Sunday, September 29, 2013

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!
Youtube video on the mechanics of a kettlebell swing:
 
Stay tuned for my next post about the second progression, a “clean”.

1 comment:

  1. I didn’t start using with kettlebells until two months ago. I just basically saw people doing them and decided to pick them up as well. That was a big mistake because as you said “they can be harmful tool if handled incorrectly”. I started having LBP and hip flexor tightness, so I stopped doing kettlebells swing and made the wise decision of reading more about them.
    After reviewing a few articles and your blogs, I have been working on my hip mobility and swinging more properly. Now I don’t use my arms or low back much to produce a good kettlebell swing. I feel like I still get a pretty good workout for my whole body, strength and aerobically, depending on how much time I want to spend with the kettlebells. I would definitely recommend focusing on the hip hinge movement before actually lifting a kettlebell if you want to be injury/pain free.

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