KBOMG Kettlebell Blog

This title was not intended to be clickbait. 

In fact, I hate clickbait more than almost anything, and while this article isn't meant to be controversial, I realize that it may be taken that way.

I'm one of the biggest kettlebell enthusiasts, and even in 2010, I named my training center  Swing This Kettlebell Studio.

While I enjoy kettlebell swings and think they are an excellent component or addition to a training program......

Sure, you use a lot of muscle when doing a kettlebell swing. However, it is a great posterior chain exercise. It develops quickness and power in hip extension and a strong grip.  

Here are some of the Pros I see with the kettlebell swing.

-It can be an excellent lower-impact exercise that people can use for conditioning who may not be able to run or jump.

-Powerlifters may enjoy it as a conditioning tool or a glute-focused movement for the end of a deadlift pull or to build spinal erector and lower back endurance.

-Runners may use it as a cross-training tool that won't add more running mileage to their bodies. 

-It's a fast-paced movement with many variations that most athletes should adopt.

-The kettlebell swing can be very fluid and teaches the concentric and eccentric portion of the lift and majorly focuses on the transitional phase between the two. This is very different than the deadlift that touches the floor unless it's a Romanian deadlift version  

Here are some Cons 

Kettlebell swings are popular on the internet, especially as stand-alone exercise programs. (They shouldn't be)  Influencers love to use them, and many people I see demonstrating them are terrible demonstrators. The internet gives views and credit to many people who either pay for marketing techniques or don't deserve it. You really have to watch where you get advice from...

It's not uncommon for me to see nearly 300 to 1000-rep kettlebell swings done in a single workout, sometimes even daily. When I program kettlebell swings, it's rarely over 50 per session, especially if someone wants to use them to get more power or strength. Conditioning is easily obtained, but too many reps of the same exercise can lead to chronic repetitious strain. 

Overall IMO, it lacks many aspects of being a GREAT full-body exercise. I feel it's a very concentrated movement since there is only tension in such a small range of motion. 

Once the kettlebell starts its upward and forward flight, that load dissipates as it goes upward in the concentric portion before the downward backswing portion. You have two opposite points of transitional weight loading in this exercise. Between the upswing and downswing, the kettlebell goes from near weightless to the total weight. It is the opposite when it goes from backswing to upswing, where the kettlebell goes from full tension to zero at a point at the top of the swing arc.   

There is not what I like to describe as the full body  "Structural integrity"...Ill get to this in a minute.  

Think about a deadlift... It is nearly the same movement as a kettlebell swing, except since it is slower, the weight is always connected to us,  fighting gravity the whole time. In addition, we must maintain muscular tension and skeletal alignment during the entire movement. 

With the kettlebell swing, I notice that many people lose that tension once they extend their hips, and the bell becomes "floating" near the chest or belly level.

This will allow the abdominals and spinal stabilizer muscles to avoid a challenge such as a deadlift created in this standing upright body position.  

Losing tension in these muscles may make it hard for many people, especially beginners, to re-engage those muscles quickly before the kettlebell yanks them downward. I've seen many backs get strained by poor kettlebell form. This being said, I HIGHLY recommend people always keep some sort of deadlift with the kettlebell or other tool in their training.  

This will help build a more well-rounded "Integrity of your Structure."

Think about a kettlebell swing being like lifting a wheelbarrow's handles repeatedly without moving it anywhere.  

We've got to do more in the garden!

Don't focus your kettlebell training on doing hundreds and hundreds of kettlebell swings.  

The problem for most people is that kettlebell exercises beyond the swing can be complicated and tough to become proficient at.  

The next exercises are the most beneficial but take more time to learn. This is one of the primary reasons people are so stuck on doing the swings predominantly. 

Learning to do a clean and possibly a snatch can cause frustration and pain if done incorrectly, too often, or with a weight you aren't ready for. 

They give it an ending and a purpose.  

A kettlebell clean, whether with one or two hands, brings the weight to the shoulder area or rack position. This stopping place allows you to move the weight you just lifted.  

Think about this...

A kettlebell clean now allows you to carry and support that weight. You can now take it somewhere or Integrate/Organize your Structure underneath the weight. This is what I like to call the building of "Structural Integrity" This is where the swing can't help you with as much. 

If you think about it, a kettlebell swing is a throw you don't let go of. You're tossing a weight over and over for the recommended reps.

The Kettlebell Clean movement will give you so much carryover into your day-to-day life.

Picking up a bag of pet food from 14 to 50 lbs? 

A bag of mulch? 

Putting on a heavy backpack? 

The Kettlebell Clean is where it's at. Especially the two-handed version that will help you pick up and carry any heavy bagged material, such as you may encounter when doing yard work, etc. 

The clean builds from the swing and puts the weight in a position for you to do something with it, such as loaded carries. For endurance's sake, we need to know how to carry or move objects in many different positions so that we don't burn out or fatigue certain areas of the body during work. 

One of my favorite skills is the ability to carry things overhead, from sheets of plywood to logs, etc. 

That all came from building stability in all joints BELOW the weight Im carrying. 

That is what I call STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY. 

Whether I clean and press something overhead or snatch it, I build many strong positions for my body under a load.

If you only use a kettlebell swing for your strength and endurance training, I highly recommend doing even MORE kettlebell cleans.  

And if applicable to your lifestyle, the kettlebell snatch.  

:)

Below are a couple videos to help you with the kettlebell clean.

Do you think the kettlebell swing is overrated or underrated?

And the safe finish....

Joe Daniels