The Kettlebell Craze: Learning the “Swing” of Things

When I received my kettlebell certification training for small groups, one thing that my instructor emphasized was “know the basics”. Although kettlebells are a great tool for exercise, it can also be a harmful tool to your body if handled incorrectly. 

The first step in handling kettlebells is understanding the biomechanics of the hip joint. To understand the hip hinge movement better, you can start by performing ‘bridges’ on the floor. By lying flat on the floor, begin with your shoulders and feet flat on the floor and raising your hips up and down towards the ceilingthus, you can feel the hip hinge movement. According to ACEfitness.org, the next progression would be holding the kettlebell with straight arms hanging between semi-bend legs with a completely straight spine; your knees and hips should be slightly bent or “hinged”. You want to have your kettlebell “hanging in front of the body by the waist, brace the stomach, keep the knees slightly bent and push your weight back into your hips (maintain a straight spine, don’t let the back bend or round), once you can’t move the hips any further (without causing rounding in the back) then squeeze your glutes and push the hips forward to return to standing (ACEfitness.org).”

After mastering the hip hinge, you will next increase your hinge speed and add arm movements. The swing is an explosive move; during the lowering phase of the swing, you sink back quickly into the, then quickly and explosively push the feet into the ground and drive the hips forward to produce the maximum momentum for the exercise. (ACEfitness.org)

According to Kettlebellscience.com, “the hip hinge is extremely important, if at anytime you feel pain in your lower back, it is because you are not properly executing the hip hinge, and you are hinging at the lower back.” On the KettlebellScience.com website, there are more examples of hip hinge exercises to perfect your movement!

http://www.kettlebellscience.com/patterning-the-swing.html

Youtube video on the mechanics of a kettlebell swing:

 

Stay tuned for my next post about the second progression, a “clean”.