The Kettlebell Swing

I run a studio that uses kettlebells for the bulk of our strength work, and I feel that there tends to be a heated on-going discussion on who seems to have greater insight into the “truth” of kettlebell application.

This article is not meant to profess some self-proclaimed superior methodology, rather its intent is to cover some of the finer points of an exercise that I have spent countless hours practicing, coaching, and analyzing. The goal of this article is to cover technique, application, and functional carryover of this beautiful movement so here goes.... 

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As with any athletic movement, the way in which you set yourself up to execute the movement has a significant impact on the success of it. In a golf swing (which has many similar characteristics to a kettlebell swing), if you set up with an improper grip, poor posture, or are aimed improperly at your target, the likelihood of hitting a good shot is greatly reduced. The kettlebell swing is no different. Your set up should entail some very specific characteristics.

First, the kettlebell should sit about 6 to 8 inches in front of your toes, aligned squarely to your center of gravity.

Your stance should be a traditional athletic ready position meaning your feet are about shoulder width apart, your chest is tall, your hips are pitched back, and your spine is long. This position is similar to a lineman who is waiting for the football to snap so that he can make his way towards an unsuspecting quarterback.

Your hands should softly grip the top handle of the bell so that you can give your abdominal wall the signal that you are about to work. With the bell tilted ever so slightly towards you in an athletic, balanced, and relaxed position, you are ready to initiate movement.

In a kettlebell swing, when the bell is hiked back towards your butt, you are in a muscle stretch, or loading phase. Your hamstrings and muscles surrounding your hips are stretched and ready to produce force to propel the kettlebell forward. As you hike that kettlebell back, there is a brief pause at the end of the movement, which is your amortization phase, before you use they energy you just stored to propel the kettlebell forward.

The final phase or muscle shortening/force production phase of movement is going to be produced downward rather than in a forward or upward direction.

Oftentimes the thought process is that the elevation of the bell comes from of the upper body rather than the lower body to produce the swing. However, too much assistance from the upper body inadvertently turns the swing into a front raise versus a purely lower body based power movement, which ultimately is the goal of the kettlebell swing. Therefore, the force production during the muscle shortening phase is downward rather than upward.

When you transfer your energy from your loaded hinge into a forward propulsion of the bell, the bell swinging forward is a reactionary effect of your legs forcefully extending and transmitting force into the ground.

When the bell reaches the apex of the swing or end range of motion, you should have a linked system of stability meaning your glutes should be at a maximum contraction, your abs should be braced and tight, your lats should be stable, and your shoulders should be “packed” or in a state of compression.

This teaches the body the ability to maintain perfect rigidity for maximum force output as well as evenly distributing placement of stress from your load. Once this peak contraction happens, it’s time to reset and thus begin your countermovement or eccentric phase yet again.

It is my personal opinion that if the kettlebell swing is performed effectively, 8 to 15 reps is all you need to reach adequate muscle fatigue.

The Translation

So, the question then becomes why is the kettlebell swing such a coveted movement and why is it sports specific?

Much of this article focused on the three phases of power-based movement: a countermovement or muscle-stretch phase, an amortization or brief pause to redirect energy and a forceful concentric or muscle-shortening phase in which you are delivering power into the ground to move an object forward.

This happens not only in a kettlebell swing but in other sports such as golf, tennis, baseball, martial arts, lacrosse, and many other activities that include some sort of striking. The important components are all there.

The things that are overlooked by the physiology, bio-mechanics, and science aficionados alike are the things that matter the most to movement: timing, coordination, effortlessness, fluidity, acceleration, deceleration, proprioceptive awareness and hand-eye coordination.

All of these can be perfected in the swing if one is focused enough on the task at hand. The great thing about swinging a kettlebell is that it can deliver a greater sense of body awareness and athleticism.

Using the swing only as a means to elevate heart rate is undercutting the potential of this exercise. Once you take the time to understand what the purpose is within this movement, all of the other power-based kettlebell lifts will start to make more sense.

Remember it is more about the intrinsic properties that occur within your body versus the external object that is flying around in front of you and underneath you.

Consider this when swinging and watch yourself improve.