5 Features Of A Quality Kettlebell Swing
There are two main ways, or styles, to swing a kettlebell.
Hardstyle
Girevoy “Sport” Style
If you’ve ever seen a properly performed hardstyle kettlebell swing, you know it's a thing of beauty.
Power, strength, and explosiveness wrapped up in one movement. Check it out below.
Then there is the "flowy", or sport style of the kettlebell swing. Which is commonly used in kettlebell (Girevoy) sport.
This is generally where you get the two camps vying for supremacy and arguing which style is “better”.
One isn't necessarily superior to the other, they're just different.
They are performed using different techniques, and therefore, each has its own unique benefits.
It really depends on your goals and training experience as to which one you should use.
Sport style swings are all about economy per rep, and saving energy. With the goal being to accumulate as many reps as possible in a set time period.
The one I’ll be talking about and dissecting in this article is the hardstyle kettlebell swing.
This Is The One-punch, One-kill Style Of Kettlebell Training.
It’s where you aim to produce maximum power per repetition without conserving energy or saving it for later. Using this style will lead to greater gains in strength, power output, and calorie expenditure.
This happens because you are maximising muscle recruitment and trying to use the most amount of energy, not the least.
In short, you'll get stronger, more powerful, and leaner by using the hardstyle method.
Let's get into what makes a high-power, high-quality kettlebell swing.
Below are five features of a crisp, powerful swing.
1. Shoulders “Packed”
An “unpacked” shoulder is an unstable one.
It allows your arm to move freely (loosely) within the shoulder joint. When your shoulders are not packed correctly — done by engaging your lats and depressing your shoulder blades — your body becomes disconnected.
Not great when lifting weights or looking to keep your shoulders healthy. By this, I mean strong, stable, and able to transfer the most amount of energy throughout the body.
As you extend your hips, the kettlebell wants to “leave” your body. It attempts to drag you forward, pulling you onto your toes, and wants to pluck your shoulder out of its socket.
Packing your shoulders helps keep the kettlebell close to your body on the downswing. And it transfers as much of the power from your hips into the bell on the upswing.
The last part they do is act as brakes.
When you engage your lats and pack your shoulders, you will find the kettlebell won’t float as high. The peak of each rep lands around chest to shoulder height — right where it should.
2. Abs “Braced” For A Punch
This one is about doing exactly what it says on the label.
Imagine someone is standing in front of you and they are going to punch you in the gut as hard as possible.
Now, you can’t use your hands to block it and you can’t run away or try to escape. You just have to stand there and ‘accept’ this strike to the stomach.
What do you do? What’s your first instinct?
Naturally, you try to tense up your abs — GOOD.
This is the right tactic and exactly what you should aim to do. Contract your midsection muscles as hard as possible and “prepare for impact”.
NOT by sucking your belly button in or drawing it towards your spine but by bracing your stomach muscles and getting air into your abdomen.
Intra-Abdominal Pressure (IAP) is the technical term for this.
You are trying to pressurise the cabin (your midsection) to create as much muscular tension and stability as possible for when the punch lands.
This is the sensation you should feel, and the goal at the top of your swing — get your abs rock-solid and keep them that way.
3. Glutes “Cramped” Tight
Squeeze your buttcheeks as tight as you physically can. Seriously, stand up and get them to contract as much as possible.
Not sure how to do that…?
Try these cues out;
“Crack a walnut between your cheeks”.
“Close the gap”.
“Imagine someone has a credit card — don’t let them swipe” (stolen from my TAFE lecturer from 10+ years ago. Thanks, Jamie).
What you are trying to achieve here is a maximal glute contraction to forcefully extend your hips. They will go from bent to straight (hip hinge to vertical plank).
It’s this action that will propel the kettlebell forward — NOT UP — to its peak.
If you don’t use enough glutes, your body will find another body part to do the job. For most folks, it’s your lower back that has to pick up this slack.
Ever wonder why your back gets sore after doing swings? This is why.
Don’t make your lower back do a job that your hips — and glute muscles, which are the largest muscles in your body! — should be doing.
Cramp those glutes, friend. Cramp them hard!
4. Kneecaps Pulled Up and Quads Flexed
At the finish point of your swing, there should be a straight line, from your ankles all the way up to your ear (see below).
Meaning your legs, both knees and hips, are fully extended.
Technique analysis from 32kg One-Arm Swings. The “float” phase of the repetition.
Locking the knees via full knee extension provides stability for the rest of your body. You engage the muscles, and thus, control the joints around them.
When your knees remain bent, your body is in limbo. Should it remain bent or straight?
It also leads to movement in places where there shouldn't be.
Here’s a quick bit of anatomy and biomechanics for you. I'll keep it brief.
The glutes contract on hip extension — straightening of the hip joint. Your quadriceps (thigh muscles) contract upon leg extension — straightening of the knee joint.
So…your finish point is where your legs are straight based on your anatomical structure.
Do not confuse this with hyper-extension or "driving the knees back", I don't mean that. Straight, not beyond straight.
Finish tall with your knees extended (quads on) and hips extended (glutes on).
5. Feet “Rooted” to The Floor
Your feet are the anchors that connect you to the ground. The more connected you are to the floor, the better.
When your feet move, if you wiggle your toes, rock side-to-side, or go from your heel to toes, you lose stability.
This is your ability to hold a position as well as create and absorb force.
Yes, there will be a change of weight distribution as you perform your swings.
BUT...your feet shouldn't move.
Think of wearing cement boots. Or having super glue on the underside of your foot or shoe. "Feel the floor".
Once you set up in your swing stance and your feet connect to the ground, they don't move. Until the set is over, of course.
This provides your body with a solid and stable surface to put the most amount of force into the ground.
The more force you can put into the ground = the more power you can produce.
Keep your feet rooted to the floor.
There You Have It!
Five features and a checklist of items to make sure your swing is up to scratch.
Might I ask a favour?
If you found this article useful, could you please forward it to someone who you think may also enjoy it?
The kettlebell swing is a tremendous exercise that offers a host of benefits.
Unfortunately, I am seeing more and more people doing it incorrectly.
I'd love to get the message of "what a good kettlebell swing looks like" to more people. And you can help me do that.
Thank you for sharing the article and pointing people in my direction — I appreciate it!
If you live in Perth, Australia, and would like to get some in-person kettlebell coaching and instruction, I'd love to help.
I offer 1-1 kettlebell instruction in Perth at my private strength training facility.
You can book a kettlebell lesson here in Perth when you are ready to level up your kettlebell skills.