Exercise guide · Legs & Glutes

Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing trains your hips, glutes, and hamstrings with a hip-hinge pattern. You drive the kettlebell from between your legs to roughly chest height using a powerful hip snap, not an arm curl.

Targets: Glutes
Equipment: Kettlebell
Type: Compound

Step by step

How to do the Kettlebell Swing

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly out. Keep arms relaxed and shoulders packed down.
Place a kettlebell about a foot in front of you. Hinge at your hips, grip the handle with both hands, and hike the bell back between your legs.
Hinge quickly at the hips to drive the bell forward. Snap your hips to standing as the bell rises to about chest height.
Let the bell float momentarily at the top with arms extended but do not lift with your shoulders.
Allow the bell to fall back, hinging at the hips as it swings between your legs.
Repeat in a rhythmic, controlled swing. Set the bell down safely between your feet after the last rep.

Form cues

Hips drive the bell, not your arms
Brace your core; keep a neutral spine on each hinge
Bell stays close to your body on the backswing
Stand tall and squeeze your glutes at the top

Common mistakes

Squatting the bell up with bent knees instead of hinging
Swinging the bell overhead beyond chest height on standard swings
Rounding your lower back on the backswing
Using your arms and shoulders to yank the bell up

Muscles worked

Primary

Glutes

Secondary

Hamstrings, Lower back and Forearms

Safety: Start with a light kettlebell and clear space behind and in front of you. Stop if lower back pain worsens during the set.

Alternatives

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