Exercises / Kettlebell Swing

Kettlebell Swing

Also known as: Russian swing, Two-hand swing, KB swing

A ballistic two-hand hinge. The hips snap the bell forward to about chest height; the arms stay long and guide it.

Primary muscles
Glutes (gluteus maximus), Hamstrings
Secondary muscles
Back (erector spinae), Core, Forearms
Equipment
Kettlebell (one kettlebell, clear swing path)
Pattern
Hinge
Difficulty
Intermediate
Line diagram of a Kettlebell Swing.
Diagram: Fytniz. License: original-placeholder (Fytniz).

Stills

Two-hand kettlebell swing at the hinge/bottom.
kettlebell swings by Ken Liu, CC BY 2.0. Via Flickr / Openverse. License: CC BY. Source.
Two-hand swing at the top with long arms.
Kettlebell swing with arms fully extended.jpg by Taco fleur, CC BY-SA 4.0. Via Wikimedia Commons. Share-alike. License: CC BY-SA (share-alike). Source.

Cues

  1. Stand with the bell slightly in front, hike it back between the legs, then snap the hips forward.
  2. The arms stay long; they guide the bell, they do not curl or press it.
  3. The bell floats to about chest height on a Russian swing; do not squat the rep.
  4. Keep the back long and the ribs down at the top; do not lean back into a hyperextension.
  5. Let the bell fall, sit the hips back, and repeat without rounding the low back.

Common mistakes

  • Squatting the swing so the knees, not the hips, move the bell.
  • Lifting the bell with the arms instead of a hip snap.
  • Rounding the low back on the hike or leaning back hard at the top.

Safety

  • Hinge; do not squat the swing or round the low back on the hike.
  • Start with a load you can park safely if a rep goes wrong.