When properly performed, the kettlebell swing is a masterpiece of total body muscle activation that offers massive benefits including fat loss, lean muscle building, cardiovascular enhancement, and literally any other fitness goal you can imagine.
Yes, the exercise is that good.
But, the key words here are ?when performed properly.?
The benefits are endless, as I just mentioned. ?And, if you?ve done them properly you know exactly what I mean.
The problem, however, is that most people think they can perform this exercise quite easily.
Let me just tell you that after years of training and thousands of reps, I?m STILL working on my swing.
Yep, that?s right. ?It?s not just picking up a kettlebell and swinging it.
You can do that if you don?t want to maximize your results AND potentially injure yourself OR you can learn how to perform the exercise correctly.
You see the difference?
As movement expert and Master RKC Brett Jones puts it, there is a major difference between ?swinging a kettlebell? and ?performing a kettlebell swing.?
Perform the swing to get max results and exercise safely, end of story.
Now, that we?ve established why it?s important to perform the swing, let me share the most common mistakes I see.
MISTAKE #1
Squatting during the swing.
If you take one thing away from this article, please remember this as it?s very important.
The swing is NOT a squat. ?Again, the swing is NOT a squat.
The kettlebell swing is a ?hip hinge? pattern. ?This is very important because the hip hinging is where power comes from with this exercise (more about this in mistake #2).
And, a proper hip hinge will save your back. ?A proper hip hinge does not stress your back because your spine should maintain a neutral position throughout the swing.
The squat is a squat and the swing is NOT a squat (despite all the poor instructional YouTube videos you?ll see out there).
The Fix: ?
Don?t squat, instead learn how to ?hip hinge? through the movement. ?You can what that looks in this short?video.
For a great drill on how to do a hip hinge, definitely watch this short video I recently posted.
MISTAKE #2
Not using the power of your?gluteus?maximus.
The gluteus maximus is the largest, most powerful muscle in your body. ?Use it, especially during the kettlebell swing which is made effective by using the power of your glutes.
The swing is highly effectively when exploding through the movement with a powerful hip drive.
Most people have to ?re-learn? how to use their hips again when learning how to swing.
And, many people have what?s called ?gluteal amnesia,? meaning they have forgotten how to use their glutes.
It?s takes good coaching, practice, and some feedback to learn how to use the glutes again.
The Fix:
Every time you swing through and finish the hip drive, make sure your glutes are squeezed tightly!
This is going to sound funny, but imagine you have a coin pinched between your cheeks (glutes).
Well, ?pinch the coin? every time you swing through. ?As you complete your forward swing, your glutes should be ?rock hard? and tight.
Consciously remind yourself to ?pinch a coin? every time you swing the bell until it becomes automatic.
This is a critical component of an effective, powerful kettlebell swing.
MISTAKE #3
Using the deltoids to elevate the kettlebell.
In the Russian kettlebell swing, the kettlebell doesn?t go overhead. ?If you want to take the kettlebell overhead, do the kettlebell snatch instead.
While there are different variations of the swing, the one that I have found to be most effective is the Russian swing.
And, in the Russsian swing, the kettlebell is propelled forward by the explosive hip drive and power breathing (more on that later).
The arms are simply ?along for the ride? here.
The deltoids aren?t elevating the kettlebell, however, the rotator cuff muscles (deep shoulder muscles) are firing the entire time of the swing to ?hold? the ball in the socket (the humoral head in the glenoid).
I always tell people not to activate the deltoids when swinging through, just let the kettlebell ?float? up when coming forward by way of the explosive hip drive.
You don?t need to activate the deltoids in the Russian swing. ?Again, this is the most effective technique, in my opinion.
The Fix:
Just let the kettlebell ?float? forward by the powerful hip drive and gluteus maximus activation. ?Don?t use the shoulders to elevate the kettlebell.
It make take some practice and everyone learns differently, but remember, you don?t need to use the shoulders and ?actively? raise the kettlebell in the swing.
There are other kettlebelll exercises to better address the deltoids and other shoulder muscles.
MISTAKE #4
Moving too slowly through the movement.
One of the mistakes I made when learning how to to the kettlebell swing was that I not not swinging explosively through the movement.
Again, it goes back to mistake #2 and not using your powerful hip extensors, primarily your gluteus maximus.
As you learn how to use these hip muscles, the swing will be a faster, smoother, and a much more powerful exercise for you.
It?s not a slow, controlled movement, but a quick, efficient, well executed hip hinge with explosive hip drive.
The Fix:
When you?ve corrected the other things above, this mistake should take care of itself.
One thing to remember though. ?Faster does not mean sloppy by any means. ?No matter what it has to be a safe and very efficient movement.
It is a faster type of movement (a?ballistic? to be precise), but it?s not at all unsafe when performed properly.
MISTAKE #5
Not breathing properly.
This is actually quite a big topic. ?As a matter of fact, I?m putting together a video to show you this one.
Sometimes breathing is not emphasized enough, but it really makes a huge difference. ? It?s not just a regular breathing pattern, but a systematic and patterned breathing approach.
Proper breathing is absolutely critical to performing this exercise correctly.
Power breathing or biomechanical match breathing?(as it?s appropriately called) provides you more power, efficiency, and safety to maximize the benefits of the exercise.
As you could imagine, proper breathing will be key during the swing. ?This is very important for safety and for spinal stability during the movement.
There?s a compression and stabilization of your midsection that should occur as you swing the bell through, which should feel natural and powerful.
As a matter of fact, it is this that makes the kettlebell swing one of the very best exercises for back ?health? and injury prevention.
It?s a forceful exhalation with coming forward, that is released in controlled manner.
Power breathing is powerful.
The Fix:
Practice diaphragmatic breathing by inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
You want to make sure that you can see or feel your stomach move in and out and expand with the inhalation. ?You shouldn?t see your chest rise.
The stomach movement in and out is your diaphragm functioning properly and breathing appropriately as opposed to using accessory muscles in your chest and rib cage.
Now, when you have this down, practice the kettlebell swing the same way. ?Breath in through your nose as your hiking the kettlebell back and exhale out in a controlled, forceful breath as you swing the ketttlebell forward.
Practicing proper breathing technique will pay off big time in your performance and efficiency with this exercise, guaranteed.
More on proper breathing will be coming, as this is a big topic.
In summary, there are some common mistakes with the kettlebell swing.
The good thing is all of them can easily be avoided and corrected with proper instruction, practice, and some form of feedback.
If you?re training by yourself, then I recommend filming yourself and then watching your swing.
You will learn a lot just by seeing yourself. ?This is very effective for cleaning up bad habits.
Let?s review some of the most common mistakes which are:
- Doing a squat instead of a hip hinge.
- Not using the hips with explosive hip drive.
- Using the deltoids to elevate the kettlebell (*in the Russian style swing)
- Moving too slow through the movement.
- Not breathing properly.
Understanding these critical mistakes will pay off in maximizing your performance and getting a better result.
I know the swing may seem easy, but there?s actually a lot more to it, especially if you want outstanding results.
These are some of the most common mistakes, but there can be other things going on, as well.
My advice is to practice, practice, practice?that?s exactly what ?I tell myself all the time.
Practice makes a big difference. ?Seek mastery in the movement, but don?t expect perfection.
No matter if you?re just beginning or at an advanced level, practice will always make a big difference and we can all continue to improve our technique.
Hope this was helpful in cleaning up your skills.
?
Source: http://stealthbody.com/the-5-big-mistakes-in-the-kettlebell-swing-and-how-to-fix-them
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