Kettlebell Swing Hip Snap|Fitness Challenge

Four Thousands Swings with a hip snap. 4,000 done towards my Got Milk and 10,000 Swings? challenge. The challenge is to perform 10,000+ Kettlebell Swings during the month and consume 32 oz of milk each day. The challenge gets the “fat burning” and refuels the body. Today I wanted to focus on how the hip snap when doing the kettlebell swing?

Hip Snap in Kettlebell Swing

In my last post about the challenge, How High Do You Swing, I talked about the posterior chain. Today I wanted to focus on the final extension during the swing, the hip snap.

Just like when finishing a dead lift your hips need to be fully extended. This hip snap lets your posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, and calves) fully engage. When I started deadlifting I would pause with my hips level, not quite fully extending. I had to force myself to think of the hip snap at the top of each movement to fully complete the movement. Doing the kettlebell swing requires the same focus.

Steve Cotter, in the video from last post shows full hip extension by starting with a vertical jump. To reach a maximum height you preload your legs and hips, then drive until you are fully extended. Apply this same movement to the kettlebell swing.

At the top of the extension focus on pushing down with your heals, fully extending all the way through so your but is tight and your hips snap. Then return by first bending at your hips. The movement starts and ends with your hips.

Hip Snap for Height

The hip snap is key to getting vertical height and power. Not sure how I ran across this video, but I came to realize the Teletubbies have no vertical. If they had learned how to do the hip-snap with kettlebell swings … well the world would be a better place.

Or perhaps the world would be a better place without the Teletubbies. (I’m just thankful my kids are old enough that we didn’t have to endure this non-stop “entertainment“.)

Teletubbies – Walk it out

Don’t be a Tinky Winky – do the hip snap, don’t walk it out.

After-Burn, or The Workout After the Workout

Today when I was done with my 1,000 kettlebell swings I saw my rings. So I had to drop them down for a small workout after the swings.

Just two exercises: body rows and ring pushups. I did three sets to failure of each exercise. I can feel it in my lats and my triceps; wonderful.

Now time to slam my morning dose of 1% chocolate milk with a banana. Then off to a breakfast meeting; where I’m feelin’ a breakfast omelette calling my name.

About Troy Pesola

Troy is the founder of Cube.Dweller.Fitness. He's an innovation catalyst in several areas of life including business, marketing, and process improvement. Outside of work he's actively involved in fitness, health, and living vibrantly in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.