Here at Cavemantraining, the kettlebell swing has evolved over many years to make it the best it can be, involving as many muscle groups as possible, and making it as safe as possible.
The kettlebell swing for fitness is an exercise that people perform to get results, those results are, but not limited to; building muscle; becoming stronger and becoming fitter, to reach those goals you need to create as much resistance as you can while increasing the weight lifted, after all, it’s resistance training!
Cavemantraining has added an ‘insert’ to the kettlebell swing, this partly breaks away from the common full pendulum concept which can create several issues, especially with people who just started working with a kettlebell. What does the insert accomplish? The added insert prevents the kettlebell from bobbing, which creates friction in the hands and can also cause the kettlebell hitting the tailbone. A full pendulum guides the kettlebell upwards at the backswing because when the kettlebell travels through the legs there is only so far it can travel, this is due to the arms eventually being stopped abruptly by the legs when the pendulum motion wants to continue, therefore, an insert is safer and more comfortable. And last but not least, the insert taxes the trapezius muscle more by guiding the kettlebell towards the ground and thus creating an opposing force for the trapezius muscle group.
I have personally performed extreme high volume swings to test the technique and see if it can withstand heavy weight without causing injury, I’m referring to the bad pain that can be caused by an incorrect kettlebell swing, not the normal muscle soreness after high volume swing.
In one session I moved 13,000 kilos in swings with a 26kg kettlebell for 500 repetitions, 8,000 kilos in snatches with a 16kg kettlebell for 500 repetitions. My goal was not to set a time record but to perform this extremely high volume with the correct technique. Over the duration of 28 days I performed 11,111 swings with 1/3 my body weight. The point being, with correct technique injury can be avoided altogether.
The following video demonstrates the insert which can also be broken down into (coming from the top of swing):
- Initiate backswing
- Drop
- Wait with the hip hinge
- Initiate hip hinge
- Insert
The kettlebell swing insert in summary
The red dot is the pivot/shoulders
Facing east/right
0 to 10° degrees is approximate height to aim for with the swing, which is approximately shoulder to eye height, see graph below.
Illustrated below is the full pendulum trajectory, which is not encouraged in Caveman Kettlebells.
Illustrated is the Caveman Kettlebells desired partial pendulum trajectory with an insert.
Up phase of the swing.
To learn the kettlebell swing online from the comfort of your home check out our online kettlebell courses.
How to spot bobbing? Bobbing is when the kettlebell moves at the end of the swing, creating friction in the palms. There is no bobbing if the kettlebell remains a constant extension of the arm, as demonstrated in the video above.
- Enroll in our free online kettlebell grip course and instantly take your kettlebell training to the next level
- Continue your education and enroll in our entry-level Kettlebell Clean Variations I
- Continue your education and become kettlebell certified
