Kettlebell Swing Form

Prop up your phone and RepSensei counts your kettlebell swing reps and flags some visible issues, right on your device. Video never leaves your phone.

How to do it

1. Stand with feet a little wider than hip width, the kettlebell about a foot in front of you.
2. Hinge at the hips with a flat back, grab the handle with both hands and tilt the bell towards you.
3. Hike the bell back between your legs as if passing a ball back between your legs, high and close to your groin.
4. Snap your hips forward hard and stand tall, letting the bell float up to about chest height with straight, relaxed arms.
5. As the bell drops, wait for it, then hinge back as your forearms meet your thighs and go straight into the next rep.

Coaching cues

Hinge, not squat

Hips go back, shins stay fairly vertical. Bending the knees a lot turns it into a squat swing.

Arms are ropes

The arms just hold on; the hips drive the bell.

Stand like a plank at the top

Glutes squeezed, knees locked, ribs down. No leaning back.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Squatting the swing

Bending the knees deeply takes the hamstrings and glutes out of the drive. Fix: Practise a hip hinge with the bell on the floor first, pushing your bum back towards a wall.

Lifting with the arms

Using the shoulders to raise the bell tires them and loses the hip power. Fix: Keep the arms relaxed. A harder hip snap makes the bell float higher.

Leaning back at the top

Over-extending loads the lower back as the bell pulls on you. Fix: Finish standing straight with glutes and stomach tight.

Hinging too early

Bending before the bell drops makes it swing low and pull your back round. Fix: Wait until your forearms touch your thighs before hinging.

Rounding the back at the bottom

The bell drops too low, below the knees, which pulls the spine round. Fix: Keep the bell high between the legs and the back flat.

Muscles worked

Main: Glutes, Hamstrings. Also: Lower back, Abs, Forearms, Shoulders, Quads.

Who should take care

Learn the hip hinge with a light bell before adding speed or weight. If you feel it in your lower back, stop and check your form, and see a doctor or physiotherapist if pain persists.

Variations

• Butt Lift (Bridge): Easier: build the hip drive lying down.
• Pull Through: Easier: a slow cable hinge to learn the movement.
• Romanian Deadlift: Strength option: a slow, heavy version of the same hinge.
• One-Arm Kettlebell Snatch: Harder: the swing pattern finished overhead with one arm.

Filming your kettlebell swing

Film side-on at hip height, about three metres away, so the backswing between your legs and the top position are both in frame. You can track it with the RepSensei camera, which counts reps and can flag some visible issues from one angle; it cannot see everything. See how to film your form.

Questions

How high should the kettlebell go?

Around chest height is the classic Russian swing. Going overhead adds shoulder demand without much extra hip work.

What weight should I start with?

Light enough to learn the hinge without strain. Many beginners start with 8 to 16 kg and move up as the hip snap improves.

Why does my lower back hurt after swings?

Usually from squatting the swing, lifting with the arms or leaning back at the top. Stop and get your form checked before going on.

See the Vertical Swing exercise guide with a 3D figure.

More form guides

• Squat form
• Deadlift form
• Lunge form
• Romanian Deadlift form
• Hip Thrust form

General guidance, not medical advice. Stop if anything hurts. The camera can miss things, so no issue seen doesn't mean perfect form.