Beginner Kettlebell Exercise For Women: Part 2

Beginner Kettlebell Exercise For Women: Part 2


This is Part 2 in our three part series based on beginning kettlebell movements for women. At the end of the series we will put them all together for you in a workout you can on your own! After you have mastered the Kettlebell Deadlift, you can move on to the Kettlebell Swing. The reason it is important to first master the Kettlebell Deadlift is because some of the movements and muscles engaged are essential for performing a proper kettlebell swing. So make sure you have that down first.

Our friend, Brittany van Schravendijk, will be walking us through video tutorials of the three movements we are highlighting in this series, including this one, we will be highlighting and then helping us put them all together for a workout at the end. Brittany is a Master of Sport, World Record Holder, and National Record Holder in Kettlebell Sport. Brittany is the Head Coach of Kettlebell Sport at KOR Strength and Conditioning in San Diego, California. She has traveled all over the world to teach Kettlebell Sport workshops. Brittany is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA.

The video below will walk you through the correct way to execute The Kettlebell Swing, but here are some key points.

Why The Kettlebell Swing?

The Kettlebell Swing may be the best all around exercise anywhere for building strength and burning fat. It will help you develop strength in your hamstrings, glutes and core which are essential in other lifts. Just like the Kettlebell Deadlift, the swing strengthens the posterior chain. As we said in Part 1, that is the group of muscles in your body which affects your ability to move. The Kettlebell Swing can be performed with one or two kettlebells for added intensity.

Posterior Chain Refresher

The posterior chain is a group of muscles consisting of tendons and ligaments on the posteriorof the body, including the biceps femoris, gluteus maximus (main extension muscle of your hips), erector spinae (straighten and rotate the back), trapezius (large muscles that cover almost your entire back), and posterior (butt).

These muscles are responsible for running, jumping and getting up and down all of which are required in every day life.

If you like what you see, we do have a weekly workout list you can sign up for which incorporates the movements we will be going over into cardio and strength training sessions.


The Kettlebell Swing:

  • back position of your swing is like the bottom position of your deadlift
    • load hamstrings and glutes to not tax lower back
  • start with the kettlebell a couple feet in front of you in order to hike it back into the swing to get momentum
  • set up like deadlift, but reach forward, hike it back into swing then push hips foward, snapping them to create explosiveness and squeeze glutes at top similar to deadlift
  • swing to the top and let the bell fall down with gravity to hips before pushing into back swing
    • IMPORTANT: wait until arms hit hips before coming back up, if you do before a lot of space is created and the load is transferred to your back
  • exhale as bell comes up to tighten glutes and engage core, exhale engages core

The Kettlebell Swing, read below the video for points about The Two Kettlebell Swing

Read below for important points about The Two Kettlebell Swing

We publish workouts each week you can utilize the movments you learn!

Two Kettlebell Swing:

hold bells on outside of the legs start with bells slightly in front, swing them back and squeeze glutes and then thrust hips forward weight for bells to reach hips again before thrusting them back up so load is not transferred to your back

Which kettlebell weights to use: 
(This explanation was also in Part 1, you can reread or skip if you have already)
 
Even with specific kettlebell lifts, you can do them with different weights depending on your goals. For example, for high repetition training in which the goal is to get your heart rate up, use weight that you can complete at least 20-30 repetitions with perfect form. 
 
For building strength, use a weight that challenges you for the required number of repetitions. Your form should stay consistent, but the last 1-2 repetitions should be pushing your limits. So for example, if your goal is 10 reps, then 8-10 should be challenging for you.
 
If you are brand new to kettlebell training, use a weight that is almost to light for the first 4-8 weeks of a strength training program, especially if you have never lifted weights before. Your body needs to adapt to the load and learn the proper movement patterns before progressing to a heavier weight. 
 
We have created a post specifically about training weight selection you can read HERE.
 
Which type of kettlebell should you use:
You can choose a kettlebell style based on the type of training you would like to do. If you are interested in training for a Kettlebell Sport competition, it doesn't really matter whether you use hardstyle kettlebells or Sport kettlebells. However, if building your strength endurance with longer sets of clean and jerk or snatch is something you are interested in doing (see Intro to Kettlebell Sport), consider using competition style kettlebells. Similarly, if comfort on the forearm and/or rack position is important to you, most people find the competition style kettlebells more friendly.
 
Think You Got It? Move onto Part 3!

What Is Next?

If this is your first time reading one of our posts, we create kettlebell workouts in collaboration with kettlebell experts designed to give you maximal results and not take up much of your time. We send these to your in box automatically every week! We recommend you read more about receiving a quick, free, dynamic kettlebell workout every week you can click below.

Also, we recommend you subscribe to our posts so you can be notified when we publish more in this series. Additionally, you can be notified when we publish new articles about specific kettlebell movements or techniques as well as niche pieces like this designed for specific training. You can do that through the sign up form at the bottom of this post.

We have created a post specifically about training weight selection you can read HERE.

Every month, all purchases are automatically entered to win a kettlebell of your choosing up to 48 KG from Kettlebellkings.com!*

About Brittany:

Brittany is a Master of Sport, World Record Holder, and National Record Holder in Kettlebell Sport. She learned how to lift kettlebells at one of the top Kettlebell Sport gyms in the United States, Ice Chamber, which has produced seven female Master of Sport lifters to date (Brittany is the most recent one).

Brittany is the Head Coach of Kettlebell Sport at KOR Strength and Conditioning in San Diego, California. She has traveled all over the world to teach Kettlebell Sport workshops. Brittany is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA.

You can find more information about Brittany on her website (www.kbfitbritt.com), which contains information, tips, videos, and tutorials on kettlebell lifting.

 List of accomplishments:

  • Youngest American female Master of Sport

  • World Record Holder in 2x20kg and 2x16kg Long Cycle

  • National RecordHolder in 24kg Biathlon

  • National Champion in 24kg Snatch

  • Master of Sport, 24kg Snatch

  • Master of Sport, 24kg Long Cycle

  • Silver medalist in 16kg Snatch at the IUKL World Championships, Junior category


*Does not include 12-32 Kg Adjustable Kettlebell 


 

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