The foundation exercise for kettlebell lifting is the swing. The easiest form of it is the 2 hand swing. Grab the handle with both hands, let gravity swing it back through your legs (sit back, fold at the hips) and snap your hips forward propelling it to about chin height with arms locked out straight.
Make
sure to squeeze your glutes at the top and don’t lift with
your arms, the power to swing the kettlebell is coming from
your hips. If you think you might be using your arms, wrap a
towel through the handle, hold onto the towel and swing. The
kettlebell should pull outward from the towel in a straight
line if you are doing it right. Weight is toward the heels and
stay relaxed.
This exercise is pretty simple to learn and I have 1st timers swinging after a quick demonstration and a quick correction or two. I love to use this exercise with my clients because it really gets the heart rate up and teaches good recruitment of the glutes and posterior chain. It is also a great fat burning exercise and a good way to finish off a workout.
Four sets of 15 2- hand swings with some fast walking in between sets makes for a great workout finisher. If you don’t have a kettlebell (yet), just grab one end of a dumbbell with both hands and swing away. For ladies, grab a 15-20 lb dumbbell to start, men should use a 35-40 lb dumbbell. Get swingin.’
- Brian Stramel, CPT
