When executed well, the kettlebell swing is a great alternative for people who struggle to do traditional posterior chain exercises because of the shear that can occur at the L4, L5 levels.
If you’ve suffered a lumbar injury, you know that strengthening the posterior chain is important.
But loading can further exacerbate the problem. The kettlebell swing provides a viable solution without the worry about the shear forces.
The swing is a ballistic, dynamic exercise.
What this means is that a quick forced acceleration from the hips will cruise the swing into a shoulder height position.
This exercise does not require the kettlebell to be pushed/pulled into position. Due to the ballistic nature of this exercise, and the force coming from the hips and glutes, it reduces any discomfort of the lumbar spine.
It is a great cardio fitness workout. This exercise, once perfected, can be almost "effortless" in its execution.
The reason is it only requires forces from the hips to get it started. Once started, the momentum does the rest of the "work".
In fact, you can do a number of repetitions with a relatively low load going through your body. This gives you a fairly highly intensive workout and a good cardio training.
1. Grab the bell from the floor & swing it between your legs to begin generating momentum.
2. With your arm fully extended, the momentum gets generated from the lower position. Then swing the bell up to shoulder height level.
3. Once it reaches your shoulder level, allow the kettle bell to come back down between your legs.
4. Keep repeating the action. Remember, the arm holding the kettle bell should stay extended throughout this movement.
5. As you lower the kettle bell between your legs, move into a partial squat position. The upward momentum gets generated by an upward phase of this squat position, in combination with your shoulder extending and 'throwing' the bell away from your body.
6. Ensure that your knees stay soft or 'unlocked' right through the movement. Also make sure that you maintain an abdominal brace that will help keep your spine locked right in a neutral position.
1. You begin the movement by grasping the kettle bell's handle with both hands & lowering your body into a squat/deadlift position - backside sticking out.
2. Now push your hips back out into a standing upright position and move the kettle bell out in front of your body.
3. The momentum will be generated with the combined actions of pushing back up to an erect standing position even as you swing or throw the kettle bell away from your body.
4. Keep your arms extended right through the movement.
5. A quick note - There isn't any benefit in swinging the bell above the head and the ideal end-position is where the kettle bell reaches your shoulder height. In fact, taking the bell higher than your shoulder height extends your back out and can harm you if you’ve had a lumbar injury.
6. From this particular position just pull back the kettle bell down into your body and then complete the repetition.
Just as with the one-arm swing, you should always take extra care to ensure that you brace your abdominal muscles throughout the movement, and keep your spine locked in the neutral position.
