What are they good for?

What aren’t they good for?!  Kettlebell swings enable you to train power endurance, cardiorespiratory fitness and mobility all in one hit.

One of the great advantages of the kettlebell swing is that it can be used to develop power endurance in the posterior chain muscles (hamstrings, glutes and back).  For those of us who have desk jobs, the posterior chain spends a lot of time wasting away in the seated position, which often leads to poor posture and back pain.  And for many athletes the posterior chain is what powers their desired movements: running, kicking, jumping, striking, serving etc.  Further to this, many athletic pursuit specifically require power endurance in the posterior chain - that is the ability to repeatedly and consistently generate power from the posterior chain as opposed to generating maximal power once.

Kettlebell swings can also improve hamstring and hip mobility by providing a dynamic stretch of the hamstrings and glutes (however you do want to make sure you have sufficient hamstring flexibility to perform the swing safely before you use for mobility).  The dynamic stretching under load for the hamstrings can also help protect them against tears in sports where the hamstring needs to work quickly and powerfully through a relatively large range of motion ie. kicking.

In terms of cardiorespiratory fitness, a study by Truman State University in the US found that a simple kettlebell swing protocol (just doing as many 2 arm swings as possible in a 12 minute window, self-regulating rest) was sufficient to increase VO2 max and more challenging than traditional weight training circuits.  For more information on this study click here.

The kettlebell swing really is an all-round great exercise.  To make sure you get all of the above mentioned benefits from your kettlebell swings, read on for some pointers on technique.

To squat or not – using a hip dominant action

There are basically two ways you can swing while maintaining a neutral spine position (which is of course vital for safety): using a knee dominant (squatting type) action or a hip dominant (Romanian deadlift type) action.

The hip dominant swing is preferable if you are aiming to target the posterior chain (and as we’ve discussed above there are good reasons you’d want to do this).  There is a great article on Eric Cressey's site on the importance of glute dominance for improving speed, quickness and explosiveness in athletes for even more reasons to focus on the posterior chain.  Click here for the article.

The hip dominant swing is also a far more efficient swing.  Efficiency of movement will translate directly to the load that is able to be moved in terms of a single repetition or over the course of a set or training session.  Take Olympic lifting: any power leaks (for example any deviation of the bar path from vertical) in a lift will result in reduced efficiency of the movement, which results in a reduced capacity to move a heavy weight.  At the other end of the spectrum, an inefficient running gait in a distance runner will result in premature fatigue and reduced pace.  So whatever your goals, efficiency is paramount.

A squat style swing isn’t necessarily wrong, but you always want to know why you’re doing something and as a general rule the hip dominant swing will be more beneficial for most people.  To train squatting movements, just squat!  In particular, the fact that the swing targets power endurance of the posterior chain makes it somewhat unique (there aren't many lifts around that can do this), whereas it's easy to train power endurance for squatting movements (eg. jump squats and Hindu squats).

Technique for the 2 arm swing

• Stance: have your feet roughly shoulder width or a bit wider (make sure the bell won’t take your knees out on the way through).  Feet should be pointing forward.  Start with the kettlebell between your feet so the handle is in line with your heels.
• Picking up: soften your knees and hinge at the hips, keep your spine neutral (everything from head to hip should stay in a line, imagine you have a broomstick glued to your back).
• Stand up: fully extend your legs and hips, in the same way you would lock out a deadlift.  Make sure you squeeze your glutes as you do this.
• To start swinging: you can go to put the kettlebell back in its start position between your feet but only go halfway so the bell stops just behind your knees and then stand up again.
• Repeat: keep pushing the kettlebell back behind your knees and standing up, getting progressively faster and the kettlebell should start swinging.
• Power with the hips and legs: the quicker and more forcefully you extend your hips, the higher the kettlebell will go.  Keep your arms relaxed and only swing the kettlebell as high as your hips can get it (this will usually be around face or chest height).

This video takes you through the main technique points of the swing.  Note that when I say your knees should be soft throughout the movement I mean they should be soft except at the end of the upward phase of the swing where you extend your legs - sometimes to keep the "hips on rails" people try to keep their legs locked throughout the whole movement and that's no good...

Breathing for the swing

There are basically two types of breathing you can use when swinging kettlebells: power breathing or anatomical breathing.

Power breathing involves exhaling forcefully on the concentric phase (the upward phase of the swing) and inhaling on the eccentric phase (the backswing).  Power breathing is the type of breathing you would use for most of your traditional weight training and is the type of breathing most people are familiar with.  Power breathing is better suited to heavy weights and lower reps – the idea is that inhaling will create intra-abdominal pressure to stabilise the spine when it is in its most vulnerable position.

Anatomical breathing is pretty much the exact opposite of power breathing.  Anatomical breathing is designed to work with the body as much as possible to promote efficiency.  So, on the upward phase of the swing (when the torso is opening up and creating a natural vacuum in your lungs) you inhale, and on the backswing (when diaphragm and lungs are compressed) you exhale.

As a general rule, because kettlebells aren't ideal for very low repetition work (you're much better off grabbing a barbell and doing some powerlifting or Olympic lifting if you want to lift very heavy and work within a 1-5RM range safely).  Anatomical breathing tends to be more appropriate for kettlebell swings.  I often get asked if anatomical breathing is dangerous for your back and the answer is no, if you are working with a weight suitable for a moderate to high rep range and maintain a neutral spine, anatomical breathing  is perfectly safe because the exhalation on the backswing will cause your abs to tighten and brace the spine (put your hands on your stomach and exhale deeply to feel what happens).

Some tips for swinging

• Be very careful of your spine position, any sort of flexion in the upper or lower back is dangerous.
• Only apply tension when you need to, you don’t want to be tense throughout the whole movement as this will reduce efficiency and power (you need to be quick to be powerful).  When you extend your hips and legs, that’s when you want to apply tension.
• If you’re after that hip dominant swing, pretend your hips are locked on horizontal rails and that they can only move backwards and forwards.
• Make sure you fully extend your hips and active your glutes so that they do the work rather than your lower back.
• Allow your chest to come forward when you hinge at the hips so that you finish with your torso on about a 45 degree angle, rather than trying to keep it upright as you would in a squat.
• Keep your arms relaxed, rather than trying to lift the bell with them.
• Stand up, rather than leaning back at the top of the swing.
• When you get comfortable with the swing you can start with a “pre-swing”: have the kettlebell a foot or so in front of your feet, pick it up hinging at the hips and being careful to maintain a neutral spine and immediately swing it back between your legs.

The tips below apply to any sort of swing, I've just used the 2 arm swing to demonstrate:

To swing overhead or not?

A variation of the 2 arm swing involves swinging the kettlebell overhead, so that it finishes upside down over your head.  This is a legitimate exercise but I tend to avoid it, particularly with beginners, because it's quite a vulnerable position for your back and shoulders to be in and requires very good shoulder mobility and stability to do safely.

Again, knowing why you're applying something is all-important and if increased shoulder and upper back activation is the aim of the game then the 1 arm swing is a better, safer option for most people than trying to go overhead in the swing.  If more overhead work is what you're after then pair the swing with something like an overhead press or push press, again to achieve a similar result but in a safer manner.  If you're looking for a single overhead ballistic movement targeting the posterior chain then the snatch (when performed properly) may also provide a better alternative.

The 1 arm swing

The 2 arm swing and 1 arm swing are fundamentally the same, however now that the load is transferred to one arm there are a few differences.

With the 1 arm swing the will be some rotation of the torso on the backswing (the shoulder swinging the kettlebell will drop a bit lower than the other shoulder), however you still need to be careful to maintain a neutral spine.  At the top of the swing, your chest should be square and the shoulder blade of the swinging arm should be retracted.

The 1 arm swing is far more taxing on your grip, and grip endurance is usually the weakest link.  If you want your grip to last longer so the rest of your body gets more of a workout then grip saving techniques are your friend.  Grip saving techniques will also help prevent you tearing your hands when swinging.  The following can make an enormous difference to how long you can hold onto the kettlebell when swinging:

• Hold the kettlebell close to the inside corner (so if you’re picking the kettlebell up with your left hand, your hand will be closer to the right side of the handle).
• Focus your grip on the “finger lock”: thumb over forefinger.  This is very strong and will remove the need to crush the handle with your whole hand, which will tire out your forearm muscles very quickly.
• Internally rotate your shoulder on the backswing so that the handle swings back on roughly a 45 degree angle (thumb pointing backwards).

To keep the movement flowing, the non-lifting arm should also swing and mirror the lifting arm.

The 1 arm swing uses much more of the upper back and shoulder than the 2 arm swing, so really completes that use of the posterior chain.  The 1 arm swing is also what carries over to other lifts such as the clean and snatch (the 2 arm swing doesn't really carry over to these movements).  For those reasons I find the 1 arm swing more useful for my own training and that of my clients and I tend to use the 2 arm swing more in the warm up.  However, that's just my personal preference and as mentioned before the most important thing is always knowing why you're applying a particular movement.

The alternating swing

The alternating swing simply involves passing the kettlebell from hand to hand at the top of the swing.  There are many ways you can pass from hand to hand, but a simple one is to slide one hand over the top of the other.

The alternating swing is a great drill for a few reasons:

• By changing hands you can save your grip, and therefore swing for longer.
• You can get a bit of air time and so throw and catch the bell – done with a moderately heavy bell this is fantastic for developing strong connective tissue in the wrists and elbows.
• The alternating swing enables you to change hands without putting the kettlebell down, so if you are trying to work continuously for extended periods of time it’s very useful.
• The alternating swing teaches you to relax and contract your grip at the appropriate time, which is an essential skill for kettlebell training, particularly for the more difficult lifts such as cleans and snatches.
• The alternating swing is a precursor to juggling.

The GS swing

The GS (Girevoy Sport, aka Kettlebell Sport) swing is designed for maximum efficiency for high repetition work.  The GS swing has a sort of rocking motion and a very relaxed look, which is achieved by doing the following:

• Extend the legs on the backswing (they don't need to go into full lock), this will enable you to take advantage of the stretch shortening reflex in your hamstrings (basically when you stretch them like this under load they will automatically shorten providing you with more power for "free").
• When the kettlebell swings back just in front of your knees, extend your legs – this will get the kettlebell moving upwards, rather than outwards, which is a more efficient pathway.
• Keep the lifting arm very relaxed and let it follow the bell, rather than trying to pull the bell.
• Use anatomical breathing and really emphasise a long, deep exhale on the backswing to empty your lungs as much as possible (this will allow you to get more air in when the kettlebell swings back up).

Swinging for cleaning and snatching and juggling

The GS swing has the best carryover to cleaning and snatching, because the bell moves up close to the body rather than out in front.  The upwards bell path means a greater efficiency and softer landings when you catch the bell on your forearm.

The GS swing is also the best option for alternating swing and juggling, again due to the upwards bell path.

Swinging and lower back soreness

A lot of people experience lower back soreness when swinging, particularly when they start.  Obviously, if you have any sort of back injury you should consult a suitable medical professional before trying to swing a kettlebell.

If you don’t have any injuries but lower back fatigue/soreness continues to plague you when doing swings there are a few things you might want to consider:

• First and foremost make sure your spine is neutral at all times throughout the swing, flexion will lead to back pain and can lead to worse injuries such as disc bulges.
• You should always build up volume incrementally to allow the body to adapt.  For many people, a hip dominant, ballistic movement such as the swing isn’t something they’ve trained so it can be a bit of a shock to the body at the beginning.
• Check that you are fully extending the hips and legs at the top of the swing, if you don’t have fully extension then your lower back will be taking on too much of the work rather than your hamstrings and glutes.
• If your spine position and hip extension are good but you still experience problems it’s likely that your glutes aren’t activating properly (this is a very common problem).  The video below can give you some ideas on how to get them working again however it is always worth consulting a suitable medical professional to get an accurate diagnosis first.

The best bells for swinging?

Pro Grade or competition bells are specifically designed for high repetition ballistic lifting, which means they are well-balanced and move nicely through the air when swinging (particularly for any variations of 1 arm swings).  The handle on the competition bells can also be chalked, which makes them easier to hold onto for longer or heavier swing sets.

Classic kettlebells are also fine for swinging, and with the heavier Classic bells (from 16kg upwards) the handle is thicker, which is good for those who specifically want to work their grip.  Some people also prefer to use the Classic kettlebells for 2 arm swings because they have a wider handle making it easier to fit two hands.

So get swinging!

The kettlebell swing really is a great addition to almost any training program and can be used in many different ways:

• Use swings as a light warm up to activate the posterior chain before movements requiring the posterior chain such as deadlifts or sprints
• Have swings as a focus for power endurance sessions
• Use one arm swings as a great finisher and some additional cardio
• Put in alternating swings for coordination and a bit of fun
• Do light swings on rest days for mobility and recovery

So grab a bell, use the tips above to make sure you're doing it right, and start swinging...