Imagine there was an exercise that would solve 99% of the problems caused by your sedentary lifestyle. An exercise that strengthens your weak back gives you an aesthetic ass and makes your abs pop.
An exercise that simultaneously builds strength, power, flexibility, and endurance. And what if said exercise was easy to learn and had the bonus of being an incredibly effective fat-burning exercise?
Do you think that such an exercise doesn’t exist?
Well, then, let me introduce you to the hardstyle kettlebell swing.
Why the kettlebell swing is the perfect fat-loss exercise.
The kettlebell swing is a compound exercise, which means you are working multiple muscle groups at once. Other examples of compound exercises are squats or rows.
Common to all of these movements is the use of multiple joints. The opposite of a compound exercise is an isolation exercise, where you target specific muscles and use only one joint. The bicep curl, which isolates the biceps and involves just the elbow joint, is an example of an isolation exercise.
If you want to lose body fat, compound exercises are your best bet. Because you’ll use more muscles than during isolation exercises, you’ll burn more calories during your workout and use your workout time most efficiently.
Besides, compound movements build muscle and strength faster than isolation exercises, and the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn at rest.
The kettlebell swing is especially great for burning fat because it is a compound movement that includes your upper and lower body and hence works almost every muscle.
Here is a list of some of the major muscle groups that the kettlebell swing strengthens:
Glutes
Your glutes (the muscle group you sit on) are the main muscles you use when you swing a kettlebell. They extend your hips and power the bell forward on the upswing.
Hamstrings
The hamstrings are the muscles on the back of your thighs. Like the glutes, they are responsible for hip extension and help to propel the bell forward. The more you flex your knees, the less you activate your hamstrings.
Quadriceps
The quadriceps (quads) are the muscles on the front of your thighs. Your quadriceps’ main job is knee extension. The more you bend your knees, the more you activate your quadriceps. However, the goal of this exercise is primarily to use your hips. When you feel your hamstrings more than your quads, you perform a proper hardstyle swing.
Spinal Erectors
The spinal erectors are the muscles that stabilize your spine. They serve a critical role in the kettlebell swing since they prevent the rounding of your back. It is essential to keep your back straight throughout the movement to avoid injury.
Trapezius
These muscles on your upper back work throughout the whole movement. They help to stabilize your shoulder blades and prevent them from rounding forward throughout the swinging motion.
Rhomboids
The rhomboid muscles have a similar function as the trapezius. They assist in stabilizing the shoulders and upper back throughout the movement.
Deltoids
The deltoids are the muscles of your shoulder. They engage throughout the movement by contributing to the upswing and controlling the bell on the downward portion.
Abdominals
Your abdominals (abs) serve the opposite function of your spinal erectors. They flex the spine, which is why you (mistakenly) perform endless crunches if you want to make your abs pop. During the kettlebell swing, your abs prevent the hyperextension of the spine, especially on the top of the movement. Kettlebell swings will help you develop a six-pack. If done right, you will feel a good kettlebell swing workout as much in your abs as in your hamstrings and glutes.
Wrist Flexors and Extensors
Your forearm, hand, and wrist muscles will be challenged during a kettlebell workout. The limiting factor in the kettlebell swing for most people new to working out is grip strength. However, your grip will naturally strengthen as you continue your kettlebell swing journey.
But the kettlebell swing is more than just a compound strength training lift.
Due to its ballistic nature, requiring explosive movements from the hips and the knees, the kettlebell swing is an excellent exercise for cardiovascular conditioning.
And while research on kettlebell training is still sparse, a study by Fararr et al. (2010) showed that kettlebell swings provide enough metabolic stimulus to raise one’s Vo2 max.
Vo2 max is a measurement of your aerobic fitness level. It is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can absorb and use during exercise.
You’d be hard-pressed to find another activity that combines the benefits of cardiovascular training and strength training in such an efficient manner.
How to perform the kettlebell swing.
First, let me state that there is “one perfect” swing technique. Even though some kettlebell instructors still promote their preferred type of swing as the ideal, the truth is that there are a variety of swing styles. The one I am describing in this article is the hardstyle swing. This swing style is explosive and promotes the development of power and strength. The video below shows the 2-hand hardstyle swing.
To perform the kettlebell swing, place a kettlebell in front of you and hinge back with your hips. The movement resembles a deadlift pattern.
Bend at your hips and move your butt back. Keep your spine long. Your knees should bend only slightly since the kettlebell swing is a hip hinge, not a squat. The pictures below show the difference between a hip hinge and a squat.
Once you hinged back, grab the kettlebell by the handle and tilt it slightly towards you. Engage your lats by pulling the shoulders down and back. Imagine your shoulder blades pinching together or squeezing a lemon between your armpits.
Hinge as far back as you can so that you feel a nice stretch in your glutes and hamstrings. Hike the bell back between your legs as far as you can. Your forearms should touch the inside of your thighs when the bell is behind you.
To drive the bell forward, stand up explosively by driving your feet into the ground. Stand tall, lock out your knees, and squeeze your glutes. The kettlebell should float to chest level. If done correctly, you will feel your back muscles power the movement, not your arms.
When the kettlebell feels weightless at the top of the movement, you’re powering the upswing correctly. As the kettlebell comes down, wait as long as possible before bending at your hips to let the kettlebell swing back behind you again.
Wait until your forearms come into contact with your upper thighs again, and only then move your butt back.
Initiate another swing or set the kettlebell down in front of you.
What kettlebell size and type should you use?
Which weight you should use for your kettlebell swings will depend on several factors, the most important being your fitness level. If you are a man, you will start with a 16-24 kg bell, and if you are a woman, you will typically begin with an 8-12 kg bell. You can choose cast-iron bells (most commonly used for general fitness) and competition-style bells (used in kettlebell sports).
If you’re going to a gym to perform your swings, you will likely have access to cast-iron bells, as most gyms are equipped with those. I prefer them for hardstyle kettlebell training because they are smaller than competition-style bells, and hence, I can swing with a more narrow stance (I have short legs.)
The narrower your stance, the deeper your back-swing. And the deeper your back-swing, the more power and strength you can develop.
Remember that hardstyle kettlebell training is all about developing power and strength.
How to add the kettlebell swing to your fitness regimen.
If you want to add kettlebell swings to your fitness routine, you have various options. For those who are already strength training in a gym setting, the most efficient solution is to mix the swing into your existing workouts. This means you’ll simply add a conditioning exercise to your strength exercises.
An example routine would be to pair a set of 10 – 20 swings with a set of 1 – 2 heavy barbell squats. You’d start light for your barbell squat and add weight to each set until you’ve reached your peak set for the day on your 10th set.
Move as fast as possible while maintaining excellent form. The goal is to finish this workout (or part of the workout) in ten minutes, with a minimum of 100 swings and 80% or more of your barbell lift max on your top set.
Another option is to use the kettlebell swing as a finisher after you’ve completed all of your strength work or to use the swing as a standalone workout on days you don’t hit the gym. If using the latter option, you must be aware of cumulative fatigue and ensure you recover well. Especially if including the kettlebell swing workout increases your overall weekly training days.
If you currently don’t work out regularly, you can start by adding a kettlebell swing session 2-4 days per week. Rest one day or more between each session. Keep your repetitions to 5 at the beginning and work up to 10 repetitions per set.
The goal is to perform 10X10 kettlebell swings in 10 minutes. If you complete 50-100 reps in total, you already have a good session. If you want to take your kettlebell swing fat-burning workout to another level, you can work up to 300 repetitions (or more).
When I started kettlebell training in 2015, I only did kettlebell swing workouts for many months and have extended my sessions to 45 – 60 minutes. However, the swings were not done continuously as my form would have suffered, and it would have been too much strain on my back. Instead, I performed sets of 10-20 repetitions. The focus was always on the quality of the movement. This is critical. Only start your next set of kettlebell swings when you feel ready.
Sample kettlebell swing workouts.
If you are not as boredom-proof as me, and the thought of swinging a kettlebell for 45 minutes makes you want to avoid picking up a kettlebell, try one of the following workouts for added variety in your swing routine.
Roll The Dice
When you can perform the 10X10 kettlebell swings in ten minutes (or less), you are ready for this workout. This is a fun format I learned from Pavel Tstatsouline.
Throw a pair of dice two times and add up the numbers to determine the length of your workout. For example, (2,5) + (4,4) = 15. You will work out for 15 minutes and use a ladder scheme.
A ladder refers to a particular rep and set scheme often used in kettlebelling to build strength. Because of the substantial weight jumps, you can not progress your kettlebell lifting strength in the same way you can with barbells or dumbbells (where you would add a bit of weight each time you increase your weights.
A ladder increases the repetitions for each set using the same weight. When you have reached the top rung of the ladder (the highest number of repetitions in the sequence), you start over the bottom of the ladder (the lowest number of repetitions).
You will use the following ladder: 5, 10, 15, and 20 (50 reps in total). When you have caught your breath, start the next ladder (5, 10, 15, 20). Continue in this fashion until the time is up.
Swing And Squat
This is a great beginner’s workout that really hits home the difference between the squat and the hinge.
You will work for 15 minutes. Set a timer to go off every minute. When the timer beeps, you will perform ten repetitions of the two-handed kettlebell swing or the goblet squat, switching exercises each minute. If you can complete the ten repetitions in under 1 minute, the remaining time is your rest.
Your workout will look like this: minute 1: 10 two-handed swings, minute 2: 10 goblet squats, minute 3: 10 two-handed swings, minute 4: 10 goblet squats.
If you complete the 15 minutes and still feel fresh, you can either increase the weight the next time or increase the duration of the workout.
Double Up
This is a kettlebell workout for the advanced trainee, who can execute the kettlebell clean and the press in addition to the swing and is comfortable using double kettlebells. Perform five double kettlebell swings, five double kettlebell presses, and again five double swings. Take a short break to catch your breath and continue for 10-15 minutes.
I use this workout a lot when I want to focus on building upper body strength and simultaneously drop some body fat. The bell should be heavy enough that the five presses feel challenging.
The possibilities to design kettlebell workouts that focus on the swing are endless.
You can combine it with almost every kettlebell exercise and design workouts that stoke your metabolic fire in as little as 15 minutes.
And if you like the monotony of it, you can grab your kettlebell and swing it in ladder fashion or sets of ten for 20 minutes or more 😁.