It is worth noting that after completing my own sets of heavy kettlebell swings this week, instagram had alerted me to the fact that “Strong Ass Life” was a trending hashtag when I went to post my footage. With all the heavy kettlebell swings we are getting into here today, I can think of no better way to celebrate our feats of strength!
Welcome to a #strongasslife! 😉
Today, we are talking about a lot of heavy metal, and this heavy metal tribute is all about the heavy kettlebell swing. We have an interesting saying in our lifting community, and that saying is “Heavy fixes everything.” I agree with this whole heartedly (unless of course we are talking about a broken limb), as heavy reps force the body to use proper technique to sustain the load of the weight itself. The heavy kettlebell swing is a perfect exercise to dial in proper lat activation, proper grip strength, and proper breathing mechanics to make your medium to light kettlebell swings EFFORTLESS! First, let’s talk about what to expect when training your heavy kettlebell swing.
- The Heavy Swing and Your Lats– The Heavy Kettlebell swing will demand proper lat activation and strength to execute the initial hike of your swing, and each subsequent swing. Outside of perhaps pull ups and dead lifts, nothing else comes close to comparison in terms of serious lat power than the heavy kettlebell swing.
- Â The Heavy Swing and your Grip- Without question, grip strength is taxed on heavy swings. Â Kettlebells that weight 28kgs and above require a ton of grip work to sure safe and effective swings rep after rep (and trust me, you don’t want a 32kg flying out of your hands). You may notice that the more your grip improves, the better your strength will be in other lifts such as pull ups, presses, and even your barbell work.
- The Heavy Kettlebell Swing and Your Breath. Yes! BREATHING!- Proper breathing is vital for keeping up with your heavy kettlebell swings. Here, we want to make sure we are practicing diaphragmatic breathing with each executed swing. Inhale through your nose into the lower portion of your stomach on the hike of your swing, exhale forcefully at the top of your swing to release all that air and inhale again through your nose as the bell floats downward. The forceful exhalation at the top of your swing will tighten up your abs to brace the heavy float of the kettlebell.
Int he video below, I demonstrate how the heavy kettlebell swing reinforces proper technique with lighter two handed swings. I will cover the 3 aforementioned concepts above to in this video as well!
Ready for more?
If you want to get good at heavy swings and your usual two handed swing, set your timer for 10 minutes and perform the following routine. You can totally use this as a finisher at the ned of a hard training session too!
Perform 5 heavy kettlebell swings (ladies 24-32kgs, men 28-40kg) followed by 10 medium kettlebell swings (ladies 16kg-20kg, men 20-24kg) . Do as many rounds as you can of heavy and medium swings in 10 minutes.
If you have any further questions regarding kettlebell swings, please email me at janelle@janellepica.com. Do be sure to check out our VIP coaching forum a too! Should you need more one on one help, click here to request a free consultation to start training with me today!
Thanks everyone! Until next time. . .
PRESS ON!
