So you've learned to do a hip hinge and you swing kettlebells without any pain in your back.
That's a great first step.
Yet I see this many times, kettlebell swings that look nothing like proper kettlebell swings.
I call them lazy swings.
Women love the kettlebell swing because it does such a good job at shaping a lovely "derrière".
Athletes love the swing for the explosive hip extension training that is so important in sports.
If you do your kettlebell swings wrong or the lazy way, it won't help, only leading to frustration.
By doing a lazy swing you are cheating yourself from getting the best training out of your hips and butt.
This usually happens when the kettlebell is too light, giving a less than optimal feedback to learn the technique correctly, or when instruction is shallow.
There are basically 2 ways of doing good kettlebell swings: a Basic Kettlebell Swing (a 2 stroke swing) and Pendulum Kettlebell Swing (a 4 stroke swing), which is a special case on its own and is used in Girevoy sport competitions.
Most people doing kettlebell swings do not compete, so for this article I will only refer to a basic kettlebell swing, which looks like a dynamic Romanian DeadLift.
It goes like this: hips are pushed back while the shoulders come forward, then the hips are aggressively pushed forward while you stand up tall.
A lazy swing look like a half assed swing where the kettlebell lifts up to hit you in the, well, butt...
Is this familiar? To put it visually if your backside were a doorbell, on every lazy swing it would say Ding Dong! What happens with lazy swings is that the lifter is not moving his/ her hips out of the way in the right direction at the right time.
The arms come crashing in contact with the body, decelerating the kettlebell sharply.
The hips become a fulcrum and the kettlebell only has one direction to go.
It rotates in the hand and up it goes.
Ding Dong! Hips have to be actively pushed back and slightly down! The direction/ displacement of the hips while doing kettlebell swings is mainly a horizontal (forward-backward) projection, but there is still a slight and natural vertical (up-down) element into it.
Do not just bend forward at the waist.
The horizontal and vertical actions happen at the same time as one smooth action, to give a diagonal trajectory.
If you were to let go of the kettlebell as you decelerate it, it should land directly about one meter behind your feet, not swing up towards your butt, Ding Dong! Puha, that was a mouthful...
Here's how to spot it by looking from the side.
While swinging, the kettlebell should always be in the prolongation of your arm, regardless of where the arm is.
Think about it.
If you were to tie a weight on a string, and do full circles, the string would stay stretched out and the weight would appear to be tied at the end of a stick.
While in movement the string and the weight would form one perfect line.
And so it is with the Basic Kettlebell Swing.
By actively pushing the hips back to decelerate the kettlebell, you're going to create a stretch shortening reflex in your hamstrings (back of the legs) and glutes (butt), and get better and more effective loading and training out of those muscles.
The hamstrings and glutes are part of a chain known as the posterior chain.
Most people have sedentary jobs where they sit most of the day, and have a weak and flabby posterior chain.
The swing is a great remedial exercise for the back and butt, mainly because it activates and stimulates the posterior chain, while getting your heart rate up.
Key points to avoid doing lazy swings You should feel a stretch on your hamstrings and glutes on every back swing.
This means those muscles lenghten under load, storing elastic energy and allow you to straighten your hips powerfully.
Swing a relatively heavy kettlebell somewhere between your belt and your shoulder height.
For general strength and fitness, stick to 10-25 reps per set.
Enjoy a stronger and nicer backside!
That's a great first step.
Yet I see this many times, kettlebell swings that look nothing like proper kettlebell swings.
I call them lazy swings.
Women love the kettlebell swing because it does such a good job at shaping a lovely "derrière".
Athletes love the swing for the explosive hip extension training that is so important in sports.
If you do your kettlebell swings wrong or the lazy way, it won't help, only leading to frustration.
By doing a lazy swing you are cheating yourself from getting the best training out of your hips and butt.
This usually happens when the kettlebell is too light, giving a less than optimal feedback to learn the technique correctly, or when instruction is shallow.
There are basically 2 ways of doing good kettlebell swings: a Basic Kettlebell Swing (a 2 stroke swing) and Pendulum Kettlebell Swing (a 4 stroke swing), which is a special case on its own and is used in Girevoy sport competitions.
Most people doing kettlebell swings do not compete, so for this article I will only refer to a basic kettlebell swing, which looks like a dynamic Romanian DeadLift.
It goes like this: hips are pushed back while the shoulders come forward, then the hips are aggressively pushed forward while you stand up tall.
A lazy swing look like a half assed swing where the kettlebell lifts up to hit you in the, well, butt...
Is this familiar? To put it visually if your backside were a doorbell, on every lazy swing it would say Ding Dong! What happens with lazy swings is that the lifter is not moving his/ her hips out of the way in the right direction at the right time.
The arms come crashing in contact with the body, decelerating the kettlebell sharply.
The hips become a fulcrum and the kettlebell only has one direction to go.
It rotates in the hand and up it goes.
Ding Dong! Hips have to be actively pushed back and slightly down! The direction/ displacement of the hips while doing kettlebell swings is mainly a horizontal (forward-backward) projection, but there is still a slight and natural vertical (up-down) element into it.
Do not just bend forward at the waist.
The horizontal and vertical actions happen at the same time as one smooth action, to give a diagonal trajectory.
If you were to let go of the kettlebell as you decelerate it, it should land directly about one meter behind your feet, not swing up towards your butt, Ding Dong! Puha, that was a mouthful...
Here's how to spot it by looking from the side.
While swinging, the kettlebell should always be in the prolongation of your arm, regardless of where the arm is.
Think about it.
If you were to tie a weight on a string, and do full circles, the string would stay stretched out and the weight would appear to be tied at the end of a stick.
While in movement the string and the weight would form one perfect line.
And so it is with the Basic Kettlebell Swing.
By actively pushing the hips back to decelerate the kettlebell, you're going to create a stretch shortening reflex in your hamstrings (back of the legs) and glutes (butt), and get better and more effective loading and training out of those muscles.
The hamstrings and glutes are part of a chain known as the posterior chain.
Most people have sedentary jobs where they sit most of the day, and have a weak and flabby posterior chain.
The swing is a great remedial exercise for the back and butt, mainly because it activates and stimulates the posterior chain, while getting your heart rate up.
Key points to avoid doing lazy swings You should feel a stretch on your hamstrings and glutes on every back swing.
This means those muscles lenghten under load, storing elastic energy and allow you to straighten your hips powerfully.
Swing a relatively heavy kettlebell somewhere between your belt and your shoulder height.
For general strength and fitness, stick to 10-25 reps per set.
Enjoy a stronger and nicer backside!
Source...