Just finished up a great group kettlebell workout this morning at the studio.  At today’s session, we worked on our swing form quite a bit.  A point that got brought up today regarding the kettlebell swing was great, and I wanted to share it with you.

When it comes to the kettlebell swing, our number one goal is to get you to a place where you can do the movement safely and effectively. We don’t want you to get injured doing the exercise, and we want you to be able to enjoy all the benefits it offers – like fat loss, improved conditioning, etc.

That’s our baseline. We try to get folks to that point as soon as possible. And for most people it takes 3-5 training sessions, maybe 300-500 reps of the swing, WITH expert supervision and coaching, to get there.

This should be your goal as well.

Then, after that, we are ALWAYS going to be tweaking and refining the exercise. You can always get a little better at swings. And you should always be trying.

All this being said, I have two drills for you today that will help you improve your swing form, no matter where you are currently at with it. Give them a go, and be sure to let me know how you do:

 

1 – Face the Wall Squat Drill

Wall squats are the perfect way to teach someone how to squat correctly. The wall squat drill is performed while facing a wall and standing approximately one foot away. You will squat down as far as you can, without any part of your body coming in contact with the wall. The visual reference of the wall forces you to stay tall and upright as you squat down. You will also want to make sure your knees track over your toes and you keep your torso in a neutral or straight position. As you get better, and your hips and upper back become more mobile, you will be able to squat lower and lower.

Check out this video to see how to do the exercise:

 

 

2 – The Plank => KB Swing Drill

A proper kettlebell swing requires you to brace your abs just like a plank does at the top of the movement.

If you are NOT bracing your abs properly, you can 1) do a plank hold, and then 2) do a few swings immediately afterwards to feel the relationship between the two.

Check out this video to see how to do the drill:

 

To sum up, the kettlebell swing is one of the most efficient exercises ever. You’ll burn an amazing amount of fat with it in a short amount of time, and your conditioning levels will go through the roof. BUT – you can also ALWAYS be improving your KB swing form. The two videos today will help you a lot in doing this.

That’s it for now. Try today’s drills and let me know how they work out for you.

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Russian Kettlebell Challenge Instructor

 

PS – If you enjoyed today’s article and videos, please share it with a friend, family member or co-worker who could benefit from it as well!!

Shoulder packing stabilizes your shoulder, reducing the risk of injury. It also enables you to lift more weight.

See, the shoulder joint is highly mobile. But unfortunately, this mobility comes at the price of reduced stability.

What happens is, the top part of the upper arm bone can move away from the opposing joint surface when you, say, reach for something that’s far away from you. The muscles surrounding this joint become weaker as the space inside this joint increases. This separation in the shoulder joint reduces muscle activation, increases the instability of the joint, and increases the risk of injury.

SO … when you press or snatch or Turkish get up a kettlebell into an overhead position, the arm moves away from the body and the muscles that work to separate the shoulder joint are encouraged to fire.

What is the fix?

You will be stronger and press more safely if you can connect the upper arm to the opposing joint surface or “pack” the shoulder.

If you don’t know how to do this already, here is how in two easy steps:

One – learn how it feels to pack the shoulder. Watch the video below to see a drill that will show you how:

Two – reproduce and practice that feeling during a KB exercise (right after you try the shoulder packing drill). Grab a light kettlebell and press it overhead and try to keep your shoulder packed.

That’s it! Hopefully you now know (if you didn’t already) the value of packing the shoulder … and you have a new handy drill to practice it.

Let me know how that works for you, and talk soon –

– Forest

 

PS – If you enjoyed this article and video, please share it with a friend, family member, or co-worker who might enjoy it as well!

If you’re still trying to dial in your form on the kettlebell swing, I think you’ll find today’s video quite useful.

Knowing how to use your hips to generate power in the swing is KEY for both maximum fat loss/conditioning benefit, and for staying injury-free.  Watch the video below to see a drill that will improve your hip power in the swing (in about 60 seconds):

The Towel Kettlebell  Swing

Are you making MORE dangerous kettlebell training mistakes like this one?  Click here to find out

Got a video for you today with three tips on how to fix your kettlebell clean.

But before we get to it – I want to remind you about the Kettlebell Workshop I’m holding at my studio in Sacramento, CA on the 1st of February.

Spots are filling quick for this thing, and the “early bird” pricing is about to expire.

This is a chance for you to spend a full day learning and/or dialing in your kettlebell training technique with help from yours truly … for a lot less than the cost of a single 45 minute one on one KB session.

Videos and articles etc. are a great way to learn about how to use kettlebells – but at the end of the day, really nothing is the same as in-person instruction. Get more details and reserve your spot here:

=> February 1st FVT KB Workshop

 

Okay, now on to the kettlebell clean tips.

This is one of my most popular videos – which is funny, because the quality sucks to be honest, and I shot it kind of spontanously, with no practice, and in a single take, in the hallway of my old house.

But I realize more all the time that the CONTENT is what matters when it comes to how to – type videos …and this one seems to have helped a lot of folks with their KB clean technique. Check it out here:

 

3 Tips to Fix Your Kettlebell Clean

That’s it for today. Hope the tips in the video above help you with your KB clean technique. And remember, this is just a tiny sample of what you’ll experience first hand when you attend my kettlebell workshop on Saturday, February 1st.

Train hard, and have a great day –

Forest Vance
Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor

I’ve been sending you a ton of kettlebell workouts lately –

So I thought we’d go “back to basics” for a minute and go over some technique stuff.

If you’re new to KB training or if you’re still not 100% sure of your form on some of the exercises … my advice to you is to focus on TWO moves to start – the Turkish get up and the swing.

Even if this is just for a short time, like a couple of weeks – REALLY focus in on these puppies get them down. This will build a great foundation for the rest of your training and keep you from having to go back and correct bad habits later on down the road.

The swing is the foundation of most HardStyle ballistic movements, like the clean and the snatch.

The Turkish get up will help condtion your wrists for your cleans and presses and snatches, build shoulder mobility for these same moves, and a whole lot more.

Today I’m going to break down the “beginner” version of the first movement, the Turkish get up.

This video actually breaks down the HALF TGU – a great, more simple version of the move you should do if 1) you are just learning 2) you are looking to keep things simple (like in a group training setting) or 3) you just want to get a lot of the benefits of the movement in a more “basic” way.

Check it out:

Kettlebell Half Turkish Get Up

Start practicing that one, and I’ll be back soon with a video breakdown of the kettlebell swing.

– Forest Vance, MS, RKC

 

PS – Have you “liked” the Kettlebell Basics Facebook page yet? Connect with me on Facebook here

Okay, first things first … if you’re doing kettlebell swings the way I teach them, and you are a healthy, injury-free individual, your lower back should not hurt at all.

On the other hand, there could be some underlying structural/muscle imbalance/etc. issues going on that are causing your lower back pain – regardless of training technique.

My friend Rick Kaselj shot a video special for you – an FVT reader – that covers this topic.  He talks about what could be happening, and a few simple drills to fix it.  Check it out:

If you liked this video, check out Rick’s full Fix My Back Pain program by clicking here