Kettlebell swinging
by Scott Bird
June 13, 2006
3 comments
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For such a simple exercise, this is certainly a lot more fun than it probably should be.
One-handed kettlebell swing
Start by bending at the hips, bend knees and let your right hand hang down between them (as if you’re about to do a pull-through); holding the kettlebell a few inches off the ground. Swing the bell back and forward a bit, and on the second or third swing explosively straighten the hips and lift the arm to above shoulder height (keeping hold of the bell). Lower the bell in the same arc, and repeat.
The idea is to keep hold of the bell at all times, but it’s definitely one for outdoors just in case.
Variations
Most variations increase or decrease the amount of grip work involved. To make things easier, just use two hands or a lighter bell. If you’re looking for a challenge, lubricate the handle with a bit of soap or wrap the bell in a strong towel (grab the towel, not the bell in this case).
Further thoughts
The first time I tried this, I was almost doing a front raise and could really only feel it in my shoulders (as expected). By increasing the hip action, the bell moved higher and there was a lot more lower back work. The amount of work suggested it’d be a good exercise to follow something that hits the lower back more intensely such as deadlifting or a heavy set of good mornings.
It’d also be great as part of a warmup for squats or deads, as it’s primarily a hip movement.
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Comments
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I rather like the point about “keeping hold of the bell” :D. A 30-90 second video would illustrate this well. Would you like to be a guest contributor on Muscle Ventures Video Analysis and put up some kettlebell videos? We (now) have a certain format we’re trying to follow, but you are pretty much there.
Posted by: Bud Gibson | June 13, 2006 7:27 PM
Would love to. There are two major things currently holding this back (both of which will be fixed in time) - lack of a video camera (they’ve all died from various injuries - only the still cameras survive), and lack of broadband. I’m on 56kb here, so I’ve been avoiding video. Once I can, I certainly will.
As for ‘keeping hold of the bell’, it really isn’t an issue when you’re fresh, focused and doing the standard version. The challenge comes when you start increasing the grip work by doing soap swings or towel swings.
Posted by: Scott | June 13, 2006 10:50 PM
It had seemed you were on short bandwidth. The kettlebell looks good. Let me know when you might be in position to hike us up some video.
Posted by: Bud Gibson | June 14, 2006 5:22 AM