Kettlebells have a centuries-long history around the world and, fortunately, they’ve become more and more commonplace in commercial gyms in recent years. They’re also an efficient space-saving option for any home gym. While kettlebell training does require slightly more attention than exercising with dumbbells, the payoff is well worth the effort.

Here are the best exercises to begin your kettlebell experience. You’ll find some irreplaceable exercises that build explosive power, head-to-toe strength and stability, and a muscle-building stimulus you just can’t duplicate with any other equipment. While some exercises require a pair of matched weights, there are plenty of great movements using just one ‘bell.

Best Kettlebell Exercises

• Goblet Squat
• Kettlebell Deadlift
• Farmer’s Carry
• Gorilla Row
• Kettlebell Halo
• Front Rack Reverse Lunge
• Front Rack Push Press
• Kettlebell Suitcase Deadlift and Carry
• Kettlebell Clean
• Kettlebell Swing
• Kettlebell Tall Kneeling Plank
• Turkish Get-Up

Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is a very accessible way for anyone to learn how to squat with added resistance. The idea of the movement is that you are “sitting into your squat” with a weight in front of your body. It sounds pretty simple in theory and, in reality, it is.

The movement is much easier to learn compared to a back squat which requires more shoulder mobility and upper body attention. A goblet squat can help you feel what it’s like to hold tension in a squat while focusing on your lower body. It’s not strictly for beginners because you can progress to the heaviest kettlebell you have access to before moving on to a barbell.

How to Do the Goblet Squat

Hold the kettlebell handles at your chest. Press your palms toward each other in order to keep tension in your upper body. Keep your chest up and don’t let the weight pull you forward. Push your hips back, drive your knees out, and sit “into” your hips — don’t just fall down.

When your thighs are slightly below parallel to the ground, push your feet through the floor and drive yourself back up to a standing position. Throughout the entire repetition, keep the weight as close to your body as possible and make sure you have control of the weight.

Benefits of the Goblet Squat

• Goblet squats are a great way to build strength in your legs and core.
• Goblet squats allow you to master squat technique, build mobility, and progress gradually over time.
• Goblet squats are ideal for lifters unable to squat with a 35 or 45-pound barbell.

Kettlebell Deadlift

Kettlebell deadlifts are a great way to learn deadlift technique and strengthen the involved muscles without needing to load 65 to 135 pounds on a barbell. Many times, deadlifts are associated with powerlifters moving hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of pounds, but a “deadlift” is simply a way of hinging from your hips and picking up a weight from the ground efficiently.

The kettlebell deadlift helps you understand how to turn your lats on during the exercise, which improves upper body stability and strength during the pull. The exercise also grooves the hip hinge movement pattern to improve technique.

How to Do the Kettlebell Deadlift

Set your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart, with a kettlebell between your feet. Push your hips back and hinge your upper body forward. Grip the top kettlebell handle with both hands. Your torso should be slightly above parallel to the ground, with your chest above your hip-line. Keep your arms straight and feel tension in your lats — the muscles on either side of your back behind your ribs. Pull your shoulders away from your ears.

Slightly bend your knees and take a deep breath in to brace your core (holding tension and position). Drive through the floor and stand up by pushing your hips forward and pulling your shoulders back. Don’t lean too far back in the top position or you’ll shift focus to your lower back.

Once you’re standing upright, descend by driving your hips back behind you and keeping the weight close to your legs. Unlock your knees and “find the floor” with the kettlebell. Remember that a “deadlift” means that there is a dead-stop on the floor. Each time the weight gets to the ground, breathe and to reset your position.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Deadlift

• Deadlifts are a functional movement done in everyday life, whether it’s picking up the laundry basket, your kid, heavy grocery bags, or the end of a couch. The kettlebell deadlift teaches how to safely keep weight close to your body while efficiently lifting from the floor.
• The exercise strengthens your legs, back, shoulders, core, and grip.

Farmer’s Carry

Farmer’s carries, also known as farmer’s walks, are one of the most effective ways to simultaneously build your strength and endurance. It also works nearly every part of your body from your core and grip to your shoulders and calves.

If you’ve ever carried more than one grocery bag from the car to the house, you’ve done a farmer’s carry. The goal is to get the snacks home safely, right? At the gym, the goal is to carry the weight with control so, when you think about it, the farmer’s carry is a functional exercise to keep your groceries safe. In any case, the idea is to walk for total distance or time while holding heavy weights and maintaining good posture and control of the weights.

How to Do the Farmer’s Carry

Stand with your feet roughly hip-distance apart with a kettlebell at outside of each foot. Hinge your hips back, pull your shoulders away from your ears, and feel tension in your lats as you pick up the kettlebells. This should remind you of doing a deadlift, because it is. The only difference is having a weight near each hip instead of one weight at your body’s centerline. And instead of putting the weights right back down, you are going for a simple walk.

The main focus is to control the weights while walking. Focus on holding your body in good alignment  with your shoulders pulled back in muscular tension to prevent the weights from swinging. If you find you are losing your balance, you are likely not controlling the kettlebells. After you’ve reached your distance or time, set up in the starting stance, hinge your hips back, and bring the weights to the floor.

Benefits of the Farmer’s Carry

• Farmer’s carries are incredibly applicable to life from a functional strength-perspective, safely and efficiently moving with weights at arm’s length.
• The exercise is effective for building core strength and grip strength.
• This total-body movement also builds endurance and conditioning more efficiently than low intensity aerobic exercise like walking on a treadmill.

Gorilla Row

This movement is powerful and, honestly, fun. A gorilla row is similar to a bent-over dumbbell row, but instead of pressing into a bench with one arm, you’re using the opposing weight to create force and stability.

This row variation helps to reinforce good hip hinge patterns. It requires you to hold your lower back and core in a strong position, otherwise you find that doing the actual row becomes much harder. The wide stance also reduces lower back strain, making it a good choice for lifters with recurring back problems.

How to Do the Gorilla Row

Stand with your feet wide out and a pair of kettlebells on the ground at your center. Bend forward at your hips and squat down to grip the weights with your palms facing each other. Pressing down into one of the kettlebells while pulling the other toward your waist. Don’t allow your upper body to rotate as you pull and push. You can either alternate pulling sides with each repetition or stick to one side for all reps before switching.

This movement is meant to be done powerfully, not slowly. If you have a hard time being in the hinge position without your back rounding, elevate the kettlebells on blocks to make them a bit higher. This will take some of the pressure on your hamstrings and lower back by reducing the range of motion.

Benefits of the Gorilla Row

• Gorilla row is an effective rowing variation, which can be beneficial for building strength and muscle. (1)
• This movement incorporated your entire body, using your legs and core for stability, compared to a more lat-focused row.
• The core engagement and body position reduces lower back strain compared to other rowing movements.

Kettlebell Halo

The halo is one of the most complete shoulder exercises you can do. The benefits include strength, mobility, and stability. The halo is versatile and can be done either during a workout or as part of a warm-up.

You can make the movement easier or harder by adjusting the bell’s position in your hands, by alternating directions with each repetition or performing one direction at a time, or by changing your stance from standing to kneeling.

How to Do the Kettlebell Halo

Stand while grabbing the side handles a kettlebell, with the your thumbs in front of your face. Think about an actual halo — a halo is a circle over your head, so create a circular motion around your eye-line. As you bring the weight to the side of your head, start to turn the bottom of the kettlebell up toward the ceiling.

As it moves around the back of your head, the bottom of the kettlebell should be facing the ceiling and your elbows point up to the sky. As the weight finishes the circle around your head, rotate the bottom of the weight to face the floor. You should be in the starting position again.

Don’t allow your head to move forward. Get the range of motion from your shoulders, not from your neck. Pretend you’re stuck in cement from the chest down. This will work on your core stability.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Halo

• The halo efficiently builds core stability and upper body mobility3.
• The shoulders and upper back are worked through a very significant range of motion, making it an ideal drill for improving joint health by addressing scapular stability and mobility.
• The exercise can be performed with several basic variations, making it accessible for people with different abilities and experience levels.

Front Rack Reverse Lunge

All lunges are hard, but front rack reverse lunges (sometimes called back lunges) are an extra-level of hard. It takes a lot of core and mid-back strength to perform this “lower body exercise” because you have to keep the kettlebells held near your chest during the movement.

The beauty of the front rack reverse lunge is that you get your leg work done while also training your upper body and core at the same time. Doing the exercise with one kettlebell will increase the core challenge even further since you need to stabilize your torso from being pulled down on one side.

How to Do the Front Rack Reverse Lunge

Stand while holding a pair of kettlebells at shoulder-height with your knuckles either touching or fairly close to each other. Think of a classic prayer position without your hands actually interlocking. This is the “front rack” position.

Step one foot back, hinging slightly at your hips as you bend your front leg and lower your back knee down towards the floor. Lightly graze the floor with your knee  — don’t just drop your knee to the ground. Focus on keeping your torso strong and your chest up, pointing your knuckles up toward the sky. Once you’ve grazed the ground  with your leg, push up through your front leg with the back leg only helping slightly You can either continue all reps with one leg or you can alternate sides.

Benefits of the Front Rack Reverse Lunge

• The front rack position adds a big element of core strength to the reverse lunge, especially if performed with a weight in one arm instead of two.
• Your upper back, shoulders and arms will also be challenged to support the weight during this movement.
• The front rack reverse lunge helps to build lower body strength and mobility as you reach a deep lunge position, stretching the hip flexors of the back leg and strengthening the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes of the front leg.

Front Rack Push Press

It’s common to see a basic overhead press, but a front rack push press is a whole different ballgame. You can do the standard overhead press with kettlebells in a slow and controlled fashion, but when you add the front rack position and a lower body push, you’ve now created a relatively unstable environment that you have to work really hard to control.

By using leg drive, you challenge your core to transfer that power from your lower body through to your shoulders. You’re also able to use relatively heavier weights, which can build more strength and power.

How to Do the Front Rack Push Press

Hold a pair of kettlebells in the front rack position — in front of your face with your palms facing each other. Dip your knees and sit very slightly down while keeping your chest tall. From that position, quickly stand straight and punch the weights up. Imaging you’re jumping to create enough power through the floor and send the weights toward the ceiling.

Because you’re creating so much force, you’ll need to make sure that your shoulders are in a stable position to catch the weights at the top. Brace your core as you lockout the weights overhead. Once you’ve stabilized the weights at the top, lower them towards your chest as you sit again to “catch” the force coming down. Repeat the movement by punching upward.

Benefits of the Front Rack Push Press

• Kettlebells are more unstable than dumbbells due to the offset center of gravity and their position in your hand and on your arm. This adds an even greater element of core strength and shoulder stability to each repetition as you must work harder to control the weight overhead.
• The front rack push press allows heavier weights than a strict press, which helps improve strength and force development.
• Incorporating leg drive makes the front rack push press a total-body exercise, creating a more efficient movement for conditioning.

Suitcase Deadlift and Carry

This movement is similar to the farmer’s carry except, instead of practicing carrying groceries, you’re practicing carrying luggage. Using just one kettlebell creates a pull on one side of your body which forces your core, specifically your oblique muscles on the sides of your abdominals, to work extra-hard to keep you upright.

The suitcase deadlift is a single-arm, core-intensive variation of the standard kettlebell deadlift.  The suitcase carry is a single-arm, core-intensive variation of the farmer’s carry. Combining the two creates an efficient exercise to build total-body strength and a strong, supportive core.

How to Do the Suitcase Deadlift and Carry

Stand with one kettlebell on the floor next to your foot. Hinge your hips back, bend your legs slightly, and grab the weight with your palm facing your leg. Pull your shoulders away from your ears and create tension in your shoulder. Keep your back neutral and your shoulders level as you drive through the floor and pick up the weight. Walk for total distance or time.

As you are walking, you will feel a bit lopsided, but that is the point. Fight that using your core. Squeeze your free hand hard to help create tension and prevent the weight from pulling you to one side. (2) Once you are done with the set, hinge your hips back, place the weight on the floor and repeat with the other hand.

Benefits of the Suitcase Deadlift and Carry

• The suitcase deadlift and carry addresses natural asymmetries and helps to reduce the risk of injuries by improving core stability.
• The single-sided loading is highly functional and prepares the body for real-world scenarios ranging from walking an energetic dog to carrying a child on your hip.

Kettlebell Clean

This is a dynamic and powerful movement that only feels good when it’s done properly. When it’s done wrong, it can tell you it’s wrong by bruising your wrist and forearm — not all exercises talk back to you like that, but kettlebell cleans definitely will.

The clean is a fundamental exercise that builds strength to get your kettlebells up the front rack position, so learning it will benefit your presses, squats, lunges, and more.

How to Do the Kettlebell Clean

With the kettlebell between your feet, and your feet a little wider than hip-width apart, drive your hips back. Bend your knees and put one hand on the bell with a palm-down grip. Make sure that your chest is up so you can look in front of you — you don’t want to be looking at the floor or the bell. Drive up to pull the weight off the floor. As it reaches your hips, start to turn your hand so the weight will land in the front rack position.

Here’s the important thing: you shouldn’t be doing much pulling with your arm. Some, sure, but most of the power to get the weight from the ground to chest-height comes from your hips. You are almost “throwing” the weight up to the sky with a lot of momentum and power from the hips, and then guiding it into the front rack position.

Some key tips would be not to pull off the ground too fast, so you can gather enough power. Also, relax your hand as the bell is turning, to allow a smoother rotation and cut down on calluses. The kettlebell clean does take a lot of practice before you might have a smooth lift, so it’s a good idea to start light and taking your time to increase the weight.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Clean

• Kettlebell cleans are a very effective explosive power exercise.
• The clean is the most efficient way to bring a kettlebell to the front rack position before performing squats, lunges, presses or similar exercises.
• As a total-body movement, it’s an excellent way to train cardio and conditioning while targeting the legs, core, and upper back.

Kettlebell Swing

Kettlebell swings might be the most popular kettlebell exercise around, and for plenty of good reasons. They are one of the best hip extension exercises and target the glutes and hamstrings. They are powerful, they are fun, and they are unconventional cardio.

Because your hips and glutes are some of the strongest muscles in your body, you can swing a lot more weight than you realize when you are using the proper momentum, power, and position.

How to Do the Kettlebell Swing

Start standing about a foot behind the kettlebell, with your feet wider than hip-distance apart. Your body should be in a hinged position with both hands palm-down on the bell. Think about hiking a football back behind you. Keep your chest tall, take a deep breath in, and “hike” the kettlebell behind your legs. Once the kettlebell is at its peak, aggressively drive your hips forward and come to a standing position while the kettlebell swings forward in front of you to about chest-height. Do not lift the kettlebell with your arms. Keep your arms loose.

Imagine a slingshot. As you bring the weight back, you’re pulling the sling back and once you release the sling, the weight should shoot forward. In this case, you will be guiding it forward and slightly up. Once the kettlebell is in front of you at its maximum height, actively pull it down through your legs, but very closer to your hips than your knees. A graphic but memorable saying to keep in mind is “thumb in the bum.” Keep the bell high and close between your legs to generate the most power. When the bell swings up, make sure you have fully extended your hips without leaning backward and overextend with your lower back.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Swing

• Kettlebell swings are a great way to change up your cardio workouts.
• Swings build explosive power and strength.
• The movements is highly effective for targeting the glutes and training hip extension, which can benefit athleticism, sports performance, and muscle growth.

Kettlebell Tall Kneeling Plank

Are you bored of planks and also need to work on your shoulder mobility? Here’s the solution. There are many ways to work your core and static exercises where you resist movement, such as basic planks, are great to build stability.

This tall kneeling plank is also great because you will be working on your hip extension and shoulder mobility at the same time. The kettlebell tall kneeling plank is a great way to work on holding our spine in a neutral position, which will translate to many other exercises.

How to Do the Kettlebell Tall Kneeling Plank

The “tall kneeling” position means that you will be on both knees with your thighs toward the ceiling, not sitting on your heels. Grab the handle of a kettlebell with both hands behind you. Your palms will be facing away from your body and you will want to keep your arms as straight as possible.

Actively extend (straighten) at the hips and hold your ribs in alignment directly above your waist. Try not to let the kettlebell rest on your body. You don’t have to pull it far away, but you want to stay active and engage your shoulders and arms in this hold.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Tall Kneeling Plank

• This exercise is a great way to open up your chest and shoulders, improve mobility and stretch your upper body.
• If you can’t perform basic planks due to wrist or elbow problems, this is a great alternative.

Turkish Get-Up

The Turkish get-up is a strength, stability, and mobility exercise wrapped up into one. It can be broken down into parts where it becomes a sit-up, a crab bridge, a lunge, an overhead hold… there is a lot going on. The main idea is that you begin lying on the ground holding a weight locked out overhead and have to move into a standing position.

This is a big, involved movement broken down into a step-by-step process. The focus is keeping your shoulders in a stable position so the weight remains perpendicular to the ground the entire time. Even beginning with bodyweight alone, without any weigh in your hand, can be challenging to some people.

How to Do the Turkish Get-Up

Lie on your back with your right foot flat on the floor, your right knee bent to 90-degrees, and your left leg straight out. Your right arm begins locked straight above your chest with a kettlebell in-hand. Your left arm is out to the side at the same angle as your left leg. While looking at the weight and pressing your arm away from you, push into the floor with your right foot and prop up onto your left elbow.

Keep pressing your left arm into the floor and come up the palm of that hand. Keep your shoulders stacked in-line. Press your hips up to the sky with your left leg out straight. Press through your left palm and right foot, and bring your left leg under your body into a kneeling position.

With your knee on the ground, take your left palm off the floor and extend your arm sideways for balance. Press through your legs into a standing position. This is the top of the get-up — the halfway point of one repetition. Stabilize the kettlebell locked overhead and brace your core.

With your left leg, step back into a half-kneeling (lunge) position. Hinge your hips back as you lean to the left side and place your left palm on the ground. Bring your left leg through to a straight ahead position. Bend your left arm and lower to your forearm, and then slowly lower yourself flat onto your back. You should  end in the same starting position, with the kettlebell locked straight over your chest. Switch the weight to the other hand and repeat.

Benefits of the Turkish Get-Up

• The Turkish get-up truly is a whole-body exercise. It’s arguably the most involved movement you can do in the gym and everything is working, as you can tell from the extra-long steps on how to perform the exercise
• The movement works shoulder stability and mobility, lower body stability and strength, and core strength.

Benefits of Kettlebell Training

Kettlebells can be used for all sorts of strength exercises, just like you would use dumbbells. The big difference is weight distribution due to the way the kettlebell is shaped and how you hold it. The offset size of the kettlebell can make many exercises much more challenging than similar movements using a dumbbell.

The other major beauty of almost any kettlebell exercise is that you easily flow from movement to movement. For example, you can smoothly transition from a kettlebell swing to a clean to a push press to a front rack reverse lunge all without ever putting the weight down.

This type of exercise flow is similar to using supersets and is an efficient way to train multiple muscle groups with a high level of continuous tension.

How to Program Kettlebell Exercises

Kettlebells are generally used for developing power over raw strength because they can be used explosively but weights are relatively limited. One of the most popular examples would be a kettlebell swing. It’s powerful movement that is best done with a kettlebell rather than a dumbbell or an improvised, homemade kettlebell-like alternative.

Kettlebell exercises can be incorporated into any conventional workout and mixed with standard exercises. For example, performing the front rack push press before dumbbell lateral raises during a shoulder workout.

You can also create a kettlebell-only workout for a plan requiring minimal equipment. For example, performing the goblet squat, swings, and front rack reverse lunge as a complete leg workout. You could also get an intense and effective cardio workout performing the farmer’s carry followed by the Turkish get-up.

How to Warm-Up with a Kettlebell

Because the kettlebell takes up barely any space in the gym, it can be the key to getting a quick and effective warm-up before any workout. Stringing together several exercises, performing each for several repetitions, can be an ideal way to prepare your entire body for any training session. Try this simple circuit:

• Unweighted Turkish Get-Up: Lie flat on the ground with your hand raised to the ceiling. Roll to the opposite side, prop yourself up, swing the leg of your non-working arm through to the back, and stand up. Keep your hand pointed completely vertical the entire time. Reverse the process to lie back down and repeat with the other arm. Perform two reps per side before moving to the next exercise.
• Goblet Squat: Hold a kettlebell with both hands in front of your chest. Pull your shoulders back, engage your core, and sit back into your hips. Descend as low as possible, aiming to increase your depth with each repetition. Perform five repetitions before moving to the next repetition.
• Kettlebell Clean: Take the kettlebell in one hand, hanging between your legs near your knees. Hinge forward at the hips and slightly bend your knees. Explode upwards while pulling the weight to shoulder-level. Bend your arm and “catch” the weight with bent legs. Stand upright and reset before lowering the weight to the starting position. Perform three repetitions per arm before moving to the next exercise.
• Front Rack Push Press: Begin with the kettlebell at shoulder-level. Bend your legs and sit down slightly before quickly standing up while pressing the weight overhead to full lockout. Lower the bell to shoulder-level and “catch” it with bent legs. Perform three repetitions per arm before repeating the first exercise. Perform a total of three circuits.

One Bell, Endless Results

There’s a reason kettlebells have been used around the entire world for well-over a century. Without needing a fully equipped gym, you can train your entire body for strength, muscle, mobility, and conditioning. Kettlebell training might seem complicated, imposing, or even intimidating. But it’s really not. All it takes is patience, practice, and proper instruction. You just got the last piece, but the first two are up to you.

References

1. Baz-Valle, E., Schoenfeld, B. J., Torres-Unda, J., Santos-Concejero, J., & Balsalobre-Fernández, C. (2019). The effects of exercise variation in muscle thickness, maximal strength and motivation in resistance trained men. PloS one, 14(12), e0226989. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226989
2. Gontijo, L. B., Pereira, P. D., Neves, C. D., Santos, A. P., Machado, D., & Bastos, V. H. (2012). Evaluation of strength and irradiated movement pattern resulting from trunk motions of the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. Rehabilitation research and practice, 2012, 281937. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/281937

Featured Image: Goolia Photography / Shutterstock

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The kettlebell swing is likely the most well-known kettlebell exercise — and for a good reason. It is an excellent movement to improve power; it’s an efficient way to build endurance and burn fat; and it’s a great teaching tool to learn the hip hinge pattern (strengthening the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back). Here’s how to perform a perfect kettlebell swing and everything you need to know about this exercise.

• How to Do the Kettlebell Swing
• Kettlebell Swing Mistakes to Avoid
• Benefits of the Kettlebell Swing
• Muscles Worked by the Kettlebell Swing
• Who Should Do the Kettlebell Swing
• How to Program the Kettlebell Swing
• Kettlebell Swing Variations
• Kettlebell Swing Alternatives
• Frequently Asked Questions

Kettlebell Swing Tutorial Video

Coach Justin Lind shares an extremely detailed explanation and demonstration of the kettlebell swing. Watch the video in its entirety before, or after, reading the full article to see the movement put into action and highlight the details of its performance.

[Related: Why You Should Be Greasing The Groove During Your Workouts]

How to Do the Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing is a dynamic movement that develops lower body power. Because it requires explosive output, you should always pay attention to proper technique to avoid injuries and reap the intended benefits.

Step 1 — Get Into the Starting Stance

Place a kettlebell on the ground and stand in front of it with a slightly wider-than-shoulder-width stance. Hinge at the hips while keeping your knees slightly bent. Your back should be flat with your torso almost parallel to the ground.

Keep your hips relatively high without dropping into a squatting position. There shouldn’t be a lot of bend in your knees. Shift your weight onto your heels. Grab the top handle of the kettlebell firmly with both hands in a palms-down grip.

Form tip: When you’re hinging at the hips, the kettlebell should be almost directly beneath your eyes. If it’s too close to your body’s centerline, you won’t be able to get it moving efficiently to begin the first repetition.

Step 2 — Pull the Weight Behind Your Legs

Flex your lats (back muscles) and forcefully pull the kettlebell back between your legs in a dynamic fashion while keeping your elbows slightly bent. Try to feel tension in your hamstrings and glutes as they stretch in the hinged position.

Keep your torso bent forward. Allow the weight to reach behind your legs. At its farthest position, the weight should be under or past your glutes.

Form tip: The kettlebell swing is a hinge, not a squat. There should be more horizontal movement than vertical. Done properly, the exercise recruits your posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, and lower back) for maximal power.

Step 3 — Drive Up Explosively

Simultaneously contract your glutes while extending your hips and knees to drive the weight forward and up. Maintain straight or slightly bent arms throughout the rep. In the top position, your body should be straight and tall, with the weight stopping naturally around shoulder-level or slightly below.

Grip the weight hard, brace your core, and flex your quads to maintain balance and control at the top of the movement. Don’t allow the weight to pull you forward.

Form tip: The weight should be lifted by the driving force of your glutes and hips, not by actively lifting with your arms. Think of your arms as “ropes” holding the kettlebell — they are mainly used to guide the weight on its path upwards, not to assist the lift.

Step 4 — Allow the Weight to “Fall” Under Control

Let gravity do the work and allow the kettlebell to return to its position behind your legs. Keep your arms loose and your grip tight. Maintain a neutral spine as you hinge forward while the weight is falling. The weight should end up near your glutes.

From this stretched position, you can transition into the next repetition by repeating step three and using the momentum accumulated during the fall of the kettlebell.

Form tip: Be sure to hinge with a neutral spine as the weight returns to the bottom position, as this will properly load the powerful target muscles. Do not squat down because stress will shift to your shoulders, arms, and quadriceps.

Kettlebell Swing Mistakes to Avoid

This movement requires a cocktail of speed, balance, and coordination, so it’s easy to make a mistake. Whether you’re experienced with swings or you’re a complete beginner, review these common problems to make sure you’re not doing them.

Squatting Instead of Hinging

Some people have difficulty separating “hinge at the hips” from “reach down and touch your toes.” Those are two very different movements. Some lifters are also naturally more dominant in the anterior chain (the quadriceps). When lifters’ hips move up and down rather than front to back, it negatively affects muscle recruitment.

This is a problem because “squatty swings” will not only shift the workload away from the hamstrings and glutes, but will also result in lifters using their relatively weaker arms and shoulders to elevate the kettlebell.

Avoid it: Do not be afraid of bending forward while keeping a neutral spine. Keep a slight bend in your knees and think of your hips moving horizontally and not vertically, like you’re trying to touch the wall behind you with your butt.

Overextending Your Lower Back

The swing naturally involves the lower back muscles because they help extend the hips, especially to achieve an upright standing position.

However, overextending at the top of the movement (leaning too far backwards when standing) puts a lot of unnecessary stress on your lower back. Your entire spine should remain neutral without any bending during the lift.

Avoid it: Squeeze your glutes as much as possible at the top of the movement. They are the prime moving muscle and focusing on their activation will prevent you from shifting the workload onto the lower back. Brace your core by flexing your abs as much as you can.

Driving Up With the Arms

When people pay too much attention to “lifting the kettlebell,” they sometimes start using their arms and shoulders before their hips have fully extended. This is a problem because it sacrifices lower body power. It also puts unnecessary stress on the shoulder joint by relying on smaller shoulder stabilizers instead of much stronger glute muscles.

This issue can also occur when using lighter kettlebells which are “easier” to lift incorrectly (with the arms) or when people perform swings slowly, which defeats the purpose of the exercise because it’s always meant to be done explosively.

Avoid it: Make sure you are correctly performing an explosive hip hinge and properly engaging your glutes and hamstrings. Don’t over-focus on making sure the kettlebell reaches shoulder-level, let it occur naturally.

Benefits of the Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing looks basic, maybe even “easy,” but this straight-forward movement packs a lot of benefits no matter what your goal is.

Whether you’re a performance-focused lifter, a competitive athlete, or looking to build your physique, the swing delivers results.

Explosive Power and Strength

Power is seen in sports when accelerating in a sprint, jumping, and throwing implements. Many types of athletic movements involve a hip hinge, which is optimized by training the swing. Swings also improve the explosive power of your lower body muscles. (1) 

The swing has also been shown to be as effective at building strength as other training methods. (2) Sure, you use less weight than with a deadlift or a squat, but the dynamic performance of the swing improves intermuscular connection, continuous muscular recruitment and acceleration, as well as contraction speed. All of those factors help your nervous system become more efficient at using your muscles, so you end up becoming stronger.

Conditioning and Fat Loss

This exercise can be an efficient tool for improving cardio-respiratory fitness and has been shown to be as effective as other types of cardio exercise. (3) Because the kettlebell swing must be done explosively and cannot be performed at a low intensity, it is best used as part of a training circuit or for HIIT (high-intensity interval training). Swings are also very low impact and won’t irritate your knees when done properly.

Muscle Mass

The swing is not the first exercise that pops in our head when we think of hypertrophy, but its explosive nature — meaning great muscle recruitment — coupled with the potentially long time under tension make it a good candidate for building muscle mass. If you want to maximize hypertrophy, make sure to gradually increase the weight you use over weeks and months, but don’t go too heavy or you’ll lose the explosive mechanics.(4)

Grip Strength

The handles of most kettlebells are relatively thick and sometimes smooth, both of which challenge your grip strength as you apply explosive movement to the weight. A good swing workout may leave your forearms sore temporarily, but you will eventually develop a stronger grip and more muscular arms.

Muscles Worked By the Kettlebell Swing

The swing is a complete exercise that will recruit nearly every muscle in your body in some capacity. Nevertheless, its main objective is to improve the posterior chain.

Proper swings require strong contractions of your glutes, hamstrings, and core throughout each repetition.

Glutes

Like any hip hinge, the glutes are heavily involved in the swing. The gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus are a group of three large muscles that govern hip movement. In the swing, their main role is to extend the hips — bring the body from a bent-over position to an upright posture.

Try to squeeze your glutes as much as possible at the top of each repetition. This will shift the workload away from your lower back, promote maximal hypertrophy, and allow maximum power output.

Hamstrings

Your hamstrings are a series of posterior muscles that flex or bend the knees. The hamstrings also help extend the hips in conjunction with the glutes. In the swing, your hamstrings assist the glutes in driving the weight up from the bottom position by extending the hips.

If you have trouble feeling your hamstrings working during the exercise, focus on driving through your heels when raising the weight. Shifting onto your toes can reduce your hamstring recruitment.

Erector Spinae

Sometimes called the spinal erectors, this is considered the “lower back,” when it’s actually a length of muscle that goes from the pelvis up to the base of the skull. This postural muscle helps keep the spine in place and also contributes to hip extension. It will work a lot to stabilize your upper body in the swing.

If your back rounds over during the swing, you put the erector spinae into a more active role and increase the risk of injury. You don’t want to use them as the exercise’s prime mover.

Abdominals

The abdominals work together with the erector spinae to form the “core” and provide a stable upper body. The abs control torso rotation and flexion (bending forward), as well as resisting extension (leaning backward).

During the swing, your abs are highly active to maintain a neutral spine position, particularly in the bottom position when the weight pulls back between your legs. If your abs aren’t fully engaged, you’re more likely to follow the weight back, down, and through your legs.

Back

Even though you’re not pulling with your upper body, the other back muscles contribute to the lift. The latissimus dorsi (lats), the biggest back muscle, will be engaged to ensure spinal stability and maintain a strong arm position.

Across your upper back, the traps, rhomboids, and rear deltoids all work in conjunction to protect your shoulder joints and guide the kettlebell along its path.

Forearms

Your forearm muscles (wrist flexors and wrist extensors) are responsible for your grip strength, which is a big part of the kettlebell swing. Kettlebells typically have thicker handles than barbells or dumbbells, which challenges the grip more significantly.

The explosive nature of the swing also requires a strong grip to control the weight in the top position and prevent the kettlebell from flying away like the “cannonball with a handle” it appears to be.

Who Should Do the Kettlebell Swing

Anyone can do this exercise as long as they can perform it correctly — which is the vast majority of lifters. If you want to get stronger, more fit, and more muscular, find room in your program for the swing.

Functional Fitness Fans

Whether you’re a CrossFit athlete or someone that wants to be a jack of all trades, the kettlebell swing is a great addition to build several physical qualities at the same time. It will improve total-body strength, grip strength, power, conditioning, and build some muscle as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The swing is a great tool for people that need variety in their training because it can be programmed in many different ways. It can also be done virtually anywhere and any time, so if you just want to squeeze in a quick workout, swings are the perfect fix.

Strength Athletes

Competitive powerlifters and strongmen/strongwomen can benefit from an improved conditioning and recovery, as well as increased power and strength. The swing trains the hip hinge pattern, which carries over to many competitive events and builds stronger, more explosive hips.

Strength athletes don’t need to be able to run for miles, but withstanding a minute-long set or having improved conditioning to better recover between sets will certainly help in their training.

Beginners

If you’ve just started your fitness journey, the kettlebell swing is a great tool to practice and master the hip hinge, which carries over to countless exercises. The swing is also an efficient way to pack muscle onto your frame, while increasing your strength, power, conditioning, and coordination — all at the same time.

Endurance Athletes

Contrary to popular belief, endurance athletes have to do more than just running, biking, or swimming if they want to perform well and remain injury-free. The swing is a great strength exercise for endurance athletes, like marathon runners or triathletes.

The swing requires posterior chain mobility and strength, which is key to being comfortable in power positions on a bike. It is also a great exercise to recruit and develop the glutes for a more balanced physique, as runners and cyclists often have anterior chain (quadriceps) dominance which puts them at risk for knee pain.

How to Program the Kettlebell Swing

Because it is a dynamic power movement, you cannot go too heavy with the swing or you change the mechanics of the exercise. With excessively heavy weights, the range of motion is compromised and the weight can’t be accelerated as quickly. It is best used with moderate-to-high rep schemes.

Heavy Weight, Moderate Repetitions

This is the best rep range if you want to focus on a balance of strength and size. Three to five sets of five to 10 repetitions, close to technical failure, will do the trick.

Keep in mind that “heavy weight” doesn’t mean super-heavy. You still have to be able to accelerate the kettlebell with speed. If your range of motion becomes limited, you’ve gone too heavy. 

Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetitions

This approach focuses on speed and explosive power. Five to eight sets of five to 10 repetitions is an excellent scheme for power, but you must avoid muscular failure at all costs.

You want to be exert maximum speed with each rep — the last rep of the set should feel as quick and snappy as the first. Use relatively lighter weights and keep some gas in the tank.

Moderate-to-Light Weight, High Repetitions

This type of plan is for those who really want to improve conditioning. And, if you approach failure, you can trigger some muscle growth as well. Begin with three to five sets of 10 to 30 repetitions.

Eventually, get crazy with much higher reps or even train for time instead of repetitions. For instance, do five sets of maximum repetitions in one minute. One effective way to train for time is to use an equal work-to-rest ratio. If you perform reps for one minute, take one minute rest between sets. Or 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, etc.

The 10,000 Swing Workout

If you want a challenge well-beyond your comfort zone, try the 10,000 swing workout. Created by legendary strength and conditioning coach Dan John, this four-week plan will make you leaner, stronger, more muscular, and a generally tougher human.

Each training day will have you do 500 swings as well as a basic strength exercise. It follows a “two days on, one day off” schedule throughout the week, which ends up at a total of 10,000 swings spread across four weeks. Every workout, perform a total of 500 swings with this plan:

• Set 1: 10 reps
• Set 2: 15 reps
• Set 3: 25 reps
• Set 4: 50 reps

That’s 100 total swings in a round. Repeat four more times for a total of 500 swings per workout. Rest 30 to 60 seconds between sets and up to three minutes between rounds.

One strength exercise is performed after each set of swings using low repetitions and relatively heavy weight. Perform three sets using a 1, 2, 3 or 2, 3, 5 repetition scheme with basic, multi-joint exercises like the overhead press, dip, goblet squat, or chin-up. Single-joint exercises like curls or chest flyes are relatively easier and aren’t as effective. So one full round of the workout could look like:

• Set 1: 10 swings, 1 press, rest 30 seconds.
• Set 2: 15 swings, 2 presses, rest 30 seconds.
• Set 3: 25 swings, 3 presses, rest 60 seconds.
• Set 4: 50 swings, rest three minutes.

The recommended weight is a 24-kilogram (53-pound) kettlebell for men and a 16-kilogram (35-pound) kettlebell for women. For progression, push yourself to complete the workout faster each week instead of adding reps or using heavier weight.

Kettlebell Swing Variations

There are several ways to tweak the swing to focus on certain benefits of the lift. When you feel like the traditional swing has no secrets for you anymore, try one of these variations. 

Double Kettlebell Swing

This is pretty much a standard swing, except that you hold a kettlebell in each hand. You might need to widen your stance a little bit to remain safe when the weights pass between your legs. If you want to train heavy but don’t have access to heavy kettlebells, this is the way to go.

This exercise is a great tool for strength development and grip training because you can go twice as heavy. It also requires more core and back bracing power to stabilize each shoulder and arm because the pair of weights are moving independently.

Banded Kettlebell Swing

As the name implies, this variation requires a resistance band. Loop it around the kettlebell and secure the ends under your feet to form a triangle. The added resistance of the band requires you to drive harder through your hips to build the speed and power needed to get the weight near chest-level.

It’s also a good way to induce more hypertrophy because the band actually pulls the kettlebell back during the descent, resulting in an accentuated eccentric phase (when the weight comes down). This eccentric stress can result in more muscular hypertrophy, especially in the hamstrings, which are a muscle group particularly receptive to eccentric contractions. (5)(6)

Single-Arm Kettlebell Swing

By holding the kettlebell in only one hand, you add a unilateral component to the exercise. This forces the back, shoulder, and arm to work more on the side that is holding the weight. The single weight requires your body to fight against rotation and flexing to the side.

This is a great movement for targeting your core and lower back stability. The single-sided challenge also recruits the oblique muscles of your core.

Kettlebell Swing Alternatives

If you don’t have a kettlebell, you can still train your explosive hip hinging and work your posterior chain. Here are some kettlebell-free alternatives.

Dumbbell Swing

Sometimes you really want to swing, but there are no kettlebells. Just grab a solid dumbbell by the head and start swinging. Be careful because the weight distribution of the dumbbell is different and its head is more awkward to grab since you’ll be using your fingers more than your entire hand.

Instead, tou could use both hands to hold the handle of the dumbbell. The weight will be more evenly balanced, compared to a kettlebell’s center of gravity being farther from your hands, which makes the exercise relatively easier. This method may be uncomfortable if the dumbbell handle is too small to fit both hands. 

Broad Jump

Nothing beats the simplicity of bodyweight plyometrics for developing power and speed. You don’t even need equipment. With the broad jump, be sure to emphasize a forward jump for distance, not an upward jump for height.

When you perform this exercise, think about rep quality, not quantity. Keep your repetitions low and your rest periods long, so that each series is pristine. 

Romanian Deadlift

This leg exercise is a staple for developing size and strength in the glutes, hamstrings, and back. Performing it with heavy-to-moderate weights for low-to moderate repetitions is an excellent substitution for the swing.

To take the power-building up another notch, loop a resistance band around the barbell and anchor it with your feet. Perform each repetition with maximal speed and avoid reaching muscular fatigue. This type of band training develops the speed component even more. (7)

FAQs

I worry about the kettlebell hitting between my legs and doing some serious damage. Any advice?

The key is to make sure that your hips are driving the movement. Lifting with your back might cause your spine to be hyperextended, which will cause the kettlebell to end up higher on your thighs.

Maintain a neutral back and don’t be afraid of bending forward at the hips to let the weight go behind you. At the lowest point of the swing, your forearms should be in contact with your inner thighs. Use this cue to swing safely.

What weight should I use?

When learning any new exercise, you should always use a light weight so that you get the feel of the exercise and develop proper technique. As a dynamic exercise, swinging a kettlebell that is too light won’t allow that proper exertion of force and power production. It’s one reason why you can’t throw a snowball as far as you can throw a baseball.

If you’re a beginner, aim to start with around 10% of your one-rep max deadlift. When you feel you have mastered the exercise and can do 15 good repetitions with perfect form, you can try going heavier.

Is it normal that my lower back hurts when doing kettlebell swings?

Back pain is not normal. Some back soreness, however, should be expected due to the stretched position and explosive movement. Soreness should dissipate in a matter of days, while serious pain can last longer. Soreness is typically dull, while pain can be felt in sharp bursts from sudden movements.

If you’re sure you have pain and not muscle soreness, double-check that your form is pristine and then check with a medical practitioner for any underlying condition. Otherwise, it could be because of a simple technical flaw. Hyperextending your back at the top will result in more stress on the lumbar spine.

The same is true if you lead with your back coming out of the bottom stretch, which uses your erectors as prime movers instead of as core-bracers. You have to ensure a proper hip hinge by squeezing your glutes as much as possible and keeping a flat back. Think of the lower back as a “bracing” muscle to keep your upper body stable.

Got Bell, Must Swing

The kettlebell swing isn’t just one of the most fundamental and generally useful kettlebell exercises. It’s one of the most fundamental and generally useful exercises of all time. You certainly don’t need to be a kettlebell specialist or compete in any strength sport to benefit from the swing, it delivers benefits for any lifter. Find a place in your training plan, program it properly, and start building a powerful posterior.

References

1. Lake, Jason P.; Lauder, Mike A. Kettlebell Swing Training Improves Maximal and Explosive Strength, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: August 2012 – Volume 26 – Issue 8 – p 2228-2233doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31825c2c9b
2. Maulit, Matthew & Archer, David & Leyva, Whitney & Munger, Cameron & Wong, Megan & Brown, Lee & Coburn, Jared & Galpin, Andrew. (2017). Effects of Kettlebell Swing vs. Explosive Deadlift Training on Strength and Power. International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science. 5. 1-7. 10.7575/aiac.ijkss.v.5n.1p.1.
3. Hulsey CR, Soto DT, Koch AJ, Mayhew JL. Comparison of kettlebell swings and treadmill running at equivalent rating of perceived exertion values. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 May;26(5):1203-7. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182510629. PMID: 22395274.
4. Rønnestad BR, Egeland W, Kvamme NH, Refsnes PE, Kadi F, Raastad T. Dissimilar effects of one- and three-set strength training on strength and muscle mass gains in upper and lower body in untrained subjects. J Strength Cond Res. 2007 Feb;21(1):157-63. doi: 10.1519/00124278-200702000-00028. PMID: 17313291.
5. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn DI, Vigotsky AD, Franchi MV, Krieger JW. Hypertrophic Effects of Concentric vs. Eccentric Muscle Actions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2017 Sep;31(9):2599-2608. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001983. PMID: 28486337.
6. Kaminski TW, Wabbersen CV, Murphy RM. Concentric versus enhanced eccentric hamstring strength training: clinical implications. J Athl Train. 1998 Jul;33(3):216-21. PMID: 16558513; PMCID: PMC1320426.
7. Ataee J, Koozehchian MS, Kreider RB, Zuo L. Effectiveness of accommodation and constant resistance training on maximal strength and power in trained athletes. PeerJ. 2014 Jun 17;2:e441. doi: 10.7717/peerj.441. PMID: 25024910; PMCID: PMC4081144.

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