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Kettlebell Training for Beginners…
If you’ve just gotten your first kettlebell (or are about to), the kettlebell swing is the first drill you need to learn. It is the foundation of many other kettlebell exercises, and will teach/enforce proper body mechanics.
Before you even pick up a kettlebell, the first step to learning the swing is to learn the good morning stretch. Stand comfortably with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Keeping your back straight, hinge forward at the hips, placing the knife-edge of your hands in the creases at the tops of your thighs - right at the hip joint. Remember - the hips move first!
Keep your weight on your heels, and you should look like you’re sticking your butt out. Your knees should only bend slightly, and make sure your back is straight to slightly arched - not rounded. Also, keep in mind that I mean straight - not upright. You’re not squatting down, you’re sitting back in to an imaginary chair. Also, keep your shins as vertical as possible - like they’re stuck in cement. When you do this right you should almost look like, well… a stripper.
One way to practice this is to stand between a couch and a coffee table, with your knees almost touching the table. Now begin to sit back as described above. Don’t actually sit all the way back - the couch is probably too low. This drill is just to get you to keep your shins vertical. If you bend them too much, they’ll hit the table. As Pavel says, “You’ll be punished.”
Now, move in the same groove on the way up, making sure to drive with the hips first. The movement back up should be smooth and crisp with a bit of snap to it - not a loose, flowing dance. When you get back up straight, stop there - don’t bend backwards or thrust your hips any farther forward vertical.
All of this and we haven’t even touched a kettlebell yet. So be it. Getting this motion right is crucial to proper swing technique. And proper swing technique is crucial to a proper clean and a proper snatch. This movement teaches your body to get power from the proper combination of hip, glute, hamstring, thigh and back synergy. And, there’s less thigh and back effort is used than you would expect. Focus on a strong hip thrust.
We’ll actually pick up a kettlebell and go through the mechanics of the swing in a later article. If you’re a kettlebell beginner, you really should get this movement down first.
If you don’t have a kettlebell yet, visit Russian Kettlebells or Russian Reds and just get one. If you’ve been thinking about it - just take the plunge. It’s the best bang-for-the-buck in fitness equipment that I’ve seen. For training, Enter the Kettlebell is excellent for both beginners and advanced folks. If you’re not really a beginner, and are ready for something a little more hardcore, maybe some double-kettlebell drills, check out Mike Mahler’s Aggressive Strength site.
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