Kettlebell Exercises | Russian Weights

What is the Kettlebell Swing and how to do it right:

The potential of the Russian weights or kettlebells is well proven. Seen from the outside, it is a 'cannonball' with a handle and little else, but it hides the virtue of being a tool that allows you to work numerous muscle groups at the same time, so that, used correctly, you will obtain enormous gains in strength and cardiovascular capacity at the same time.

Russian kettlebell swing

Kettlebells can be used as an accessory for many exercises, but kettlebells are a sport in themselves whose exercises have as their starting point the swing, which is that characteristic pendulum movement that is seen in most kettlebell videos. It is precisely this ballistic trajectory that allows us to handle really heavy weights with kettlebells if we properly take advantage of the inertia they generate. To do this, we must master the swing, which is nothing other than the swing that allows us to raise our kettlebell from our hips to shoulder height.

American kettlebell swing

If in the exercise explained above we raise the kettlebell until it reaches the maximum vertical position, this would be the so-called 'American swing' and would give us a plus in our training since we add work to the shoulders.

As we can see in this video from our coach Aaron Cordero, it is very important that you keep in mind that:

• The movement starts with a hip extension. The gluteus hamstring and lumbar are directly involved.
• Your back should be straight, without bending.
• Your forearms should maintain contact with the inner side of the leg until the last moment of hip extension.

The Russian swing, having a lower range of motion, allows us to move fairly heavy loads. Once we have established this explosive movement of the hips, we can launch into the American swing, whose lower load is compensated by the necessary involvement of the shoulders in the final phase of the movement, which increases the effort.

Spend time on your swing, it is the foundation on which you build the technique that will allow you to perform more advanced kettlebell exercises. Using a few swings as a warm-up for your later training can be an easy way to practice and slowly refine your efficiency.

Unique Challenge: How to get 100 swings in a row

Once you have the movement under control and can do about twenty reps without much trouble, try to reach one hundred without letting go of the kettlebell. Keep in mind that it's not about going fast, but rather solidly and with the greatest possible energy efficiency. Go down to a lower weight than you normally handle to do this test for the first time and, as your confidence increases, increase the load. In no time you'll be surprised at the weight you can move with one swing.