Kettlebell swing: how to do it, muscles worked and variations
Explosive hip hinge with a kettlebell.
- Main muscles
- Gluteus maximus, Hamstrings
- Secondary muscles
- Erector spinae, Deltoid
- Equipment
- Kettlebell, Resistance band
- Variations
- 3
All 3 variations
Kettlebell swing
Explosive hinge in which the hips drive a kettlebell; it is not a squat or a front raise.
Form. Push your hips back, generate power with your glutes and let the kettlebell rise by controlled momentum.
Common mistake. Lifting with the shoulders, turning it into a squat, or losing a neutral spine on the way down.
Banded kettlebell swing
Kettlebell swing with a band anchored behind and around the hips, which adds resistance to hip extension.
Form. With the band anchored behind you at hip height, swing by driving your hips forward against the band until you stand tall with the kettlebell at chest height.
Common mistake. Letting the band pull your hips back without control, lifting the kettlebell with your shoulders, rounding your back, or squatting.
Single-arm kettlebell swing
Swing with the kettlebell in one hand, which adds an anti-rotation demand to the hip drive.
Form. With the kettlebell in one hand, swing it back between your legs with a neutral back and extend your hips hard so it rises to chest height; your free arm goes along. Switch hands between sets.
Common mistake. Lifting the kettlebell with the shoulder, letting the trunk rotate, squatting down, or rounding the back at the bottom.
Other exercises for the same muscles
