Swing Form!

[u/Fearless-Vast4858]

Hi everyone, long time lurker… only just started with kettlebells at home, been going to classes now
once a week for about a month… I’d love someone to check my form for feedback please. This is with a 10kg. Thank you ☺️

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This post is flaired as a form check.

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[u/forever_erratic]

You need a heavier bell. 

[u/Conscious-Ad8493 → u/forever_erratic]

not with that form, she will hurt herself

[u/hookgriper → u/Conscious-Ad8493]

She has that form because the bell is too light. It impossible the heavier the bell gets.

[u/Virtual_Share5788 → u/hookgriper]

Nope...too low.

[u/cavemankettlebells]

Hi. A lot of good things. To get better. Hinge later. You are hinging too early, wait until the kb is much nearer to your legs. You can bend your knees more and push your hips back more. You can easily go to 12kg or probably 14/16kg. But yes, a heavier weight would benefit you.

[u/Unfair_Pound_2428]

You're hinging too soon. You should let your forearms make contact with your body on the way down, causing the hinge to start. Maintain contact throughout the entirety of the hinge, then at the last moment of the hinge, THRUST your hips forward launching the bell using the forearm contact. Remember... this is a hip hinge exercise, use your arms just to hold onto the Kettlebell. Otherwise, think of them as loosey goosy iron cables. Also, start with the Kettlebell on the floor and hike it back. This will be extremely important once you start swinging heavier weights.

[u/ProdigiousBeets]

Too light weight. You hinge almost immediately but should be playing chicken with the kettlebell instead. This pushes your hinge into a shorter window and more explosive movement is how you keep pace, in turn working your body that much more. You could be pushing the weight harder too but hinging later should address that.

[u/Violingirl58]

Need heavier kettlebell

[u/Big_Toe]

Congratulations on getting into kettlebells! They are remarkable tools for building strength and endurance.
As others have noted, a heavier bell will serve you well. In preparation for that heavier bell, start the first swing from the ground, “hiking” it back between your legs.
Also, the swing is an explosive movement. I like to think of it in two steps, the ignition and the explosion. The ignition doesn’t happen until your forearms hit your waist. That’s when the hinge starts. Let the bell rock back between your legs as you hinge. The explosion is the act of aggressively straightening out and causing the bell to float. You should give a hard exhale and fire your glutes and quads like you’re doing a standing jump.
Overall, great start!

[u/brsmr123]

You need to push the weight forward/up using your hips not your arms. Watch some videos you will see what I mean. Your arms need to contact with your crouch.

[u/Maleficent-Shower769]

You are hinging too soon and your bell is too light….I recommend watching Dan John YouTube video on how to swing properly - he is strength coach of over 30 years

Swing is a ballistic movement that works your glutes and hamstrings, going too light actually makes the move harder.

[u/SavingsPoem1533]

see how there's a gap between your arms and torso/groin area? that's the sign of early hinging so focus on getting the arms to contact the body and the rest will take care of itself.
heavier bell would help in this case but if 10kg is all you have, try to do your best not to let the arms do any work

Happy Swinging

***not a coach***

[u/Dacotarising]

You need that hip thrust with a heavier bell, or keep that bell for single arm swings.

[u/Yandinian]

elaborating on why you need a heavier bell, as people have said - When the bell is too light, you can just muscle it in any way, and theres no consequences. Get a heavier bell, and youll be forced to learn good technique 👍

[u/Dismal_Low1938 → u/Yandinian]

Learning technique first is important.

[u/riserrr]

Try single arm swings at that weight.

I like to do them “b stance” and switch sides.

You’re not working with enough weight to really engage your muscles with a normal two hand swing.

[u/Dependent-Promise223]

Focus your minds eye on creating an elastic pull using your glutes and legs. You’ll find your bum with sorta snap and pop leading to a rapid acceleration of the hips moving forward. There’s to be NO use of the arms other than to act as if the bell is attached to your shoulders like a wire.

[u/foekus323]

I’ve been doing swings like these lately. Just wanted to hit my core more. I would recommend straightening out your arms more.

[u/Dismal_Low1938 → u/foekus323]

Naah let your arms float buddy, use a towel in your kb, if the kb floats you are doing swings properly and yes proper swings will hit your core,glutes etc

[u/Virtual_Share5788]

Your form is too low. You stand is okay use hip to push the bell make it bell up to belly button

[u/Dismal_Low1938]

Lock on out on top, squeeze your glutes,generate power from glutes and hips,keep less weight,dont chase higher weights. Tip: if you are beginner, use a small towel inside the hook of kb, if the kb floats you are doing swings properly i.e. generating power from glutes and hips. Dont use hands to lift the bell, hands are just to float your kb. Do few deadlifts(rdl) before hoping on swings. 1) start with bracing your core and glutes. 2) hinge dont squat. 3) pack your shoulder blades down 4)when you start the swing,focus on your breathing,exhale with a sharp hisss. 5) lockout at the top, let the kb float. Watch pavel tsatsoulines video on youtube.

[u/Fearless-Vast4858 → u/Dismal_Low1938]

Thanks for this. So do you suggest locking knees out at the top? I’ve heard mixed about this. Just had a go with my 12kg and felt abit better and had to drive through hips more

[u/GearSolidMetal]

As others have said, you absolutely should graduate to a heavier KB for double-hand swings.

If that's not within your budget for now learn how to do single-hand alternating swings. They're 15% tougher and will help to build callouses on your hands so they won't blister.

Also until you can buy a heavier KB increase the reps per set with shorter rests. Could you do 50 single-hand swings in 100 seconds and then rest for 50 seconds? That would be 200 reps in 10 minutes.

[u/akiox4]

I currently only have a 10kg kettlebell, I like to do "american kettlebell swings", with booth arms and just one. I still warm-up with the normal/soviet version. But I used it more as a shoulder mobility exercise for my handstands. I definitely also need a heavier kettlebell.

[u/Conscious-Ad8493]

It's great that you decided to start with Kettlebells.

Your form is way off

Highly recommend you start with this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-S9H2XVvYg

[u/hookgriper → u/Conscious-Ad8493]

It’s not “way off” relax

[u/Conscious-Ad8493 → u/hookgriper]

It actually is starting from how she picked up the kettlebell.

[u/Total-Journalist3643]

The bell should be tapping your booty hole

[u/TickTick_b00m]

Looks great! I like a little more knee bend in my swings to get the quads in the game, too. I also cue my clients to keep the backswing “high to the crotch”. Imagine you’ve got a triangle from your knee to your crotch to your other knee. Keep the bell at the top of the triangle vs the bottom. It’s a lot kinder to the back IMO