Improve Your American Swing – Improve The CrossFit Swing

Let’s get straight into the nitty-gritty. To improve your American swing you want the trajectory of the kettlebell to be up, not out and away from you. You want to swing so powerful that you hardly need to do any pressing/shoulder raises at all.

I’ve analyzed how and why I can change the trajectory of the kettlebell swing to up rather than out. With both versions demonstrated I had loose and relaxed elbows. The only difference between the two is that I contracted the gluteus maximus and pressed the heels into the ground faster (standing up). I also added thoracic and hip hyperextension.

With the American swing, you want to keep the weight close to you on the way up and down. The American swing is in effect a kettlebell swing snatch but with double arm, but it can also be a swing with shoulder raise, all depends on who’s teaching it and what they’re used to, or what your goals of the exercise are, if just reps, you’ll want to treat it like a snatch.lebell

Some kettlebell snatch physics for those interested.