The kettlebell swing is a fantastic exercise for developing power through your posterior chain (the muscles down the back of your body).

There is no exercise that teaches and works the powerful "hip hinge" movement better than the kettlebell swing.

But the "normal" swing is not the only way to swing...

This version of the kettlebell swing is done with a lateral movement pattern, working your body in what is known in biomechanical terms as the "frontal plane" (or "coronal plane"). Imagine a piece of sheet metal dividing your body between front and back. That's the frontal plane.

The normal kettlebell swing is done in a sagittal plane (forward and back).

Working in the frontal plane using lateral movements is extremely important not only for athletes (there aren't many sports that dosn't require moving sideways at some point) but for anybody who wants to improve their basic balance and movement skills and core strength.

Just fyi, even thought it may LOOK like a lateral raise, this is primarily a core and leg exercise, not a shoulder exercise.

How To Do It:

You'll need a light to moderate kettlebell to perform this exercise at first. You'll want to get comfortable with the movement pattern and allow your body time to develop the muscles needed to move in a direction it may not be used to.

This exercise requires strong core muscles with good anti-rotational strength. The momentum of the kettlebell will put a lot of rotational energy in through the core and those muscles have to be able to control it in order to stabilize the spine.

Lean forward a little with your arm hanging straight down in front of you.

The "working" side is the same side arm you're holding the kettlebell in (in this case, the right arm). Take a short backswing to get the weight moving.

Here's a side view so you can see how I'm leaning forward a little. This is critical...if you don't, you'll crack your knees with the kettlebell.

Shift your weight to the right to start the swing up to the right.

Swing it all the way up until your arm is horizontal.

Let the kettlebell swing back down to the backswing and repeat.

You'll notice that weight transfer is absolutely critical with this exercise, especially as you move up into heavier weights. If you don't properly shift your bodyweight to counterbalance the swing, you'll go flying.

When you've completed your reps with one arm, you can either set the kettlebell down and change hands or you can change hands during the movement (do this only if you're comfortable with it).

On the backswing, grip the handle with both hands. This is the moment where the kettlebell "weighs" the least, so it's easiest to change grip.

As you come back down, remove your right hand from the handle and keep going.

Again, note my body position...leaning forward a little with knee slightly bent and a nice arch in the lower back. The goal of this body position is stabilizing the spine, using the deep core muscles to deal with and transfer the force of the swinging, and to keep the kettlebell out in front of your knees.

Continue the swings as you did with the other hand.

Come up until your arm is horizontal.

The repeat the movement until you've completed your reps.

As you build up in weight with this exercise, proper weight transfer during the swing is going to become more and more important.

This weight transfer will be something you will learn...either the easy way (by watching the video of me performing the exercise) or the hard way...

DO NOT perform this exercise to failure. These are the muscles that stabilize the during a movement that involves rotation. We don't want them to fail.

Aim for 6-8 swings on either side, keeping yourself within your capabilities. You can add weight as long as you can handle the movement safely.

Overall, this is an excellent exercise for developing the core muscles as well as balance and functionality doing lateral movements.

If you want to give this one a try, I would definitely recommend checking out the video of me performing the exercise. These pics are good, but they don't give you the best idea of how to shift your weight during a dynamic exercise like this.

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