Having trouble mastering the Kettlebell Swing? Here are three quick tips to help you improve your form:
1. Perfect the hip crease
It’s very important that you crease at the hip when you’re doing your Swings. All the movement in the exercise should come at the hip, never in the lower back or any other part of the spine.
A good way to learn this is by starting with a Sumo Deadlift with a single kettlebell. As you decend into the Deadlift, think about tapping a wall behind you with your butt. Your hamstrings and entire posterior chain (back of the body) should feel like they are loading up.
2. Hike pass the kettlebell back during the decent phase
Think about getting the bottom of the kettlebell to face an imaginary wall behind you. This gives you the leverage you need to ‘pull’ on the ‘bell as it swings up in front of you.
3. Lock in the upper body during the Swing
Make sure to engage your lats and all other musculature around the shoulder joint. Don’t do your Swings with a loose upper body. You should feel like you’re trying to tear the handle of the kettlebell apart while at the same time keeping the triceps flexed.
Perfecting the hip crease, hike passing the ‘bell back on its decent, and locking in the upper body are three things that will improve your kettlebell Swing technique by leaps and bounds – especially if you’re not doing these things already. Keep training hard!!
P.S. If you’d like to check out a video detailing these three Swing technique tips, click the link below:
You should feel like you're trying to tear the handle of the kettlebell apart while at the same time keeping the triceps flexed
I keep re-reading this post. Tear apart the handle…do you really pull separate directions on the top of the handle? I could use some hints on how to increase my upper body tension on the fly – currently i have to think about it to fire the stomach/tighten arm muscles, etc. i am focusing on it more with my presses and maybe it will start to come without thinking but until then, what do you tell your clients to help them fire up everything in the midst of a swing?
Hey Dan -
You can try 2 things:
1. Do a plank right before your set of swings. Focus on tightening up your upper body by imagining your are pulling your elbows towards your waist without moving your arms. Then go straight into a set of swings and try to get the same feeling.
2. Find something about shoulder height – like a rail – and push down on it with both of your arms out in front of you (like the top of a swing position). Then go into your swing set.
Hope you are doing well and those tips help you out!