How bad are my kettlebell swings?!?

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maranarasauce93
maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV8oP4Nm-Hg


I have been working on these for over a year, and I am finally starting to feel comfortable with them at 35lbs. But please, form nazis of MFP, tell me if my form is bad, how I can improve, and if I should stop doing kettlebell swings altogether.

PS: I am doing them overhead on purpose. I mainly work with the American style kbs, but I know the Russian kbs also exists, and I do train it sometimes.

Replies

  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
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    I know there are variations but I believe all of them require the hips/glutes to be the moving force. It appears you may be driving with your upper body and arms. Try driving the swing with a hip thrust. Try it with straight legs if you want to target glutes and hams more.
  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
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    rileyes wrote: »
    I know there are variations but I believe all of them require the hips/glutes to be the moving force. It appears you may be driving with your upper body and arms. Try driving the swing with a hip thrust. Try it with straight legs if you want to target glutes and hams more.

    That's funny because it's the agressive hip extension that I have been working on. Ergo me having a little bit of a jump every so often. I've also been told in the past that I swing the kettle bell too low between my legs so I was trying to prevent that from happening while also maintaining a neutral spine and and upright chest. Whoops! On the bright diff if I'm using mainly arms, I guess I'm pretty strong (not!)

  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    edited December 2015
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    I'm far from an expert, so take my advice FWIW -- I believe your shins are supposed to stay pretty much vertical. Yours are slanting quite a bit. I'd try moving my butt back more and keeping the shins straighter. I think you're not hingeing from your hips enough. It's like you're doing a mini squat instead of hingeing from your hips/getting your butt back.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    edited December 2015
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    As I understand it, the thrust should be such that you do not need to use your arms to lift the kb. The thrust should be forward after having stuck your hips backwards:
    kettlebell_swing2.jpg

    You're almost doing KB cleans combined with swings.

    I suppose that as long as your back isn't arched, it's not a terrible thing as such; you'll be burning a shedload of calories and developing some kind of explosive strength. :D
  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
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    darrensurrey wrote: »
    As I understand it, the thrust should be such that you do not need to use your arms to lift the kb. The thrust should be forward after having stuck your hips backwards:
    kettlebell_swing2.jpg

    You're almost doing KB cleans combined with swings.

    I suppose that as long as your back isn't arched, it's not a terrible thing as such; you'll be burning a shedload of calories and developing some kind of explosive strength. :D

    Haha I do love my cleans. Yeah I guess I need to work on that appropriate pace of the hip flexion. To be honest though, with the way I've been doing they are feeling a lot less awkward and painful than they used to. Idk why.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    I find is difficult to tell when seeing them from the front. A side view would help see your form better.
  • Upstate_Dunadan
    Upstate_Dunadan Posts: 435 Member
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    Hard to tell from your video since it's front on. Seeing it from the side would be much more helpful, but most of the posts above on form I'd agree with.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    maranarasauce93 wrote: »
    Yeah I guess I need to work on that appropriate pace of the hip flexion. To be honest though, with the way I've been doing they are feeling a lot less awkward and painful than they used to. Idk why.

    Usually it's from tight hamstrings. Sometimes it's to avoid straining the back. Either way, flaring the knees out makes the quads do more of the work, and less "posterior chain" working. Here's a couple good vids on how to do a proper "hip hinge" :+1:
    https://youtube.com/watch?v=TT838Ha2xmA
    https://youtube.com/watch?v=gwN_nXKVXXI
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    edited December 2015
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    IT seems like you're squatting. You need to hinge at the hips & push back, then thrust forward with the hips to raise the KB. Your knees should barely move. Google for some videos online. (Oops, didn't see previous poster's links!) That really helped me. Try achieving the form with just bodyweight first.
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    rileysowner wrote: »
    I find is difficult to tell when seeing them from the front. A side view would help see your form better.

    It is hard to see what you’re doing through the full range of motion. I’d like to see side and front views. But proud of you for taking on this great exercise and from the look of it, not messing around with silly low weights.

    Allan Misner
    NASM Certified Personal Trainer (Corrective Exercise Specialist, Fitness Nutrition Specialist)
    Host of the 40+ Fitness Podcast
  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
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    lorrpb wrote: »
    IT seems like you're squatting. You need to hinge at the hips & push back, then thrust forward with the hips to raise the KB. Your knees should barely move. Google for some videos online. (Oops, didn't see previous poster's links!) That really helped me. Try achieving the form with just bodyweight first.

    Honestly not squatting pretty sure it's the angle. If anything, I have a slight bend at the knees. Might be a bad habit of mine that I need to break but I always try to ensure that I create a hinge for myself without dropping my chest. I will work on these, maybe practice with the 12kg kb before going back to the 16 buut I am trying!!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Like others have said, its hard to tell from the front, but they really don't look that great, at least from this angle. You do look like you are squatting more than you should. Any particular reason you chose the American swing over the Russian?
  • dlm7507
    dlm7507 Posts: 237 Member
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    hip hing vs squat
  • dlm7507
    dlm7507 Posts: 237 Member
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    The water bottle is in the way but the bell is clearly passing below your knees. Too much squat, not enough hinge. Also, there are two swings. The "RKC" swing where the bell does not go above your shoulders (all hip hinge) and the "American swing" where the second half of the movement is using shoulders/arms to raise the bell above your head. Personally, I prefer the RKC swing and then doing snatches for a better choice in a momentum overhead lift.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    All I see is your heels consistently popping off the ground and you using your arms and shoulders to propel the weight.

    Imo, open a little wider with the legs, lower the weight, and get used to using your glutes and hips to drive the kettle bell.
  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
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    rybo wrote: »
    Like others have said, its hard to tell from the front, but they really don't look that great, at least from this angle. You do look like you are squatting more than you should. Any particular reason you chose the American swing over the Russian?

    American Kbs are often used in crossfit so I like to get practice with both.

  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
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    I get it now my hip hinge sucks. I misinterpreted the advice of "hike the kettlebell like a football" I once received -__-. Also if anyone is wondering about the little jump, it's an overcompensation thing I do and I do it with my thrusters too blegh.

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