Kettlebell Swings & Yoga Asana Series

How Pop-ups, Deadlifts & Rows transfer to Swings

We have introduced the warm-up, importance of alignment, connection of breath to body(Bandhas), and the foundational Kettlebell exercises.

Now, we will explore how these exercises transfer to THE ultimate Kettlebell exercise The Kettlebell Swing

These series begin to lock in muscle memory. Remember we are creating a system. A system that automatically recruits muscles in the proper and most efficient order to assist you from your VERY first Kettlebell swing to utilize your body from the inside out as a "high efficiency machine".

Rows will teach you to lock in spinal extension, and abdominal strength to the back side of your body. Specifically packing your shoulder blades in and down.

Deadlifts create full body alignment, using your plumb line to understand the top of your Kettlebell swing, then immediately move to use your hip hinge and Bandha engagement to decelerate the Kettlebell Swing.

Pop-ups have given you the tool you need to ballistically drive from the floor to use the legs and glutes to swing the Kettlebell into what I will refer to has the hover position. The trajectory of the Kettlebell Swing is different from the Kettlebell Pop-up, but the initiation from the floor is the same.

Becoming comfortable and at ease with these 3 Kettlebell exercises first, before you attempt Kettlebell swings will help you fast track mastering the Kettlebell Swing.

Hip hinge is the FIRST action to prepare your body - Hip hinge provides the space to elongate the spine, allowing for the inhale to create space, the exhale to take away space.

The series consists of:

3 rows right hand

3 rows left hand

1 Deadlift

1 pop-up

Incorporate breath work:

Rows - Inhale is push - Exhale is pull

Deadlifts - Inhale is lift - Exhale is Still point

Pop-ups - Inhale is push - Exhale is pop - Inhale is drop -Exhale is Still point

Second series:

5 Deadlifts

5 Pop-ups

10 Rows alternating right/left hand

We will ALWAYS return to Bandhas throughout this course. Remember Bandhas connect breath to the visceral body! The visceral body is your internal organs, respiratory system, ultimately your nervous system.

In the fitness world it is the "Core" in the Yoga world it is so much more

Recovery yoga series

Setting the Kettlebell down slightly in front of you, raise up into Mountain pose arms lifting above your head.

Bend the elbows deeply, interlace the fingers and turn the palms upward.

Softly start to extend the arms focusing on lengthening of the spine, hollowing out of the abdomen and connecting deeply to the anchoring of the feet and legs.

Keep this engagement of the entire body and dip over to the right side creating a C-curve from shoulder to hip, release the right hand down towards the outside of the knee, and press the heel of the left hand to the ceiling.

Creating a true Lateral stretch of the torso.

Now, bend both knees, reaching your left arm across the body and into the belly of the Kettlebell, rotate at the lowest rib on the left side and twist the right. Dropping deeply into the extension of the spine and reaching back of the sit bones.

Just breathe!

Right hand moves to the Sacral bone and left hand to the handle of the Kettlebell.

Square off the shoulders and hips and set the Kettlebell on it's side. Grabbing the handle as close to the belly of the Kettlebell as possible, start to pull your left elbow to the ribcage.

Then moving your attention inwards, pull the navel back to the spine, hollow out the belly and move the elbow past the body at a diagonal motion.

This one-two action of the row will focus on creating the pull from your CORE.

Allow the release of the kettlebell to it's original position and float the body and arms up to Mountain pose.

Bend the elbows deeply, interlace the fingers and turn the palms upward.

Softly start to extend the arms focusing on lengthening of the spine, hollowing out of the abdomen and connecting deeply to the anchoring of the feet and legs.

Keep this engagement of the entire body and dip over to the left side creating a C-curve from shoulder to hip, release the left hand down towards the outside of the knee, and press the heel of the right hand to the ceiling.

Creating a true Lateral stretch of the torso.

Now, bend both knees, reaching your right arm across the body and into the belly of the Kettlebell, rotate at the lowest rib on the right side and twist the left. Dropping deeply into the extension of the spine and reaching back of the sit bones.

Just breathe!

Left hand moves to the Sacral bone and right hand to the handle of the Kettlebell.

Square off the shoulders and hips and set the Kettlebell on it's side. Grabbing the handle as close to the belly of the Kettlebell as possible, start to pull your right elbow to the ribcage.

Then moving your attention inwards, pull the navel back to the spine, hollow out the belly and move the elbow past the body at a diagonal motion.

What is the purpose and result of this active recovery?

stretches your back and core, opens up your chest and shoulders.
Stretches and strengthens your intercostal ribs, allowing for increase in volume of your breath
Improves balance and bodies ability to cushion impact forces.
Mimics the motion of an overhead Kettlebell Swing
Locks in the respiratory diaphragm during the twists(Uddiyanda Bandha) creating the position to access the correct core muscles used in Kettlebell Rows.
Feels AMAZING!

Anatomy of a Kettlebell Swing

The Kettlebell Swing is a core-based, ballistic, and full body exercise.

This class will cover the basic concept of the exercise, once the basic swing is mastered it has adaptations that can be used in a variety of ways that keep Yogabellz classes fresh and interesting, even for long term students.

The first, and most important concept to understand is that the Kettlebell Swing is performed by a HIP HINGE, not a squat. The good thing is that The Yogabellz warm-up, Deadlifts, and Pop-Ups exercises have already prepared the Yogabellz student for Kettlebell Swings.

Hip Hinge - Ukatasana Connection

One of the things I noticed as I created Yogabellz was the synergistic nature of Yoga poses(Asana) and specific Kettlebell drills.

Why? After forty years of competitive sports and Martial Arts, body dynamics are simply body dynamics! What the body needs to perform downhill skiing, weight lifting, Gymnastics, Running, Cycling, Kettlebell training and Yoga are ALL the same. How you learn them and perform them may be different, but the base of all body movement is the SAME.

Let's revisit the breath work we learned to engage the internal Bandha support(core) and attach it to the Ukatasana-Hip Hinge connection.

Standing feet slightly wider than hip width, fingers and palms spread, arms engaged, 3 quick sniffs through the nostrils.
Turn the palms to face the wall behind you at the top of the inhale
Pause
Exhale through the mouth while lifting the heels to a hover
Simultaneously hinge at the hips, pressing the palms back and up
Lower the heels with full engagement of spinal extension, upper arm connection, and hollow belly.
You are in a Hip hinge-Ukatasana stance
Keeping this engagement inhale pressing arms back then swing them up overhead on the exhale.
Find freedom in the arm and breath movement
Find strength, stability, and inner power in the rest of the body and mind
finally stop in the hip hinge and bring both hands to the top of the thighs and imagine holding the Kettlebell. This is literally the bottom of your Kettlebell swing!!
Drive out of the floor and legs find your Mountain pose- Deadlift alignment, arms will be be shoulder height.

The second concept is the hover of the Kettlebell at the top of the swing. That hover is created from a push from the floor to the glutes, it is a ballistic drive involving the entire lower body. Deceleration of the Kettlebell after the hover is where you really start to engage the core and find resistance from the back side of the body.

Now put them ALL together!

Pack your shoulder blades down and engage your core
Hinge at your hips
Push from the floor and engage your legs and glutes
Kettlebell finds the "hover' at shoulder height
Your body position is a still point at the top of the deadlift
Deceleration starts, hinge at the hips, navel to the spine, Kettlebell returns upper thigh groin- area
Repeat

Things to remember as you learn and become efficient with the Kettlebell Swing;

Perform a ballistic push from the feet and legs to drive the hips up.
Hinge at the hips with spinal extension on the swing back.
Keep the back of the neck long and the gaze forward and slightly down about 20 feet in front of you.(avoiding a crunching in the back of the neck)
The arms are simply an extension of the ballistic pop from the floor, it propels the kettlebell from the hips and core to shoulder height.
When the Kettlebell is in the hover position, your body is in Mountain pose.
As the Kettlebell descends engage core and hip hinge.
Kettlebell MUST stay up in the upper thigh-groin area!

Second Kettlebell Recovery Series

Set the Kettlebell down a bodies length away from you.

Toe-heel your feet to a Wide Angle yoga pose.

Reach into the belly of the Kettlebell with you right hand, left hand turned inward at the left hip.

Straighten your right leg, bend deeply in your left leg, working towards connecting your left sit bone to your left heel. Keep spinal integrity during the motion.

Drive out of the left leg, shoulders directly over the Kettlebell twisting in the lower rib cage. Reach to the ceiling with your left hand, driving into the belly of the Kettlebell with your right hand.

This is a lock out position. Imagine that you can drive equally out of both feet and down into your right hand creating a strong stable base to hollow out the lower abdomen and literally "washcloth twist" from solar plexus to collarbones.

As you repeat this motion, look deeply inside on how to soften during the sweep to the left with the hips and arm, and then how and when to drive into your base of the feet and right hand and twist.

Slip your left hand into the belly of the Kettlebell and right hand to the the right hip, straighten the left leg and bend deeply into the right knee and hip.

Circle the right arm back and up as you drive your right hand into the belly of the Kettlebell.

Find your base in both feet and your left hand, keep spinal integrity and move into a lock out position twisting at the lower ribcage.

Similar to the other side, as we repeat this motion move your attention away from your arms and legs and deeper inside your body exploring where your can soften and when. This will be professional, simply change your mind set to become more fluid and precise in when to engage the pressure to the floor to create your base, and when to feel soft and pliable.

I hope that as you progress in your Yogabellz practice, you will utilize the ability to discover the power of exploring your inner landscape in your Kettlebell exercises as well as your yoga poses.

The more efficiently you can synchronize the recruit of muscles around structural alignment the more power and ease you will create!

Lesson Summary

The Kettlebell Swing is a core-based, ballistic, and full body exercise that requires preparation with Pop-Ups, Deadlifts, and Rows, which lock in muscle memory and create a high efficiency machine. Pop-ups give the movement needed to drive from the floor with legs and glutes. Rows teach spinal extension to the back side of the body and Deadlifts help to initiate the Hip Hinge-Ukatasana for the Kettlebell Swing. After the exercise, the Recovery yoga series can be used to stretch and strengthen the back and core as well as improve balance and cushioning of impact forces. Through understanding the anatomy of a Kettlebell Swing, athletes can gain insight as to why certain movements need to occur and get a greater understanding of the internal bandha support and body dynamics that recreate the swing motion. Finally, the second Kettlebell Recovery Series gives insight to how to synchronize the recruit of muscles around structural alignment, resulting in greater power and ease when performing the Kettlebell Swing. Summary:

The Kettlebell Swing requires preparation with Pop-Ups, Deadlifts, and Rows for a high efficiency machine.
Recovery yoga series is used to stretch and strengthen the back and core as well as improve balance and cushioning of impact forces.
Anatomy of the Kettlebell Swing reveals insight to the internal bandha support and body dynamics.
The second Kettlebell Recovery Series allows synchronized recruitment of muscles for greater power and ease.

Complete and Continue