The kettlebell swing is a good exercise.
That only sets you up to fail.
So we do some(?)
kind(??)
of movement(???)
and then raise the bell up with our arms.
Thats it, right?
This is not a swing, because theyre notswingingit.
They are performing afront raisewith extra steps.
Stand up, holding the bell in two hands between your legs, and push with your hips.
Pretend the bell is shouting Higher!
and give it a little more oomph with each rep.
Stand up, holding the bell in two hands between your legs, and push with your hips.
Pretend the bell is shouting Higher!
The towel is now an extension of your arms, acting like an extra-long chain on the playground swing.
There are a few different styles of kettlebell swinging out there.
The action is all in the hips, with the knees barely bending at all.
Why do so many people recommend light kettlebells for swings?
(Kettlebells are traditionally sold in kilograms, usually in multiples of 4.
But swings can go heavy.
Like, hundreds of pounds heavy.
Youll see big guysload up a T-handle with barbell plateswhen they outgrow the kettlebells that are available to them.
How heavy should a kettlebell be for swings?
Cant press it overhead?
Thats finetrain your arms with pushups while you save up for a second, smaller bell.
How big should that swinging bell be?
Heres how I recommend finding a starting point:
Use a bell that is too heavy to front raise.
Hold your kettlebell with both hands and attempt to front raise it.
If you might, its too light for swings.
Use a bell that is too heavy to press.
A bit heavier would be better.
I could swing a 32 easily, and a 40 with some difficulty.
I bought the 40, correctly guessing that Idgrow into it.
That gives you a wide range to work with.
If you already lift weights, your one-hand press and your barbell deadlift will give you a reasonable range.
Using my current self as an example, that would be anywhere between 20 and 48 kilos.
