What else do you call an exercise that can increase both a professional powerlifters strength and an elite marathoners endurance? You do not have to be a fighter to train like one. 10) Make sure to snap your hips forward. Pulling or muscling the bell with the arms/shoulders, Hyper-extending the low back at the top of the swing, Not finishing with the hips (stopping short), How to overcome two major roadblocks concerning your hunger and cravings, The "secret sauce" for long-lasting, life-changing results even when you're busy, injured, or unmotivated. (It can be anywhere from 4-24 min, but for the first couple months put a ceiling at 12 min.) 4) Dont let the ribs flair and hyperextend the lumbar spine. Now stand and repeat this tension while making a standing Plank.This should mirror the top of a Hardstyle swing minus the straight arms. There is no forward knee movement on the upswing. The neck is slightly extended or neutral on the bottom of the swing. Have patience to get to a nice safe swing. The back is neutral. 
6) A common fault is sitting forward into the knees. This is important for a number of reasons I am not going to bore you with. Then repeat this powerful hike but stand up. Followingthebasic instructions below will get you started. 3) Pull yourself into the bottom position with your hip flexors (active negative). ), we all have the same goal of trying to empower people to fix their problems through movement. Hardstyle Kettlebell Swings are an extremely beneficial exercise when performed with proper technique. Neutral Spine w/ eyes looking between your fists. When you can comfortably do 1010 in 10 minutes, you are ready for the following workout. 3) The plank and the military press are very similar exercises. You want to go slow to prevent the hips from shooting up. Want to start taking action on the content you read on AoM? 1) After your hips go below your knees it is all on the glutes to get back up. It is very important to groove good HS swing technique. Notice the spine is neutral still (always). Explosively thrust your hips forward, launching the bell to your chest level. First it is important to understand how your breathing plays a role in the tension and relaxation that should take place during each swing. Dont rush through each step. 5) If you let the weight go at the bottom of the swing it should fly backwards, not down. 2) Rooting feet into the ground is extremely important for power transfer. 2) Dont get out of the bottom position too fast. The focus is on quality of movement. This would be single start/stop swings. Remember the HS Swing is a HINGE not a SQUAT! The swing is just one of many kettlebell skills. The kettlebell handle passes above the knees during the backswing. On June 1st I had the pleasure of participating in a StrongFirst Kettlebell Workshop with Phil Scarito. The video below will demonstrate the difference in a standard plank that you might have seen in your gym and the SFG Hardstyle Plank. We make it our mission to find the best athletes, coaches and specialists on Earth and bring their wisdom to you. You are to use rep ladders of 5, 10, 15, 20 reps (50 total). Dont fix the swing, fix the dealift Brett Jones, 7) Try to make the light weight feel heavy, and make the heavy weight feel light Marty Gallagher. The main reason I do this blog is to share knowledge and to help people become better clinicians/coaches. If you begin the next set and you notice that the form/quality or speed of the movement deteriorates, then you know you didnt wait long enough. When you start working out with kettlebells, begin by learning the Hard Style swing. When making the same TSS sound from the step one video, imagine pulling your elbows and your knees together. The arms are straight in the bottom position. 9) Dont be so afraid of flexing your trunk forward. We only recommend products we genuinely like, and purchases made through our links support our mission and the free content we publish here on AoM. This plank will be full body tension for 10-15 seconds. I highly recommend taking one of these workshop courses with StrongFirst if you have any interest in kettlebells. Strong And Fit was founded by athletes who live by this belief: that knowledge is key and the best fitness professionals simply know more and can teach you to improve quicker than local instructors.
As a clinician this means we have to have a better baseline level of knowledge so that we can assess, train, or refer out when we have patients that are using this equipment. Any amount you can afford is greatly appreciated. Place your bell a foot or so in front of you. Hips fully extended and NO bend in the knees. Neutral Spine with your eyes looking at the horizon. Aaron works with individuals to help them rehab from injuries and achieve their physical goals. Aaron's life-long passion for athletics lead him to study Exercise Science and Athletic Training at the University of Tennessee before obtaining his Doctorate of Physical Therapy at NYU. A ballistic builder of both strength and conditioning, the swing is the center of the KB universe and being able to do one safely and effectively is a prerequisite for other kettlebell skills. Stick to this plan for a couple of months and you will find out just how powerful this exercise is. Heres how it looks: The kettlebell is slightly forward of an imaginary line between both feet. So to dial in the Hike and show the importance of the hip drive, we practice the Hike Pass from set up, to pendulum to power swings. 1) The hip hinge is the basis for the deadlift. Finish the lift tall. Strength gain, muscle gain, fat loss, more energywe've got you (and your goals) covered. So this article will be a tutorial to break down the hardstyle swing. Dont get lazy and start doing partial range swings. 1) Your clients/students/patients will do what you do. Your elbows slightly more narrow than your shoulders. Many people do planks, but you will know when you have done a HS plank. The Russian kettlebell is the answer to all your strength and conditioning questionswhen wielded skillfully and with expert programming by #1 authority Pavel Tsatsouline!-PRODUCT INCLUDES VIDEO & E-BOOK, Digital video available for immediate viewing online - Includes E-Book, The Swingdevelop powerful glutes and incinerate fat, The Get-Upbuild resilient shoulders and bullet-proof abs, The Clean-and-Jerkmold a rugged back and legs that never quit, Gold medal Russian anti-glycolytic programmingunlike anything you have seen, Get more from your training than you giveincrease your energy instead of draining it with metcons and smokers, Plug-and-playwaste no mental bandwidth deciding what to do today. There should be a delay going up (KB float) and a delay going down (playing chicken with the KB). Each step should be practiced before moving on to Step 5. When you have reached the top rung, you start over at the bottom rather than pyramid down: 5, 10, 15, 20 5, 10, 15, 205, 10, 15, 20. It also spares the agonist of eccentric load, allows for successive induction, trains the antagonist, and helps to grease the groove. Course Review StrongFirst Kettlebell Workshop. 4) Its important to start the swing off right. We can now move on to the final Step which is the two handed swing. Do not stand or sit while resting; walk around and shake off your muscles. As an added bonus, while building amazing strength and explosiveness, they are also one of the top exercises for burning fat, as they utilize your entire body and are very metabolically demanding. 12) All you need for programming is TGUs and Swings. Adding some sort of a squat is a good idea but it is also okay to do no other lower body exercises for a little while. Break it up, practice small parts of it, add a few TGU movements into other exercises. Shins should be vertical or close to vertical. However,it is the foundation to all the other skills. Before we get to proper form, here are few things to keep in mind: Like a punch, the swing takes hours to learn and a lifetime to master. SET UP shoulder-width stance, hinge and load the hips, neutral spine and shoulders connected. The body forms a straight line at the top of the swing: the hips and knees extend fully, the spine is neutral. Hinge, load your hips and grip your bell. 1) You can take the TGU and turn it into a million different exercises. Your task is to perform as many perfect, crisp swings as possible using a particular set and rep scheme in that timeframe without coughing up a lung. His latest book is Kettlebell Simple & Sinister. Dont let it bend to accommodate the bell. The kettlebell swings that my colleagues and I see in most gyms across the country make us cringe. Shoes deprive you of that important sensory information. In StrongFirst, we use a tension breath which is a TSS sound with your tongue against your teeth. 2) Dont reach up. Be sure to listen to our podcast on all things kettlebells and the psychology of training: Pavel Tsatsouline is the chairman of www.StrongFirst.com. Notice that I reach for it while maintaining a neutral spine. The kinesthetic learning of this course cannot be matched by anything other than performing the movements while being coached by professional. And if you are feeling generous, please make a donation to help me run this website. A rep ladder refers to multiple sets of the same exercise done with the same weight in which reps are progressively increased. He is extremely knowledgable on many levels and was able totranslatehis concepts to everyone from physical therapists to personal trainers to your average gym rat. This video will demonstrate this stance set up and a wall drill to reinforce the hinge. 8) Most people do the TGU too fast. This video will demonstrate each of these steps. (paraphrased Pavel advice). The ladder is one of the most foolproof methods of getting strong. Phil is able to go into the greatest details of each movement to truly help you understand the movement at a different level. Make sure you can execute the move perfectly and they will too. 8) Breathing is extremely important to develop stability. ), You Dont Have to Be Your Dad: How to Become Your Familys Transitional Character, Podcast #810: How to Turn a Boy Into a Man, A Celebration of the Ideal Bachelor From 1906, Why Ambivalent Relationships Are Terrible for You (And How to Deal With Them), Podcast #808: The Surprising Science Behind Building Stronger Relationships, Podcast #800: The 5 Allies Every Man Needs, Bike Maintenance 101: How to Patch an Inner Tube, How to Sharpen a Pocket Knife: An Illustrated Guide, 11 Auto Maintenance Jobs Every Man Can Do Himself, The Basic Dance Step Every Man Should Know, 6 Ways to Unclog a Toilet Without a Plunger, Podcast #781: Beyond OODA Developing the Orientation for Conflict and Violence, Iron Sharpens Iron: The Power of Master Mind Groups, So You Want My Job: NBA Strength and Conditioning Coach, The Power of Morning & Evening Routines [VIDEO], Sunday Firesides: Change Is the Master Key. Spine is neutral and eyes are on the horizon. From a sumo deadlift stance, hike pass the bell back between your legs until your forearms make contact with your inner thighs. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Fortunately, no matter your goal, we can help. Hike the bell and keep it close to your body. Regardless of your specific title (PT, Chiro, Trainer, Coach, etc. 6) When you get to your handthink of wedging yourself between the bell and the floor Phil Scarito. The second step is a drill we use to teach proper full body tension, called the Hardstyle Plank. 4) Keep your feet pointed straight ahead and the exercise will naturally prevent valgus collapse at the knee. The theory is that its better to master the fundementals than to be average at a bunch of different lifts. Do those everyday and you will make tremendous gains. More and more people are becoming interested in kettlebells. FREE COURSE: How to Help Women with Body Image, Unrealistic Expectations, and the Comparison Trap, Diastasis Recti Exercises: 5 Moves for New Moms, Push-Ups Feel Impossible? The swing zaps fat without the dishonor of aerobics, and it develops explosive power and never-quit conditioning. POWER SWINGS use a heavier bell, focus on pushing the bell back hard and pop the hips to stand up. 10) Active Negatives are a great way to learn movement. A former Soviet Special Forces instructor and an SME (subject matter expert) to elite US military and law enforcement special operations units, Pavel introduced the Russian kettlebell to the West in 1998 and started the kettlebell revolution. Many people try to squat or have a very wide stance when they perform swings. What Every Man Should Know About Having a Heart Attack. We do this by creating world-leading resources, and educational materials that help women, and health & fitness professionals who work with women, take their skills and knowledge to the next level. This packs the shoulders while maintaining proper posture. Guest Contributor April 15, 2015 Last updated: September 25, 2021. This free course includes videos, downloadable tools & resources, and podcast version so you can learn on the go.
Sign up for this FREE 5-Day course and you'll learn: Women are tired of spending hours in the gym without seeing the results they want. Do the above swing workout 3-4 times a week. This reach forward initiates the hike.. I want our profession to grow and for our patients to have better outcomes. Program, Strengthen Your Tribe: A Report on the Atomic Athlete Vanguard, Sunday Firesides: We Need to Make Adulthood More Desirable, The Best Riddles for Kids (With Answers! 3) Reach down and stay tall before you pick up the bell. 6) Avoid the high hip hinge. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. When done properly you will feel a contraction in your core. If you are looking to instruct others, I highly recommend that you hire a certified instructor to prepare you for the SFG certification. 4) The legs and arms should be parallel in the starting position, much like a starfish (or at 45 degree angles). For example: (2, 5) + (2, 6) = 15. If you enjoyed it and found it helpful, please share it with your peers.
The better your swing, the better you will be at the other lifts. If you are in a grassy area, you can also practice a forceful hike and release it behind you to get the feeling of really throwing it back. Dont try to lift it with your traps or your back! Most people will need to focus on sitting back into their hips. Many people will bend at the knees to try to keep their torso upright instead of hinging at the hips. We often see people just pick up the bell and start swinging rather than hike. It was a 1-day course that went over the intricacies of the basic kettlebell movements (Deadlift, Swing, TGU, Goblet Squat, Press). Now it is your turn to behold the power of the Russian kettlebell. KETTLEBELLS STRONGFIRST: Get Into Your Best Fighting Shape by Pavel Tsatsouline, Dog Days of Summer - Use This Code For 42% Off: DOGDAYS2022 - For Every Video Sold This Week Well Be Donating Meals To FeedingAmerica.org, The Get-UpNo-one could hold me down plus bullet-proof shoulders, The Clean-and-Jerkfor ruthless endurance, Russian AGT programmingthe gold medal alternative to mindless smokers. Should be a slow movement with at least a couple seconds in between movements. 4) Fast & Loose keep moving during your training and use active rest, 5) Tactical Frog is a great mobility warm up, 6) Fix the deadlift. The deadlift is the basis for the swing. Heres some things I learned in one day with Phil Scarito and the StrongFirst instructors. Snap the hips and match the tension breath at the top with the hip snap. It allows you to maximally root your feet into the ground and give you more power. The abs and glutes visibly contract at the top of the swing. Do it every day if possible. 5) Actively pull the bell back down (active negative). Grip and visualize breaking the handle of the bell to engage your lats. Along with some posterior chain soreness, I learned quite a few things. The Art of Manliness participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links. The next step is very important. Single Hand Swings, Transfer Swings, and Double Bell Swing), but dont rush to these other swings until you have a solid foundation. Place your feet together or shoulder-width distance apart. Phil Scaritowas the instructor for the course.