The Kettlebell Swing

How to Rapidly Strip Off Unsightly Body Fat, Build Athletic Power and Iron Lung Capacity, and Forge a Physique Able to Withstand All Odds!

- Pat Flynn RKC and Som Sikdar RKC, ChroniclesOfStrength.com

Why The Kettlebell Swing?

If I had to pick just one exercise to rule them all what would it be? Or, if I were only able perform only one movement for the rest of my life what would it be? And If I had a nickel for every idiot who cuts off their sleeves and bastardizes this movement, how rich would I be? The answer to the first two questions is hands down the kettlebell swing. The answer to the third would involve me writing this report from some sort of yacht Let me be very clear about something YES! You absolutely can perform the kettlebell swing wrong! Anybody who tells you that there isnt a wrong way to do something is either completely full of crap or trying to sell you on a bunch of nonsense, and/or just too stupid to understand how the human body works and should be completely ignored. Please allow me to give you my definition of wrong Which is doing anything in a manner that isnt right! See, I can be funny sometimes Now lets define right which to me means performing a movement in a SAFE and EFFECTIVE, and EFFICIENT manner. Safety. Effectiveness. Efficiency. Those are my three inputs for the function of right.

I see a lot of swings that may be effective for some purposes but wholly unsafe and unsustainable in the long run. I have also seen a lot swings that are efficient in terms of performing them in the most economical means possible, but highly ineffective for what that person is trying to achieve. The point Im trying to make is that you can have anyone of those elements (safety, effectiveness, efficiency) without any of the others and still be performing the swing wrong! And if I had to rank those elements in order of importance it would be: 1. Safety Hands down the most important element of a proper swing. Too many people are jacking up their necks and backs with poor posture and positioning. 2. Effectiveness What good is performing a movement if it isnt going to get you closer to your goals! 3. Efficiency Learning how to put in fewer inputs for your desired output. This comes after effectiveness, not before it! (note: this is NOT about performing your swings in a lazy manner)

5 Reasons Why I love the Kettlebell Swing

1. Learn force production, reduction, and redirection. I dont care if you are an athlete or not learning how to produce and reduce force from your hips in an imperative life skill, especially if you wish to ward off injuries. The ability to reduce force through the eccentric (downward/negative) portion of a movement is a crucial skill for all walks of life as this skill alone is what can save our backs and knees from our athletic endeavors, weight lifting routines, or just the daily stresses or life. If we dont learn how to reduce force properly and actively through certain ranges of motion (especially with our hips which is exactly what the kettlebell swing will teach us how to do) we can very likely end up in a horribly awkward and often painful position when we rely on our skeleton and passive structures (tendons, ligaments, etc) to do it for us. Your ACL will thank you! 2. Huge metabolic effect! The kettlebell swing is a hellacious fat torching weapon of that there is no disputation. When I talked about efficiency above, I wasnt referring to energy conservation, because the kettlebell swing is all about energy expenditure and maximum calorie burn. This movement recruits multiple energy systems and muscle groups which guarantees a massive caloric after burn (meaning you burn more calories throughout the day even when you are done swinging)! If you want to lose body fat rapidly get your nutrition in check and swing more, like wed have you doing in our SuperHero Development Program! 3. Fantastic Proprioception/Body Awareness. Have you ever seen a baby or a toddler pick something up? Its amazing how well they move. I just saw a friend of mines baby deadlift about a month ago and it was one of the most pristine hip hinges I have ever seen! The babys spine was neutral, his heels were planted, and he used the power of his posterior chain to lift his relatively heavy toy off the ground. Do you know why babies move so well, and why most adults do not? Its because babies dont have any other choice! As we age, we get stronger, and we can start to cheat movement and get away with poor posture

and positioning. Babies dont have that strength yet, so they have no other choice but to operate from a strong and organized position. One way you can learn to move better is to watch a 1 year old. The other way is to learn the kettlebell swing. Through the presentation below, I will teach you have to reclaim a proper hip hinge and learn how to pick sh*% up without wrecking your back, neck, or knees a skill many babies know the importance of! 4. Great for your back! But only if you do it right! Otherwise the kettlebell swing may very well jack your back up. Its amazing how many people come to me and try and convince me that kettlebells messed their back up. I then explain to them that the kettlebell by itself is an inanimate object, and that I find it hard to believe that it suddenly came alive via some sort of freaky voodoo magic solely to sabotage their back. What I then make clear is that it was how they used the kettlebell that jacked their back up, not the kettlebell itself! Now even a proper kettlebell swing will have some shearing and compression forces on the spine. What I aim to do is teach you how to minimize those forces through proper technique, so that your spine can handle those forces. Because when done right the kettlebell swing will strengthen your glutes, and it is quite evidence based that many back problems are related to gluteal amnesia or what I like to call weak asses. Furthermore, studies have indicated that muscle endurance in the back seems to have a profound effect on warding off the likely hood of back problems. The kettlebell swing is the king of back endurance movements! 5. Great for Your Ass! Pardon my French, but its true. If you want a great looking posterior, the kettlebell swing is the tool for you. Your behind is the primary engine for the kettlebell swing, and you better believe that its going to be worked like never before when it comes time to first swing a kettlebell! Firm, tight, and functional glutes (that turn heads) are a common consequence of high rep kettlebell swings.

How to Do the Kettlebell Swing

(Without Jacking Up Your Neck or Back!)
Never ignore the importance of proper posture and/or position. This goes for any exercise, not just the kettlebell swing. If you constantly operate from a poor position, something will eventually break. Its not a matter of if; its a matter of when. Some folks are certainly luckier than others, but why would you ever want to take a chance when it comes to your body? Stop hanging off your passive structures when lifting! Just stop it! Not only that, but proper posture and safe positioning is also where you will be strongest! Allow me to explain The human body has tonic muscles and phasic muscles. Tonics muscles are meant to stabilize and are often referred to as our postural muscles. Phasic muscles are meant to mobilize and are often deemed our prime movers. Now when you lift with poor technique/posture you end up wasting your phasic muscle, since they are inherently recruited to help stabilize your poor position. Think about it this way Have you ever done a squat on a bosu ball, or seen anyone who has? Why do you think that no one can back squat a grand (or any significant weight for that matter) on such an unstable surface? Part of it has to do with balance, but the majority of it has to do with how much work your phasic muscles have to do to stabilize you on such an unstable surface, so their role as prime movers is inhibited. To a degree, this is exactly what is happening when you lift with poor technique. Your phasic muscles shift to play a tonic or stabilizing role and are unable to operate at their full potential as prime movers. But when you DO lift from an organized, centrated position, your tonic muscles can now play their tonic role, and your phasic muscles are freed up and ready to do their job and move some serious weight. This is why training

from the position that will make you safest, is also the position that will make you strongest! Lets put this into some context with the kettlebell swing shall we?

The Kettlebell Deadlift

(learning to walk before we run)
Just as a baby earns its right to walk by first learning to crawl, you must learn your right to swing by first learning to deadlift! The kettlebell deadlift is a precursor to the kettlebell swing because this is where you will learn a proper hip hinge, neutral spinal alignment, and what it feels like to generate power from your hips. Lets get right down in it The first drill we will use is one of my favorites for teaching how to hinge with a neutral spine. Why is it so important to hinge and lift with a neutral spine? Well its not if you dont care about long term back health But if you do care about the integrity of your spine, then I highly recommend that you invest your time into this drill. Click below to watch the video on how to perform this drill. You will need some sort of broom stick like object

I cannot stress the importance of mastering this drill enough before you move onto handing an external load! Your spine is the center of your universe. If you have ever had a back injury, then you know just how traumatizing and crippling that can be! A lot of folks are simply lifting from an overarched (overly extended) or flexed (rounded) position, which is slowly but surely DESTROYING their backs! When you lift with a rounded back, you are heavily relying on the passive structures of your spine to support the load and suffer an incredible amount of unnecessary shear (tearing forces) on your spine because of that, as well as transfer more of the load from your glutes to your spinal erectors (a much weaker, and primarily postural, muscle group!). Trust me when I say that is never an ideal position to lift from. Conversely, what a lot of folks do to prevent this is overcompensate by overarching their backs. And heres why this isnt such a great idea either When you operate from a position of hyperlordosis (overarch in your neck and low back) you crunch your spine together and rely on the bony

approximity (disks in your back moving closer together) which in turn inhibits your inner core stabilizers. What happens is your body sends a signal to your brain which says we have support down here from the bony structure of the spine, so you can go ahead and turn down the inner core stabilizers. In turn, all of the muscles that should be working to stabilize the spine such as your multifidus, pelvic floor, diaphragm, transverse abdominus, etc, are all being inhibited (not turned off, just not working as much as they should be) and you again end up creating an unnecessary amount of shear, compression, and wear and tear on your spine because of this. This is all quite evidence based and was taught to me by genius strength coach Dr. Charlie Weingroff. If you want to learn more about the nitty gritty scientificals behind this, please visit Charlies site at CharlieWeingroff.com The solution, as it usually does, lies somewhere in the middle which is a neutral spine! This is the position where your inner core stabilizers can play their role and keep your spine safe, strong, and working ten years from now! This stick drill as I call it, will help you learn what it should feel like to hinge with a neutral spine. Do this drill as often as you can, until it becomes second nature to you. Dont ever pick anything up off the ground again without thinking about maintaining a neutral spine. I dont care if it is a kettlebell or a pencil! So clearly, the most important piece that I want you to take away from that drill is how do I maintain the natural lordotic and kyphotic curvature of my spine as I enter deep hip flexion. What that means, is how do I keep my back straight as I hinge. You need to watch out for any overarching in the low back and neck, your tailbone/sacrum tucking under, and/or any rounding in your upper back. Do no proceed onto the deadlift until you are confident in your ability to hinge with a neutral spine. Once you are proficient with that drill, we can then begin to apply the movement to the deadlift.

Click Below for the Tutorial Video on the Kettlebell Deadlift!

Here are some of the key points abbreviated: 1. Stand on top of a kettlebell with a shoulder width stance and toes pointed slightly out (we want about 20 degrees of external hip rotation so this may translate to anywhere between a 10 to 30 degree turn out of your toes). 2. Hinge dont squat! Your shins (tibia) should be vertical throughout the kettlebell deadlift that means your knees should not translate forward. Think you are sitting back towards a bench that is just out of reach, rather than down toward a curb! 3. Engage your lats and suck your shoulders into their sockets. However, do not pinch your shoulder blades together. I never liked that cue, as it doesnt put your scapula (shoulder blades) into their centrated position (where the scapula lays flat along the rib cage). The position of your scapula should actually be mildly protracted HERE is a little drill you can use to find that position. Lat engagement simply locks all of this in, and ensures that the kettlebell does not pull your shoulders forward when you deadlift or swing.

4. Push your heels into the ground, squeeze your butt, and drive your hips forward to finish the lift. Stand tall at the top, but never lean back! 5. Keep your spine neutral throughout, including your neck! Your eyes may look up as you lift, but your head may not!

Time to Add Some POWER to It!

This next drill will take us right up to where we need to be before we start swinging a kettlebell. The goal here is now to learn how to generate power from our hips, while keeping our arms relaxed. Practice this drill, and practice it often before you dive into the swing. Click below for the video!

The Kettlebell Swing

Are YOU ready to have some FUN???? Lets start swinging some bells already! The first drill we are going to use to learn how to time the kettlebell swing and understand what it feels like when we are being pulled into deep hip flexion, is what we call at RKC the pendulum swing . CLICK below for the video. Enjoy!

Putting It All Together

Lets see what weve learned. Its now time to attempt a full set of kettlebell swings. Below is the final video in the series, please watch it as many times as necessary for you to absorb all of the information and complete a most excellent set of kettlebell swings. Click Below for the video!

The Kettlebell Swing Check List Here is a list of what I would look for in a proper kettlebell swing: Neutral spine (crown to coccyx alignment) throughout the movement. No rounding or overarching in the back. Heels are planted firmly on the ground at all times. Glutes and abs are braced at the top of the swing and there is no leaning back or overextension. Shin/tibia is vertical at the bottom of the swing (as far as physics will allow) and the movement is clearly a hinge not a squat. Diaphramatic breathing match a compressed inhalation through the nose on the downward portion of the swing, and a sharp exhalation through the mouth on the upward portion of the swing. Lats are engaged and shoulders are sucked into their sockets throughout the movement. No shoulder forward position please. Neck is visibly packed and cervical spine remains neutral throughout the movement.

 Hips and knees extend fully at the top, but do not hyperextension. Bell floats to about chest height. Handle of the bell does not pass below the knees (this helps to ensure a nice tight hinge) That is by no means an all-inclusive list of everything I covered, but includes some of the major and more important elements of a safe and effective kettlebell swing.

3 Common Kettlebell Swing Mistakes

(and what YOU should do about it!)
1. Swinging Overhead. This one is just silly. First off the projection of force for a kettlebell swing should be out, not up. Think broad jump rather than vertical leap. If we want to go up we can just snatch the kettlebell. Secondly, this often puts the shoulders if a very poor position, particularly for the AC joint. There is no truly justifiable marginal benefit to swinging overhead for the marginal costs associated with doing so. And lastly, rarely do I see any nincompoop swinging overhead without severe overarching in their back. What should you do about it? Stop swinging over-head. 2. Cervical Extension. Last time I checked the cervical spine is still part of the spine, and any breakage in the kinetic chain is sure to affect the entire chain. What I mean is that what happens at your neck will typically trickle down to your low back. So if you extend or overextend your cervical spine, the tendency will be to over-extend your lumbar spine (low back). Instead you should focus on pushing your chin back (like you are trying to give yourself an unsightly double chin) and keep your head and neck neutral throughout the swing. Cervical extension leads to a destabilized neck no wonder so many folks suffer neck issues with high volume swings. Start packing your neck in now and save yourself from some potentially serious pain/discomfort down the road. 3. Squatty Swings. There are a variety of drills you can use to fix this problem, but it comes down to this. The squatty swing isnt necessarily unsafe, but I would consider it ineffective (or less effective) when it comes to developing the skill of force production and reduction with the posterior chain. So by that definition I could therefore classify it as wrong! But ultimately I would rather have someone have a squatty swing, then a swing with a rounded or overarched back. Always have

yourself and clients swing safely at first, then you can work towards swinging optimally. Please refer back to the first deadlift video in the series for a drill you can use to pattern deep hip flexion (hinging). 4. Lack of Effort. Remember, the kettlebell swing is about power production. Dont hold back. Every single rep you should focus on how quickly can I extend my hips and my knees and explode out of the bottom of the swing. Ten reps of two hand kettlebell swings should be more than enough to have you sucking

Your Kettlebell Swing Workout Primer

Three days a week. 20 minutes a day. That is all the time you need to sacrifice in order to see a radical change in your body and athleticism over the next 14 days. This program is designed as a primer to gear you up for our SuperHero Development Program and to give you an idea as to how effective kettlebell training truly is for rapid fat loss! Do not be fooled by how simple these workouts appear on paper. Simple they are indeed, but easy they are not. You may quickly realize that you are unable to complete some of these workouts in their entirety (even though they only last 20 minutes), and that is OK! Id be surprised if you could with no prior kettlebell experience! Never are you to sacrifice form for more reps or more weight. Stick to the program, and watch as your power and endurance drastically amplifies! While you are to train three days a week, you will be alternating between two workouts. There will be workout A, and there will be workout B. Please excuse my severe lack of creativity.

Workout A is as follows:
Put 20 minutes on the clock. Swing for fifteen seconds. Rest for fifteen seconds. Continue this cycle until the 20 minutes are up. Done.

Workout B is as follows:
You owe me four rounds of Tabata intervals with kettlebell swings. Tabata intervals are four minute blocks of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off. Meaning you swing for twenty seconds and rest for ten seconds, continuing that sequence for an entire four minute period. Rest one to two minutes between each block.

Rules of the Game

1. Train on non-consecutive days such as M,W,F or T,Th,S 2. Never go to failure or push past your current abilities. If you seek your limits, I have no doubt you will find them. But dont. 3. Every swing is to be as crisp, powerful, and as perfect as you can make it. (Note: No one will ever achieve the perfect swing. But that doesnt mean you shouldnt try!) 4. Listen to your body! If you feel that the volume (amount of work) is too much to handle at first, then back off! This isnt a contest. 5. Properly mobilize and warm up before and after each workout! CLICK HERE to download my free mobility report and implement it into your routine! 6. Get your nutrition in check! Seriously. You cant out train a bad diet, no matter how hard you try! Whether your goal is to lose fat or to maximize your athletic potential proper nutrition is paramount! Check out our Metabolic Reset eBook or enroll in our SuperHero Development Program and learn how to eat in order to optimize your hormones for maximum fat loss! 7. Structure your routine for the next two weeks as follows: Week 1 Week 2 Day 1 A B Day 2 B A Day 3 A B

Could it possibly get any simpler than that? Im not kidding folks, if you make the commitment to this program, you WILL see results. I guarantee it. But remember, you have to have your nutrition in check! (Cough, SuperHero Development Program, Cough)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. My back hurts from swings, what should I do? First off, be sure you have full medical clearance before embarking on any sort of weight training program. Secondly, be able to differentiate hurt from discomfort or soreness. Hurt is bad. Soreness and discomfort are often inevitable, especially when first starting out. If something hurts, stop immediately, figure out what the problem is, and what you need to do to fix it. If you are VERY sore, consider adding in an extra day of rest and/or mobility work. Hit the foam roller. It may very well become your new best friend! Q. What size weight should I use? A. Well since I (probably) dont personally know you (unfortunately!), thats sort of a hard call! But most men start with a 16kg kettlebell and most women start with an 8kg or 12kg kettlebell. Use good judgment and common sense, but dont always think that lighter is better, because that is rarely the case! Q. Holy crap, I did my first swing workout now I so sore I cant move! Help! A. Relax! This is normal! I remember the first time I did a couple sets of kettlebell swings I couldnt get out of bed the next day! Take an extra day off if you need to, and stay as active (lightly active) as possible. Walk around, perform some light mobility and flexibility work, and be sure to get enough rest. The soreness wont be that extreme for long, I promise! Q. Can I add in an extra day of working out? A. Easy does it! Remember, when it comes to exercise you should always strive to do less (believe it or not)! Doing more than the absolute bare minimum will only hinder your recovery time and impede your progress! Stick with three days for now and after your two weeks of training with this

primer are up, then check out our SuperHero Development Program if you truly want to take it to the next level! Q. What else can you do with Kettlebells? A. Everything! Seriously, but before you really start to dive into the incredibly diverse world of kettlebell training, be sure to first establish a solid foundation of proper movement from which you can build upon. We have a ton of great resources over at ChroniclesOfStrength.com. Please be sure to pay us a visit sometime, we love the company! Q. What is the SuperHero Development Program? A. Im so glad you asked! The SuperHero Development Program is a kettlebell strength and conditioning eCourse (meaning its an online training course) that is currently comprised of six, 8-week training cycles. What that means is that no matter what level you are at, the SuperHero Development Program can make you stronger, leaner, more mobile, and more athletic than ever before. Best of all, you are emailed your workout routines every week, and so long as you have a pair of kettlebells, can perform these routines in the comfort of your own home! For more information on the SuperHero Development Program, please CLICK HERE! Q. Why Do You Hate Crossfit? A. Hate is such a strong word

Additional (mostly free!) Resources 7 Ways to Cook The Kettlebell Swing The Nincompoops Guide to The Kettlebell Swing Race Up Swing Mountain Partner Workout Physique Transformation Bundle Package!!! Who Is Pat Flynn?

Pat Flynn is the founder of ChroniclesOfStrength.com one of the most popular strength and conditioning blogs online today. Pat is the author of over five strength, conditioning, and kettlebell training books, including the immensely popular Birth of a Hero: Metabolic Conditioning training program and the SuperHero Development Program.

Pat is primarily known for his expertise as a fat loss expert, unorthodox approach as a strength coach, and his uncanny ability to breakdown complex learning objectives into simple and easy to understand components. Pat is a guest lecturer on biomechanics and presenter at West Chester and Millersville University in Pennsylvania and has a St. Bernard Puppy named Lola!

You can add Pat as a friend on Facebook HERE And Follow Pat on Twitter HERE @PatFlynnCOS

If you enjoyed this report, please be sure to pass it along to all of your friends!
And if you have any questions, please contact Pat directly at Hardstylekettlebells@yahoo.com

Please lift responsibly, - Pat Flynn Chief Awesomeness Operator (CAO) ChroniclesOfStrength.com