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Exercise library · Full body

Kettlebell swing

Explosive lift for the whole body with a kettlebell.

How to do it

1 of 4

Kettlebell between your legs

  1. Starting position

    Stand slightly wider than hip-width with the kettlebell in front, hinge at your hips and grip the handle with both hands.

  2. The movement

    Swing the kettlebell between your legs, extend your hips fast and let it float to chest height before it returns.

Most common mistake

Don't squat or lift with your arms, push your hips back and drive the kettlebell forward with your hips.

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Muscle group
Full body
Equipment
Kettlebell
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Weight × reps

Muscles worked

The kettlebell swing is an explosive hip movement. Your glutes and hamstrings do most of the work, extending your hips fast to send the kettlebell forward. The muscles along your spine keep your back still, and your abs and glutes lock your body straight at the top. Your lats guide the bell back between your legs, and your grip works throughout. With many reps in a row it also becomes conditioning work.

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back at the top. Stand tall as if in a plank, glutes and abs tight, and let the kettlebell float in front of you.
  • Letting the kettlebell drop too low on the backswing. If it ends up down by your knees, the lever gets long and your back has to pull harder. Let your forearms meet the inside of your thighs so the kettlebell passes high between your legs.
  • Rounding your back at the bottom. As you tire it is easy to bend at the back instead of the hips. Keep your chest up and your back straight, and end the set when you can no longer do so. If your back hurts, stop the exercise and have it looked at by a doctor or physiotherapist.

Variations and alternatives

  • The dumbbell swing is the same movement with a dumbbell, for when you have no kettlebell.
  • The cable pull through trains the same hip movement at a calmer pace and is good for learning to push your hips back.
  • The dumbbell Romanian deadlift builds strength in your glutes and hamstrings with slower, heavier reps.

Sets and reps

The swing is about power, so end each set before your hip drive slows down. Three to five sets of 10 to 20 reps is common, resting until your breathing settles. You can also work on the clock, for example 10 to 15 swings at the start of every minute for 10 minutes. On the last rep, let the kettlebell swing back between your legs, then park it on the floor in front of you. The guide to sets and reps has more on choosing an approach.

Start with a kettlebell you can swing 15 times with good form. The jump between kettlebell sizes is often big, so progress in this order: more reps per set, more sets, shorter rest, and only then a heavier bell. That is still progressive overload, even with the same bell.

Also called

  • kb swing

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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