Why are Kettlebell swings one of our favorite movements?
1. Full-Body Muscle Recruitment????
The kettlebell swing is an amazing full-body exercise. The power required to perform the movement requires pretty much your whole body.The glutes, hamstrings, lats, abdominals and core, shoulders, and back are all recruited during the swing, making it one of the most comprehensive exercises you can do.The kettlebell swing is one of the most powerful exercises to attack the posterior chain.
2. Aerobic and Anaerobic Workout????
When it comes to kettlebell swings, you truly have a package deal. On top of building lean mass, the explosive nature of the swing also gets your heart rate up into the aerobic zone and gives you an amazing anaerobic workout due to the simultaneous muscle engagement. This makes kettlebell swings one of the best choices for high-intensity interval training workouts, especially if you’re looking to burn fat.
3. Increases Muscular Endurance????
On top of building strength and aerobic capacity, kettlebell swings are also great for building muscular endurance.This is especially true when using a slightly lower weight with higher reps, as it lengthens the amount of time muscles are engaged.
4. Improves Low Back Pain????
When performed correctly, kettlebell swings have the ability to strengthen the stabilizer muscles that wrap around our core and spine like a corset.These muscle protect our spine from unnatural movement and injury, so strengthening them serves to keep the spine in its proper alignment. This can help you avoid low back pain by adding a muscular “cushion” of sorts, around your spine.
5. Works Lots of Muscles at Once????
Functional training involves several muscle groups at once, and most of the time, these movement mimic the natural movements of the human body. They’re the opposite of using weight machines, which tend to stabilize weight for us, instead of letting our bodies do the work.Functional exercises like kettlebell swings improve coordination, mobility, balance, and motor skills, as they require your full mental and physical attention.
6. Increases EPOC????
EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, refers to the amount of calories our body burns after a workout, rather than during. HIIT and other high-intensity workouts increase EPOC due to the effort the body has to make in order to restore oxygen levels to normal and repair our muscles, all of which lead to a higher calorie burn even after we’ve left the gym.The intensity of kettlebell swings is exactly the type of intensity needed to stimulate a higher EPOC value (or, an increase in metabolism).
Want to learn how to do a proper kettlebell swing? Check out one of our Kettlebell Club Classes!