I recently had a kettlebell event – a live class in the park with cupcakes! – and one of the participants asked a great question.
Why do the kettlebell swing?
I mumbled something about the glutes, hamstrings and lower back getting stronger but upon reflection, there is so much more.
Here are 10 reasons to do the kettlebell swing.
1. Ok – the reason I gave at the time about getting stronger is true – but in addition to the ‘back chain’ of the body, the swing will improve your core strength as well. Putting the brakes on and stopping at the top of the swing is an important part of keeping yourself injury free when doing this ballistic movement.
2. As a culture we sit so much and that rounds us forward. If we can pull ourselves upright in the opposite direction (anti-flexion) with exercises like the deadlift or kettlebell swing it makes for so much less back pain.
3. The swing is a strength move combined with a low impact cardio move. One 2012 study showed that swings are equivalent to running on a treadmill for cardiovascular training.
4. It burns a surprising number of calories. One study done scored it very high on the metabolic scale at 20 calories per minute.
5. The swing is like a fast deadlift. A deadlift is just picking something up – something you might need to do for life, aka ‘functional’. A study showed a 20 lb kettlebell swing was the equivalent of a 54 lb deadlift.
6. Balance training. One participant at the event described getting pulled off balance by the swing. It is true- you are controlling a heavy object swinging through space. Have you ever seen anyone get yanked by their dog suddenly? A 2013 study showed an improvement in dynamic leg balance. Even ballerinas benefitted from kettlebell training in their balance and their jumps.
7. Posture. Standing up straight at the top of the swing is strengthening that position.
8. It develops power and athleticism and grip strength. We need to practice quick movements especially as we get older – one study showed a correlation between grip strength and living longer (or being harder to kill :).
9. Kettlebells are convenient to store and take up way less room than barbells.
10. Kettlebell swings are a full body workout. Pavel Tsatsouline popularized the two exercise routine – Kettlebell swings and dips calling it the “simple and sinister” workout.
I hope I have interested you learning the kettlebell swing. It is a skill so it takes some practice and some coaching but it is well worth getting good at!
*links to studies available! comment below if you would like to learn more