The Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing is one of my favorite exercises for several reasons.  First and foremost, to quote my RKC Instructor Manual, “The Swing is the foundational exercise for Russian kettlebell training”.  In order to learn more advanced exercises, you must have a solid swing.  A good looking swing is only achieved through practice - so keep swinging! 

One of the most interesting aspects of the swing is the relationship between tension and relaxation.  Not the type of tension you experience from sitting at your computer for too long, but the type of tension required to move something heavy.  To quote my RKC Instructor Manual again, “From tension comes strength and power.   From relaxation comes speed, flexibility, and endurance.”  At the top of the swing, all of your muscles must contract simultaneously to allow the kettlebell to float momentarily and then quickly relax so you can begin your backswing and load your hips for the next rep.  Moving in and out of these two body states does several positive things.  It allows you to sustain a vigorous work rate for an extended period of time, thus burning more calories and improving your endurance.  And, what I believe to be important for any new kettlebell practitioner is that it creates bodily awareness.  Your mind must connect to your body to tell your muscles when to contract and when to relax.  This relationship between tension and relaxation is required during many different daily activities and most sports.  Solid swings translate to solid anything. 

Another positive benefit from kettlebell swings is that they teach you how to load your hips.  More simply, using your glutes and hips to move something rather than your comparatively weaker lower back muscles.  Performing a well-executed swing also does wonders for tight hip flexors.  Moving from the bottom of the backswing into the finished standing position naturally stretches the front of the hips or hip flexors.  Strong and flexible hips take the load off the lower back which has been shown to help alleviate lower back pain.  Instead of the lower back muscles being used as the prime movers, they can now be fully available to perform their true job of maintaining a neutral spine during movement. 

The explosive nature of kettlebell swings allows one to develop both explosive power and endurance, important qualities for any sport at any level.  The focus of every training plan should be on quality of movement, not quantity or how many reps you can do.  With this idea in mind, you should gradually build up your swing volume with consistent practice.  You always want the last swing of your workout to be as crisp as the first swing; swing number 100 should be as explosive as swing number 1.  Think about a sporting contest; let’s pick soccer for example.  You want to be able to strike the ball with power and sprint just as fast in the 90th minute as if it were the 1st minute.  The ability to produce power over a prolonged period of time is one of the many benefits of regular kettlebell practice.  

And lastly, let’s talk about how physics plays a role in burning fat and building muscle in regards to kettlebell swings.  Let’s think back to physics class and recall the formula F=MA, or Force = Mass x Acceleration.  To quote my RKC Instructor Manual one last time, “The way that kettlebell endurance training works is that by using a light to moderate weight with acceleration, you are utilizing more muscular power and increasing the metabolic load on the body.”  So given that F=MA, accelerating a given weight makes it heavier and a heavier weight requires more explosive force.   Utilizing explosive movements is an efficient way to burn a lot of calories.  In addition to burning a lot of calories, working under load, or lifting something heavy, will build muscle which also has been shown to increase fat loss. 

So there you have it, just a few reasons why I love kettlebell swings.  Keep swinging and stay strong.

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