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Kettlebell what is the difference between...

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pet'

pet'

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Hello,

I would like to know the differences both in terms of power and strength, between:
2H swings @40kg
1H swings @20kg

Is it "the same" ?

My hypothesis is that a lighter weight will work "faster" so it will focus on power. A heavier weight will challenge more strength. Am I right ?

Thank you,

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
pet' said:
Am I right ?
Click to expand...
No, I don't think so.

I train with similar weights - I do 1h swings with 28 kg and sometimes 24, and 2h swings with 40 kg.

The 2h swing w/ 40 kg lets you focus on power production. The 1h swing, even with half the weight, requires more stabilization (anti-rotation, as @offwidth says), and I think most people find the grip with one hand with half the weight still more challenging than the two handed, twice-as-heavy grip. The 1h swing builds resiliency better, the 2h build pure power better. And the person who can do a 1h swing with a heavy weight is getting the best of both worlds.

-S-
 
To me, the biggest difference is between one or two hands on the kettlebell. Two hands take away anti-rotation and allow for a more solid grip, plus it personally feels like both sides are firing equally. One hand, on the other side, forces me to engage my core much more because of the rotational force I have to coounter, and it seems like the loaded side engages much more than the other.

It results in more powerful two handed swings. Oddly enough, I can't two hand swing double the weight I manage for one hand hand swings. For example: I can do 32 kg comfortably for one hand swing, but I doubt I could match the volume or even do one single repetition with a 64 kg bell. Ii is quite frankly obvious, if I come to think about. I wouldn't know which my 5RM kettlebell swing weight is...
 
Hello,

Thank you all ! :)

I am currently doing DDD. Thus I am "checking" the differents forms of swings (weight,...) that could be helpfull. A "strong" swing helps to have a strong DD.

Thus,
1 handed
=> anti-rotational
=> resiliency
=> grip

2 handed
=> pure power

Therefore, could it be interesting to find our 1RM 2H swing to build a 5X5 swing program for instance ?

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Last edited:
Hello,

Is there a kind of ratio between 1H and 2H swings ?

For instance:
if I do 100 @24 (50 ES), how many should I do with 48 ? (25ES or 50 ES or something)

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
pet' said:
Is there a kind of ratio between 1H and 2H swings ?
Click to expand...
I don't think so. I count a swing as a swing, whether with one or two hands, and I'm pretty sure that's how S & S does it also.

-S-
 
Hello,

Here is an article about heavy and moderately heavy swings for a deadlift replacement:
Swing Your Way to a Better Deadlift - Is it Possible? | DD

The article says 'two hand kettlebell swings were done at least twice a week throughout the preceding months with a moderately heavy kettlebell. In this case most of the time a 32kg or 36kg kettlebell was used in dynamic fashion for 10x10 with 30seconds or so rest between each set. On occasion the 40kg, 24kg, or the 16kg were used.'

It seems this maintained a 425 lb DL @165lbs.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
I dont use barbells from january, i can pull easy 90% of max in jeans thanks to swings - also in regards to Power - two handed always give me doms
 
Hello,

I saw your OA 48kg swing video. Impressive. Do you only follow S&S ?

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
I dont follow SS :) but i Did and i plan to someday do it again - but i acheved sinister using program from my Coach Levi Markwardt ,in what does Sfg thread you can check what i do, and this is also his creation
 
Hello,

Is there an equivalence between the bell weight and a barbell weight (in the case of the DL)? This is - imho - an interesting question...from my girlfriend !

To be honest, I don't know. I can do 1H swings @32 (Simple standard) and without training it, make a close to my 2X bw deadlift for instance.

I only know heavy swings can maintain a max

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
No way to make a firm comparison. One can swing more or less explosively, while the DL is simpler to judge.

-S-
 
Hello,

Thanks. Then I will have to break my DL record to answer her ;) Good goal !

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
If one had to choose, would it be fair to say that it's better to do 2 hand swings with a heavier weight rather than 1 hand swings with a lighter one? That's the assumption I'm working with as I'm doing S&S with the 40 and haven't moved up to doing the swings single handedly yet.
 
Kozushi said:
If one had to choose, would it be fair to say that it's better to do 2 hand swings with a heavier weight rather than 1 hand swings with a lighter one? That's the assumption I'm working with as I'm doing S&S with the 40 and haven't moved up to doing the swings single handedly yet.
Click to expand...

"Better" all depends on your goals.

Once your 2H swing is solid, the S&S program is 1H swings only.
"When you are very competent in the two-arm swing, and not a moment sooner, add the one-arm swing to your practice." p. 32.
"A couple of months down the road when your one-arm swing is solid, it will be the only version you will be using." p 51.

2H swings are great... They're just not the S&S program.
 
Anna C said:
"Better" all depends on your goals.

Once your 2H swing is solid, the S&S program is 1H swings only.
"When you are very competent in the two-arm swing, and not a moment sooner, add the one-arm swing to your practice." p. 32.
"A couple of months down the road when your one-arm swing is solid, it will be the only version you will be using." p 51.

2H swings are great... They're just not the S&S program.
Click to expand...
Yes, very true. After a few months I'll be doing them single handedly, as was the case with the 32 before I moved onto the 40. I don't plan to stop progressing in weight until I get to the 48, so I imagine I'll be doing that one two handedly for a while before I progress to one hand for it too.

I certainly notice the difference between two handed swings and one handed ones. To me they are quite different exercises. The two handed one is all about just pulling back and thrusting forward. The one handed one is a lot about grip strength and anti-twisting.
 
They are different in the challenge, yes... though I would say they shouldn't be different in the execution. If I look at someone from a distance doing 1H or 2H swings and I can't quite see their arms, I should not be able to tell which one they are doing, if they are doing them well.

A few months of 2H swings? I may have lost track of where you are with progress, but 2H swings aren't actually planned in the progression of moving up in weight. A lot of people use that with success and nothing wrong with it, but if you are working towards an S&S goal, and/or progressing your 1H swings to a heavier weight, I think you would have better results from small sets (5 swings per set, for example, moving up to 6, 8, 10) or interspersing sets within your session (32, 32, 32, 32, 40, 40, 32, 32, 32, 32). This is what Pavel M. does and describes in his training log, and is also as described in S&S page 81-83.
 
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