack of a better term). The video below tries to hit on both points above – not squatting the swing and not allowing the bell itself to drift away.
And before someone signs off on swings and takes the mindset they're too wimpy or a waste of time, I'd argue they're one of the best ways to train power and explosiveness. Yes, I agree, the Olympic lifts are undoubtedly are the alpha-dog in that regard, so relax, I'm not dissing them altogether. My only argument against the Olympic lifts is that they're very technique-centric and require extensive coaching. Chances are those cleans you call "cleans" are just explosive biceps curls.
As Artemis Scantalides has mentioned, "The purpose of the kettlebell swing is maximal force production. Therefore, if the correct force is applied to an 18 pound kettlebell, that kettlebell can weigh up to 80 pounds. If an 18 pound kettlebell can weigh up to 80 pounds with the correct force applied, imagine how much a 53 pound kettlebell can weigh if the correct force is applied?"
As a result, using the kettlebell swing we can generate a ton of force with minimal loading on the system/body. This is an important consideration for those who are injured and/or have minimal access to weights. And you can bet this will have profound effects on deadlift and squat performance down the road.
The kettlebell swing is a deceptively complex exercise. It looks like a simple movement, but it works a lot of different areas – your glutes, hamstrings, abs, hips, lats and grip. When you’ve got that many moving parts, it’s important to make sure you’re doing the exercise correctly.
By adding a towel, you can get an extended range of motion that will really help you dial in your form. So it’s perfect for beginners or anyone who needs to perfect their swing.
This is an example where a simple change can bring about remarkable gains.
Grab an exercise or dish towel. Put your towel through the handle. The towel becomes your new handle. Do your kettlebell swings like you normally would. The towel allows the bell to go out further and helps you really feel the float of the kettlebell. It makes the movement longer so you can squeeze harder in your abs and your glutes.
Be sure to keep your arms relaxed, let the kettlebell become the pendulum, focus on everything you’re doing and you’ll see the benefits in your swing in no time.
Adding kettlebell training to your workout regimen provides a highly-effective way to build strength, flexibility and power. This full-body complex can be performed two to three times per week, with a minimum of one full day of rest between workouts.
Perform this workout with a moderately weighted kettlebell performing 5-8 single arm repetitions per exercise. Once you’ve completed the series on one side, switch arms and repeat. Move from one exercise to the next with little to no rest. If you’re newer to performing complexes, take 20-45 seconds between exercises (as needed), but try not to place the kettlebell down as you rest. Take 2-3 minutes after the completion of one round (all exercises on both sides). Begin by completing one round of all exercises. As you progress, challenge yourself by completing this kettlebell complex two or three times within the same workout session.
SQUAT THRUST ONE-ARM DEADLIFT
Start with kettlebell between your feet. Bend over and squat down. Place hands on floor, slightly wider than shoulder width. While holding upper body in place, kick legs back. Land on forefeet with body in straight, plank position. Keeping upper body in place, pull legs forward under body returning feet back into the squatting position. From this squat position, place your hand on the kettlebell handle. Perform a deadlift by maintaining a straight back and pressing heels into the ground. Extend the hips and squeeze the glutes, until you reach a complete upright position with forearm pressed to inner thigh and bell between legs.
ONE-ARM KETTLEBELL SWING
Upon completion of the last repetition of the former exercise, maintain the kettlebellin between the legs with the forearm pressed to the thigh. Set the hips back into an athletic position then drive explosively forward, with torso upright, and knees straight so kettlebell is pushed forward and upward. Allow kettlebell to swing back down. As kettlebell approaches lower position, set the hips back while bending knees slightly. Forearm makes contact with inner thigh permitting kettlebell to swing back under hips. Immediately repeat movement and continue to swing kettlebell. Maintain shoulder to eye level height swings.
ONE-ARM KETTLEBELL SNATCH
Upon completion of the last repetition of the former exercise, maintain the kettlebell in between the legs with the forearm pressed to the thigh. Set the hips back into an athletic position then drive explosively forward, with torso upright, and knees straight so kettlebell is pushed forward. As the kettlebell moves through and past the hips, keep the arc of the bell closer to the body than you would with a kettlebell swing, and pull with the arm slightly flexed and elbow leading the way upwards. Allow kettlebell to rotate in hand into inverted position. Punch kettlebell upward in an overhead straight arm position with kettlebell positioned behind forearm.
ONE-ARM CLEAN TO SQUAT AND PRESS
Upon completion of the last repetition of the former exercise, maintain the kettlebell in between the legs with the forearm pressed to the thigh. Set the hips back into an athletic position then drive explosively forward, with torso upright, and knees straight so kettlebell is pushed forward and upward. As the kettlebell moves through and past the hips, keep the arc of the bell closer to the body then you would with a kettlebell swing, and pull with the arm slightly flexed and elbow leading the way upwards. Jump upward extending body. Raise shoulder and pull kettlebell upward toward body slightly with elbow pointing outward. Drop under kettlebell, rotating arm under kettlebell. Catch kettlebell on outside of arm with wrist straight, and elbow vertical, hugging the bell tight to the shoulder and pectoral. This is the rack position.
From the rack position, squat down with feet hip width apart, keeping back straight. Maintain the rack position with elbow vertical and tucked close to the torso. Descend through a full range of motion. From the bottom portion of the squat, immediately extend at the hips, knees and ankles, driving through the heels, as if you were jumping to create momentum. Explosively press the kettlebell overhead to lockout by extending the arm, using your body's momentum to move the weight. Control the weight back to the rack position then back to the hang position with bell in between legs and forearm pressed to thigh.
ONE-ARM OVERHEAD REVERSE LUNGE
Upon completion of the final press of the previous exercise, maintain the bell in a stable and locked overhead position. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. If the kettlebell is in your left hand, you will place the left foot back and vice versa. Forcefully drive your forward heel in to the ground and begin to step your opposite foot behind you placing your toe to the ground. Keep the core tight and lower the working legs back knee toward the ground without any rotation in the knee, hip, torso or shoulder. Once your knee is just above the ground, reverse the motion back to the starting position. Once you reach the starting position, pause and repeat.
Kettlebell swings are among the most destroyed, misunderstood and yet, most popular, exercises there is.
Part of the reason why the kettlebell swing is so butchered by so many people, though, is because of people like me – the fitness professional, personal trainer, strength coach, etc.
There are way too many people teaching the kettlebell swing, that have no business doing so.
Everyone wants to incorporate kettlebell swings, and kettlebell training in general, into their workouts. The problem arises when people don’t take the time to learn the right way to perform it … from someone who know the right way to do it.
You owe it to yourself to take the time to learn the movement. Don’t be that person in the gym who’s squatting and swinging the kettlebell with your arms through their legs and then over your head as you stand up straight.”
The reason so many people are doing kettlebell swings wrong (among many other exercises), and f#*%ing up their lower backs, is because they’re not being taught and/or learning the most basic movement that constitutes a kettlebell swing – the hip hinge.
Our hips are the most powerful joint in our bodies … or at least they should be.
If you don’t know what a hip hinge is, it’s time to stop what you’re doing and learn what it is and how to perform it. It’s not that hard to do …
Before I go into what a kettlebell swing is, and what it should look like, let’s first establish what a kettlebell swing is NOT:
A kettlebell swing is NOT a new version of the squat where we swing a weight up and down with our arms
A kettlebell swing is NOT a shoulder or an arm exercise
A kettlebell swing is NOT an overhead exercise (contrary to what “CrossFitters” may think, try doing this same move with one hand and you’ll understand why – there’s a name for an overhead movement with a kettlebell … it’s called the kettlebell snatch)
So What IS a Kettlebell Swing?
The kettlebell swing is mainly a lower body conditioning exercise, though it does recruit the core, lats and forearms when performed properly … and it can also be used to strengthen the posterior chain.
In its most basic form, a kettlebell swing is a hip hinge with a ferocious and violent thrust of the hips to generate enough power to pull the kettlebell through and “push” it out in front of your body … that’s it.
Learning Cues:
Starting with the kettlebell an arms length out in front of you, push your hips backward while reaching forward to grab the kettlebell, and then …
“Hike” the kettlebell high between your thighs
Maintain a “big chest” throughout the movement, even at the bottom
Shins remain upright, knees only bend to allow hips to go backward
Use hips, NOT arms, to drive kettlebell up and out in front
At top of swing your abs, quads and glutes should be firing & contracted (similar to a plank)
As the kettlebell reaches its apex, it will be weightless for just a split second. Then, use your core and lats to pull it high through your thighs again to load up the hips … and repeat!
When Should You Do Kettlebell Swings?
Aside from the mass mis-education and butchering of the kettlebell swing, this is probably the most frustrating part. Knowing when to plug kettlebell swings into your workouts comes down to one question:
What are you looking to accomplish with your workout?
Typically, kettlebell swings should be performed AFTER all of your major lifts & strength work. The exception to this rule is if the entire workout is based around conditioning, in which case there’s more freedom on where they can be placed.
In rare occasions, using low-rep heavy kettlebell swings to prep the central nervous system prior to deadlifts for those who need a substitute for plyometric exercises such as box jumps or broad jumps is a great alternative.
- See more at: http://www.austereathlete.com/fix-your-kettlebell-swing/#sthash.RuiGYu03.dpuf
