How to Perform Kettlebell Swings Correctly

So the kettlebell swing. This is a popular exercise that is done wrong by most people..

The reason so many people get this exercise wrong is due to lack of education on proper form with the kettlebell! There are two main things people get wrong when performing the KB Swing.

1. Squatting instead of using the hip hinge🙅🏻‍♂️

2. ‘Front raising’ the kettlebell🤦🏻‍♂️

So as normal lets go through 3 points in order to improve your technique and form!

1️⃣ Relax your arms - Now I know I’ve said relax your arms but you still need to keep your shoulder blades engaged in order to create tension in the upper back, BUT by being too stiff at the shoulders you are more likely to start ‘front raising’ the kettlebell

2️⃣ Hip Hinge - The kettlebell swing should be a hip hinge movement. No Squatting. No pulling the weight up. A simple cue for the hip hinge is to move the hips back while keeping the back in a neutral position. The video will show how my hips move back then thrust forward in order to use the Hamstrings (Back of my Thigh) and Glutes (Bum) rather than my lower back.

3️⃣ Knee movement - At the top of the movement (as shown in the picture) the knees should fully extend. This isn’t where people go wrong though! Most people will bend their knee’s too much, resulting in squatting with the kettlebell. The video shows the angle of the knee’s only changes slightly from the bottom of the movement to the top of the movement.

If you want to give this a go but don’t understand what the hip hinge movement is or feel like you are using your lower back instead of your legs then send me a message and I will help you improve your form!