Kettlebell S&S intro and questions

[wexford]

Thanks so much again @Anna C for the support and fantastic advice. Highly appreciated.

The basic swing looks good, but we can continue to improve.

1) The hinge position looks a bit too "bent over". My suggestion is to look up a bit more, and think "big chest." Jeff Sokol is always a great example.

I was very conscious of the bent over position I seem to have at the bottom of the swing when I reviewed the video. Other folks don't seem to have that so obviously I'm still doing something wrong there. I'm also very consistently doing it. I'm wondering how to fix the looking up more and the bigger chest. Maybe I'll try to place a focal point in front of me at a certain height and take more unweighted footage to see if I can find something that gets me less squashed. I'll try hard to address this. Thanks for the link to Jeff's slo-mo. I want to copy'paste that form.

2) Also it appears your knees come forward a bit in the upswing (middle and right view, :09), so this breaks one of the "rules" of a hardstyle swing. (worth noting, it is done in a GS swing, so it's not a matter of safety or effective exercise. But if we're aiming for a hardstyle swing and its particular benefits and characteristics, it is something to eliminate).

Dang it. This is the main thing I was concentrating on. When I dead lift, my hamstrings sing. But seems like after the initial hike this goes out the door. I felt I was doing it better but thanks for confirming that I've still a way to go there. I will concentrate on this also.

3) Although your arms are straighter at the top of the swing, they are bent in the hinge position! This is unusual... Interested to hear your thoughts on that.

Interesting. I hadn't noticed that. I'll try to figure out why that is happening also.

I'm on a light day today, so I'll do more deadlifts maybe some unweighted/light swings to see if I can address the items you've high lighted. Really appreciate your time and the pointers. I hope others can learn from this also.

 

[wexford]

Hi @Nacho - thanks for chiming in.

First time reading this. You have made good progress, well done so far, but keep going and improving! These wonderful people helping you do know what they are talking about and so you are in good hands.

I just wonder about your grip… You don`t seem to wrap your thumb around the handle and you don`t use chalk either. Maybe if you would change those things, your grip would allow you to swing harder and heavier… ? Pavel makes a strong point in the revised s&s book, that chalk should be used. My own training improved a lot when I took that advice.

For whatever reason I thought that you were not supposed to use your thumbs to help hold onto the kettlebell. I've been purposefully avoiding that for the swings. I wonder where I picked that up. I'll review the S&S book and online course relating to this again. I'm sure you are right. Just wondering how I got it wrong... Regarding chalk, I hadn't felt that I needed it yet. I'll keep things simple for another while and once I get the rest of the basics right, I'll try adding chalk to see how it affects things. Thank you for the advice.

 

[Nacho]

Hi @Nacho - thanks for chiming in.

For whatever reason I thought that you were not supposed to use your thumbs to help hold onto the kettlebell. I've been purposefully avoiding that for the swings. I wonder where I picked that up. I'll review the S&S book and online course relating to this again. I'm sure you are right. Just wondering how I got it wrong... Regarding chalk, I hadn't felt that I needed it yet. I'll keep things simple for another while and once I get the rest of the basics right, I'll try adding chalk to see how it affects things. Thank you for the advice.

Using chalk might help you with other things, such as keeping the lats activated, because you don’t have to worry about the grip. And maybe you will be able to swing heavier bell sooner, because the grip isn’t the limiting factor. And the heavier bell is very instructive on a lot of things.

It really was a game changer for me, so I happen to have a very strong opinion of it. I understand it feels like a bit of extra ”hassle” the first couple of times, but becomes a nice sort a ritual very quickly. I use liquid chalk and it’s very easy to use. Just put some on your hands, then rub it on the handle a bit before it dries and you’re ready to go. Give it a try! You’ve got nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

 

[Anna C]

Thanks so much again @Anna C for the support and fantastic advice. Highly appreciated.

I was very conscious of the bent over position I seem to have at the bottom of the swing when I reviewed the video. Other folks don't seem to have that so obviously I'm still doing something wrong there. I'm also very consistently doing it. I'm wondering how to fix the looking up more and the bigger chest. Maybe I'll try to place a focal point in front of me at a certain height and take more unweighted footage to see if I can find something that gets me less squashed. I'll try hard to address this. Thanks for the link to Jeff's slo-mo. I want to copy'paste that form.

Dang it. This is the main thing I was concentrating on. When I dead lift, my hamstrings sing. But seems like after the initial hike this goes out the door. I felt I was doing it better but thanks for confirming that I've still a way to go there. I will concentrate on this also.

Interesting. I hadn't noticed that. I'll try to figure out why that is happening also.

I'm on a light day today, so I'll do more deadlifts maybe some unweighted/light swings to see if I can address the items you've high lighted. Really appreciate your time and the pointers. I hope others can learn from this also.

Before each set of swings, get in the hinge position without the kettlebell and practice reaching your arms behind you as far as you can WHILE reaching your chest forward as far as you can. Another way to practice this is with a resistance band tied to something behind you. That way you can also practice coming up from the hinge without bringing the knees forward (just push straight down into the ground with your feet).

Believe me I can relate to this "why the heck am I doing that?" feeling... I have been struggling with similar things with my barbell jerk for quite some time! But just keep working at it - consistent effort and trying different things/cues eventually you will find the way that works.

 

[Mark Limbaga]

Try looking slightly up on the downswing..

That will put you in the big chest position