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Kettlebell Form check: A beginner's progress, week by week.

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kettlebellklutz

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hey all, so having read more and watched more videos i am back with another form check video. this time with a 45lb bell.

things i am attempting to do:
  • stand about a foot behind the bell
  • keep arms in tight close to the torso/thighs
  • hinge, not squat
  • shoulders packed but relaxed
  • arms are ropes - trying not to use arms/shoulders to lift the bell
  • planking at the top of the movement (not sure if i am doing this)
  • avoid overextending the back at the top of the movement
anyhow, here is the video:



thanks!
 
I'm not an instructor, but here are my comments.

- on the set up, place the bell a bit further, so that you tilt it towards you when you get tight before the hike. I personally like to place a bit too far and then drag it towards me when I tighten. The bell should be at an angle to the floor, continuing the direction of the arm.

- you should try to maintain the vertical plank longer, until your arms touch your torso, and only then hinge.

-the last reps you are lifting the bell with your arms. Maybe you were fatigued and lost power by then. Something I like is when my arms are pulled upwards by the inertia of the bell at the top of the swing, meaning that the arms are a bit lower than the handle, instead of the other way around.

Just my 2 cents, hope it helps!
 
A few tips:
First, get rid of the mirror. Try to keep a neutral head position (which will never work with a mirror in front of you).

Hinge back more and try to do really crisp push with you hips while not overarching your lower back.

Maybe do lesser swings with a heavier bell or do deadstop swings, so you get a better feeling for the results. A heavier bell teaches so much more. Don´t focus on repetitions. Just focus on good form.
 
You’ll get plenty of good tips from others, so I’m just guna say you have progressed from your last video & it’s only been a week. Keep up the good work & you’ll be nailing it soon. Seems like a slow process at first but one day it’ll just click & you find your groove. Keep concentrating on technique more than getting reps, they’ll come easier once you find your groove.
 
@kettlebellklutz You fixed a lot of things since the first video. Great work!

Basically good. You are missing a very important component and this is where I would suggest to focus: the standing plank. The top of the swing needs to be a tight, active position - yours is soft and passive.

S&S page 25: "Tense every muscle below your neck -- plank. Pull up the kneecaps. Cramp the glutes. Brace the abs, as if you are about to be punched. Keep the lats locked and loaded. You are a board."

Once you know how to BE tight in the standing plank position, your body will start to figure out how to quickly and explosively move to this position from the hinge -- and THAT is where the power of the swing comes from.

Think of it like a jump. When you move from hinge to standing and you're trying to jump as high as possible, that is the feeling you want to have in the swing.
 
Hello @kettlebellklutz
I think a heavier bell or towel swing will help you to correct a basic flaw. It's common for new swingers to muscle the bell up without even realizing it. Anna nailed it with the move to plank, it has to be snappy and crisp.

Here is you on the upswing, the bell is long gone before you're anywhere near planking, this tells me you're pulling the bell away with the arms rather than flinging it forward with hip power and relaxed arms.
OP swing shot 2018-09-20 at 6.25.17 PM.png

This is the position you should aim to hit ..
Bret swing 2018-09-20 at 6.27.05 PM.png

If you grab a towel and loop it through the handle holding it a few inches from the bell it will tell you alot about what's going on with the swing.

Overall you look good, you're not far off at all. Once you know how to launch with the hips you're well on your way. Keep up the good work!
 
figure i will use this thread to keep posting videos as i try to progress.

here is one from today:



and, of course, THANK YOU to all that continue to provide advice and help!
 
figure i will use this thread to keep posting videos as i try to progress.

here is one from today:



and, of course, THANK YOU to all that continue to provide advice and help!

You're doing great,

3 things..

- Swing a heavier KB

- While planking don't hyper-extend the low back

- Point the elbows down a bit, around 45 degrees, this will help you pack the shoulders better and pin the arms hard to the torso at the bottom. From there launch with a quicker snap to plank
 
You're doing great,

3 things..

- Swing a heavier KB

- While planking don't hyper-extend the low back

- Point the elbows down a bit, around 45 degrees, this will help you pack the shoulders better and pin the arms hard to the torso at the bottom. From there launch with a quicker snap to plank
Thank you! That's the heaviest bell (45 lbs) my gym has. I have a 53 at home.

Also, am I doing anything currently that could injure me while I work on perfecting my form?

Thanks.
 
I know you are working in a commercial gym, so may not be able to remove your shoes, but have you ever thought of going shoeless or even completely barefoot if able, or something flat like Vibram Five Fingers or if you can't procure those, even Chuck Taylors (not sure if that is what you are wearing, I only know they are recommended in kb work but never have laid eyes on one personally).

I notice your feet rocking and toes lifting a bit, barefoot or minimal footwear can really help you grip the floor and drive force through your feet like gripping with your big toes and entire foot. I also notice this because I have the same tendency to rock my (very flat) feet even sometimes when barefoot (I do S&S at home) but notice the difference when I can root my feet well.

Just a thought/idea to consider. Keep up the good work on the swings! Like @Bret S. says you are getting there...!
 
Also, am I doing anything currently that could injure me while I work on perfecting my form?

I agree, heavier bell. Your form looks safe -- the only caution I would add is your last rep when you go to set the bell down, stay tight and keep your back flat in a good hinge position until the bell is parked. You're losing the back position on the last rep and set-down.

+1 to the rest of @Bret S. advice above.

In this most recent video, I see that you're doing a LOT better with the snappy moving from hinge to plank... but I think you can still do better. At the top of the swing: TIGHT legs. BRACED abs. CRAMPED glutes. PACKED shoulders.

One cue that helps some people with the timing is to keep the arms connected to the ribcage until you are in the standing plank, THEN let the arms and bell float up. I think that cue might benefit your swing. Then same thing on the way down -- hold the plank until you feel the arms reconnect with the ribcage, then hinge quickly. Most people find it helpful to practice this in slow-motion without the bell.
 
For some reason you're holding your power back. You need to really let it rip. First of all, see how the bell flips up at the top of your swing? You're not letting your arms go up with it. Let the arms be like ropes and come up, more or less straight, to chest-height. Increase the power of your swing until the bell goes up that high. But keep in mind it's not to try to make it go UP, you want to project power FORWARD. The bell should fly out in front of you so that if you were to let it go at the top of the swing, you would throw the bell out in front of you as far as possible.

Once you're projecting some true power in the swing, it will necessitate finding and practicing that tight plank we talked about earlier.

Here's a video I made when we were having a discussion here on the forum about the speed of the swing, maybe this will help show the power projection. I was demonstrating that the swing is the same speed (and note here, the same movement) no matter what the weight is. In that video I'm swinging 40 kg, 32 kg, 24 kg, 16 kg, and 8 kg.

 
For some reason you're holding your power back. You need to really let it rip. First of all, see how the bell flips up at the top of your swing? You're not letting your arms go up with it. Let the arms be like ropes and come up, more or less straight, to chest-height. Increase the power of your swing until the bell goes up that high. But keep in mind it's not to try to make it go UP, you want to project power FORWARD. The bell should fly out in front of you so that if you were to let it go at the top of the swing, you would throw the bell out in front of you as far as possible.

Once you're projecting some true power in the swing, it will necessitate finding and practicing that tight plank we talked about earlier.

Here's a video I made when we were having a discussion here on the forum about the speed of the swing, maybe this will help show the power projection. I was demonstrating that the swing is the same speed (and note here, the same movement) no matter what the weight is. In that video I'm swinging 40 kg, 32 kg, 24 kg, 16 kg, and 8 kg.


Thanks again! Here is me swinging the bell a bit higher. It’s just as easy as the other swings I’ve been doing but I’m worried I’m introducing too much shoulders.

Am I getting there?

 
I am not Anna or an instructor, but I have had to work on this issue myself. I think your swing looks great at the top...nice height! If you snap really quickly out of the hip hinge in the bottom, you will see little to no flip up of the bell behind you. If you are using your shoulders really a lot, you'll notice...like a sense of the bell dragging you down instead of your arms "floating" at the top of the swing because it will have lost some of it's forward momentum already and start to fall while you are muscling it up. If you give that bit of extra lift with the arms, you may even be able to detect the flipping about on camera.

Keep up the awesome work!
 
Yes, MUCH better! Keep going with that -- throw it even more explosively on the upswing. But it's looking really good. Nice work.
 
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