Legs / Intermediate / Compound (multi-joint)

One-Arm Kettlebell Swings

A kettlebell explosive exercise for the hamstrings, with the calves, glutes and lower back assisting.

At a glance

Primary

Hamstrings

Secondary

Calves, Glutes, Lower back (erectors), Rear delts

Equipment

Kettlebell

Movement pattern

Hip hinge

Level

Intermediate

Type

Legs, Compound (multi-joint), One side at a time, Explosive

How to do it

1. See the images for the movement.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Squatting the swing instead of hinging.

  Why it hurts: The bell swings low and forward, pulling the lower back into flexion.

  ✓ Instead: Hike the bell back high between the thighs, push the hips back with shins near vertical, then snap the hips forward.

• ✗ Lifting the bell with the arms and shoulders.

  Why it hurts: Raising it with the front delts strains the shoulders and turns a hip exercise into an arm one.

  ✓ Instead: Arms are ropes. The hip snap floats the bell to about chest height.

• ✗ Leaning back at the top.

  Why it hurts: The lower back hyper-extends against the bell's momentum.

  ✓ Instead: Finish standing tall like a plank: glutes squeezed, ribs down.

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