Arv' Musings

learn the kettlebell swing part 3/4

Arvind Ashok -

In part-1, we learned the basic pattern of the hinge movement, the face-the-wall squat, as well as the fundamental elbow plank.

In part-2, we loaded the hinge pattern via the BGBS and started building strength via the kettlebell sumo deadlift.

Photo by Ben White / Unsplash

Once you've

  1. gotten a 2-minute plank
  2. nailed the pattern of the BGBS
  3. deadlifted a reasonable amount of weight

It is time to move on to the next part of our progression. We will work on 2 drills - the hike+park, and the dead swing.

Hike and park

The hike-and-park is similar to a hike pass in the NFL, the quarterback is in a deep hinge and hikes the ball behind him. Similar to that, you are going to hike the kettlebell behind you.

Your back angle should not cross the 90 degree mark i.e. your back should approach parallel but not cross parallel. Or put another way, shoulder above hips all the time. Ideally, we keep the angle somewhere in the 70-degree range.

Practice the hike and park in sets of 5. Take your time with the setup.

  1. grip the floor
  2. pull your kneecaps and shin up
  3. sniff some air, brace
  4. connect your lats i.e. keep your shoulders in the socket and pull your shoulder blades down
  5. now, hike pass the bell
  6. park it

When you learn to do it with minimum movement from the rest of your body, you are good to go. As the bell gets heavier, we will shift our centre of gravity. What we need to watch out for is lifting our butt up.

The dead swing

We hike the bell, and then

  1. push into the floor
  2. drive our hips forward
  3. lockout our glutes and abs and stop in a standing plank
  4. hinge back
  5. park the bell

Everything stays the same from the previous drill. We are simply adding what we learned from the BGBS and the sumo deadlift, and doing it fast.

You cannot jump slow

Likewise, you cannot do a ballistic movement like the kettlebell swing slow. If you have practiced the drills diligently, this will fall into place. If it does not, be patient and go back to the drills.

Going back will help you go forward faster.

Practice

These drills require a lot of practice. Once you've gotten here, continue staying patient. Here's the suggested practice.

Do 3-5 sets of

  1. 10 BGBS
  2. 10 hike+park
  3. 5 dead swings

You can do this 3-5 times a week, and this can also be part of your warmup as you keep building strength on your sumo deadlift.