Kettlebell Swing Benefits (Should They Be In Your Workouts?)

What Is A Kettlebell Swing & Who Can Benefit From Doing Them?

So what muscles does the kettlebell swing work? A kettlebell swing is a full-body exercise that focuses on most major muscle groups. It is especially great for your core, glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, and quads. It's a simple movement that you can do anywhere, and it's a great way to add a bit of variety to your workout.

Everyone can benefit from adding kettlebell swings to their regime, but the following athletes will find them particularly beneficial.

Strength And Power Athletes

Strength and power athletes should focus on the kettlebell swing as it helps to build pure power and explosive strength. It's also great for improving grip, postural, back, and core strength, all of which can be used in other areas around the gym.

Functional Fitness And Crossfit Athletes

The kettlebell swing is the go-to exercise for functional fitness and CrossFit athletes due to its ability to provide a full-body workout. It's a great exercise to build total-body strength, which is why kettlebell training is a staple in CrossFit gyms across the country.

Endurance Athletes And Runners

The kettlebell swing builds strength and power, and it's also a great calorie burner.

Endurance athletes and runners can perform the kettlebell swing to improve their performance, but it's also a great exercise to help them recover from their runs or races.

10 Benefits Of Kettlebell Swings (What Are They Good For?)

There are tons of benefits of Kettlebell Swings. The most important thing to know about the kettlebell swing is that it's a dynamic movement, meaning that it involves many muscle groups simultaneously. This is what makes it such an excellent exercise for the entire body.

Here are some of our favorite benefits of the kettlebell swing.

Step-by-Step Instructions For Kettlebell Swings

Sold on the kettlebell swing? Great. Let's run through the exercise step by step.

Common Mistakes To Avoid While Doing Kettlebell Swings

Kettlebell swings are one of the best exercises you can do to build a strong core, burn fat, and improve your athleticism.

However, there are a few common mistakes that can lead to injury. Thankfully, most of them can be easily corrected with a few simple steers.

Lifting With Your Arms

The kettlebell swing is meant to be a hip-hinging exercise, not an arm-swinging exercise.

If you're using your arm muscles to swing the kettlebell, it's a dead giveaway that you're using a weight that's too heavy for you. Try lowering the weight and focus on thrusting with your hips instead of lifting with your arms.

Swinging The Kettlebell Overhead

Although there is a variation of the kettlebell swing that does place the kettlebell over your head, we would not recommend this for beginners. We much prefer the Russian kettlebell swing that finishes about chest height.

Master the Russian swing before moving on to advanced moves.

Rounding Your Back

Rounding your back during a kettlebell swing is a common mistake and should be avoided at all costs. Rounding your back means that your lower back has a tendency to arch, which puts pressure on your lower back. Rounding your back is also known as hyperextension of the spine.

When you're doing a swing, your back should be straight, and your core should be engaged. Think about sucking your belly button into your spine and holding that position. This will ensure that your back is straight and that you're not swinging with a rounded back.

Squatting Down With Each Swing

The only time you should be squatting down in the kettlebell swing is when you're setting the kettlebell down and picking it back up again.

When you squat during a swing, you're using your hips to do most of the work instead of your legs and glutes.

People Also Ask (FAQs)

Is it OK to do kettlebell swings every day?

If you do the same thing every day, you're not challenging your body. You're not making it adapt, build strength or help build stability.

What size kettlebell should I start with? Is 32kg too heavy?

When it comes to kettlebells, the bigger, the better. If you're a newbie and unsure how much weight you can lift, a good rule of thumb is to start big and work your way down.

We recommend starting with a 12kg kettlebell (26.45 lbs). You could start out with a 16kg kettlebell if you're already strong and confident with your form, but the 16kg (35.4 lb) kettlebell is probably the heaviest kettlebell you should start with.

The 32kg kettlebell (70.55 lbs) is a weight that many people have a hard time lifting off the ground. It takes a lot of strength to do so, and it's essential to be aware of your own limitations.

How many kettlebell swings should a beginner do? Are 20 minutes enough?

When you're just starting out, 3-5 sets of 15-20 swings is an excellent place to start. As you get stronger, you can increase the number of sets, or the weight, to increase the difficulty.

Kettlebell exercises can be performed in short and long sets. The short sets are usually between 5 and 20 minutes, and the long sets are generally between 30 minutes and an hour.

To ensure that you get the best results, you should include various kettlebell exercises in your kettlebell workout.

Do you need 2 kettlebells?

We have a straightforward philosophy when it comes to fitness equipment. If you can get the same results with less equipment, then you should buy less equipment. When it comes to kettlebells, you can do all the same exercises with one kettlebell as you can with two kettlebells.

Conclusion

The kettlebell swing is one of the best exercises you can do for your entire body, and the best part is it only requires one kettlebell and a little bit of space. You can do it at home, at the gym, or even at the park.