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Exercise Tips

The Swing

The swing is the "Big Daddy" of all kettle bell exercise's and is the first one you must master before learning any other exercise.

See the picture on the right - this is an animated GIF (if it is not animated adjust your browser settings).

1. Place kettle bell on the floor making sure you have enough room to swing it in front and behind you.
2. Stand erect with feet shoulder width apart, the bell should be between your feet, handle running from side to side.
3. Fold at the hip and push your gluts (backside) out behind you, you should feel your weight coming into your heels.
4. Your hands should now drop onto the bell, (that's why it should be between your feet and not in front of you).
5. Grasp the handle with both hands, later on you will be doing one handed swings.
6. Now tighten your abs, gluts and lower back.
7. Now stand up by unfolding at the hips.
8. Extend the hips forward, the bell should be rising with you from the momentum of your movement, do not over extend your knees by pushing them backwards.
9. As you rise you can slightly relax, but you must tighten up again as the bell reaches the top of its arc.
10. Now reverse the process by folding at the hips, pushing your gluts out behind you.
11. Tighten up again as the bell reaches the bottom of it arc, you are accepting the momentum and are about to reverse it.
12. Now fire yourself back upwards by unfolding at the hip.

Tips: Your back should be at roughly 45 degrees (dead lift position). Do not lean right over or over reach to get the bell. Before swinging the bell practice squatting with it in this position, feel the difference of the hips coming straight up (squat) and up and forward in the swing. The process should be tight at the bottom relaxed in the middle tight at the top and relaxed on the way down and then tight at the bottom again, so that's tight-loose-tight.

The Kettle Bell Front Squat

The Kettle Bell front squat is an excellent exercise to hit the thighs and the core.

See the picture on the right - this is an animated GIF (if it is not animated adjust your browser settings).

Core activation comes about by virtue of the fact the core muscles have to fire to hold you and the bells in the correct position, by this I mean that the bells will be held in the "racked" position, which is in front of you on the upper chest.

Because the bells are held in this position good old gravity is trying to pull you forward and down, your core and lower back fights to stabilise this position so that you don't fall and land flat on your face. So how do we do this exercise, easy (well it's not actually as you will find out).

1. Place two bells at your feet and stand with your shoulder width apart (or slightly wider as is comfortable for you),
2. Squat down keeping a neutral spine and Grasp a bell in each hand.
3. Clean them into the racked position.
4. Now make sure the bells are resting in a comfortable position on the back of the forearm,
5. Keep your gaze straight ahead, take in a breath and brace the core.
6. Squat down keeping a neutral spine; push your glutes out behind you (no pun intended) and lower yourself by pulling yourself into the hole.
7. Hold the bottom position for a second.
8. Now drive up through the heels, breathing out slightly as you near the top.
9. Breathe in once you hit the top position.
10. Brace and descend into your second rep.

This will hit the Gluts, Quads, Hamstrings and of cause the core to name just a few muscles.

For added variety, try to odd size bells, this will really hit the core hard, what to punish yourself even more try a set of swings immediately after your last squat.