5 Reasons You Should Be Swinging Variations

1. 5Reasons You Should Be Swinging + Variation Living.Fit

2. 5 Reasons You Should Be Swinging +Variation Preparedby Living.Fit Table ofContents Introduction 2 5 Reasons You Should Be Swinging +Variations 2-5 Builds a powerfulbackside Builds a powerful full bodyconnection Builds ExplosivePower Builds Grip Strength Builds WorkCapacity Introduction The goalofthisprogramisto put youonthewayto buildingstrengthandflowtrickswithkettlebells, but first to do that, you must start with foundational kettlebell knowledge and movements. This program is for beginners who need a solid foundation in fundamentals of kettlebell movement before moving on to flow as well as experienced lifters who want to learn to teach kettlebell flow or move in newplanesofmotioninorderto buildnewkettlebellstrength. 5 Reasons You Should Be Swinging +Variations Whenmostpeoplethinkofakettlebellandwhatto dowithit,thefirstthingthat comesto mindis the swing.Formostkettlebellenthusiasts ithasbecomesecondnature,butto thosewhohaveneverpicked up a kettlebell it definitely looks awkward. Swinging a weight between one’s legs is typically frowned upon in a gymsetting. 5 Reasons You Should Be Swinging +Variation

3. 5 Reasons You Should Be Swinging +Variation Ifyouaredoingthem,great!Herearea fewtipsonhowto getmorefromswingsandifyouarenot swinging, why you should getstarted. Firstofallwhyshouldwe dothem?The swingisapowerfulmovementthat is(fairly)easyto learnwith incrediblebenefits foralllevelsofathletes.Letusbreakthemdown: Builds a powerfulbackside Anytime you are in a hinge position (think hips back with straight, but not locked out legs) you are goingto beworkingyourposteriorchain(hamstrings,glutes,back).Combinesomepowerbehinditand not only are you building elasticity of the musculature, you are also building strength through some of your key drivers. Increase the strength, flexibility and overall response of your hamstrings and glutes and youwillseeaadramaticincreaseinyourpoweroutput. Builds a powerful full bodyconnection Whyisthisimportant?Lookatsomeofthebestfightersintheworld.Sizedoesnotalwaysmatter.Many times it is the athlete who can orchestrate movements with precise timing, rotation and control that can have devastating knock out power. What implications does this have? The average Jane or Joe (most of us)candevelopsimilarfullbodypowerthroughtheuseofcertaincompoundmovements explosively.Olympic liftsaregreat,buthavea hightechnicalbarrier.Movements like theswinghelpyou understand the connection from the start of the movement at your feet to the end of the weight at the top otheswingalongwitheverythinginbetween. Builds ExplosivePower While this goes along with building a strong back side (stronger glutes = more explosion) the swing targetsexplosivestrengthdueto a couplereasons.Youhaveto generateincredibleforceto swingthebell without using your arms, thus focusing on hip speed. The ability to decelerate a weight that is much heavier due to speed, redirect that load and fling it back has a direct carry over to just about all explosive aspects of sports from fast rotation (Swinging, punching, throwing) to explosive sagittal movements (jumping). 5 Reasons You Should Be Swinging +Variation

4. 5 Reasons You Should Be Swinging +Variation Builds GripStrength Pick up a fairly heavy kettlebell and immediately every muscle, tendon and ligament in your hand, wrist andforearmfire.Now startswingingit.Youcannotholda bellwitha viselikegripsinceyouwilltearjust abouteveryounceofskinonyourpalmsoyouwillhaveto holditjusttightenoughto keepfromletting go and just light enough to not break the handle in half. This bit of movement within your hand will challenge your grip even more. Adding one arm swings, alternating swings and flips and you will have everything you need for crushing grip strength. A strong grip is an incredibly underestimated attribute. From the mundane of opening a tightly packed jar to the dramatic holding on for dear life, be it a cliff, opponent,etc.Gripstrengthis incrediblyimportant.Donotneglectit. Builds WorkCapacity Workcapacityallows youto golonger,burnmorecaloriesandbuildoverallathleticism.I amnota hater of typical conditioning methods, even of the machine variety. If it gets you going and you enjoy it, who amI to judge?I willsaytherearebetteroptionsthan others,butultimately thethingyoudoconsistently is what is going to benefit you. With that said, I am also about efficiency. I do not typically have long bouts of uninterrupted time which is why swings are so powerful. Combine swings with a pushing or stability movement for rounds and you have got a powerful conditioning circuit with little equipment thatcanbedonejustaboutanywhere. Alrightsothatis whywe areswinging.Now letusgetdownto themechanics. Mechanics of theswing Breath Posture Execution Beingmindfulofyourbreathduringa setwillhelpyoustayfocusedontheoutputofeachmovementas well as when and where to keep tension high. Breathing into your belly and diaphragm versus chest breathing will activate your parasympathetic system keeping stress lower and you calmer. If you start takingfast,shallowbreathsinto yourchestthesetwillnotlastlong. 5 Reasons You Should Be Swinging +Variation

5. 5 Reasons You Should Be Swinging +Variation From there let us discuss posture. Focusing on your connection to the ground will help you stay grounded(pun intended)andthusmorestructurallysound.The externalloadisgoingto wantto move youallovertheplace.In orderto notget takenfora rideyouwillwantto usetensionattherighttimein orderto counterbalancetheweightasitmovesforwardandback.Asyouhingeandlaunchyouwantto makesureyouhaveinhaledattherighttimeandmaintained tension inorderto keepyourbodysafe. For your challenge we are going to start with dead start swings. I use these as a progression for multiple swings since all the focus is on one, perfect rep. I also use these as an intensifier because you have to generatemomentumeachand every rep.The executionoftheswingispoweredbytheorchestrationof allthepiecesmovingtogether.Letusstart: 1. Fromthesecondyoupositionthebellinfront ofyou,groundyourfeet,standtall,pullyour shoulders back and take a few bellybreaths. 2. Hingedownandonceyouhavereachedthat endpoint squatdownto reachforthebellwithout compromising mid and upperback position 3. Grabonto thebelltakeanotherbreathin,buildtension,andpowerfullyhikethebellback 4. Onceyouhavereachedthat endpoint behindyouwithyourarmsmarriedto yourupperbody tenseyourglutesanddriveyourhipsforwardexplosively 5. With that power generated the weight will have moved up explosively while you finish that positioninatallstancewith astrongposteriorpelvictilt(imaginerotatingyourpelvisup to your sternum) 6. Atthetop oftheendpositiontightenupyourlats,pulltheweightbackdownconnectyourarms to thebodyandhikebackagain 7. Attheendofthebottompositionbendyourkneesslightlyagainto bringthebellforwardto the startingposition 5 Reasons You Should Be Swinging +Variation