How to do a Kettlebell Swing
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
Workouts with Kettlebell Swing
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Kettlebell Swing is a compound, explosive movement that primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes. This is a great exercise for improving power and explosiveness. It's especially helpful in developing glute drive which can help improve a number of different exercises, and sport performance.
- Stand upright overtop of a kettlebell with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart angled out slightly.
- Maintain a braced core and neutral spine throughout the exercise.
- Hinge your hips backward and extend your arms to grab ahold the kettlebell with a double overhand grip and raise to knee height.
- Allow the kettlebell to swing behind you before explosively snapping your hips forward to raise the kettlebell to shoulder height.
- Allow the kettlebell to swing back to the starting position, utilizing the momentum to continue swinging for the allotted repetitions.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Kettlebell Swing standards by male, female, weight, age and height
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Alternatives & Variations to Kettlebell Swing
1. Seated Leg Curl
98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 3,196 TIMESSeated Leg Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. Because a vast majority of lower body exercises tend to be compound movements, this exercise is a great way to isolate the hamstrings for building muscle mass, and developing strength. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability, allowing you to focus on exertion more than stabilizing the movement.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Leg Curl Machine
2. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 2,807 TIMESThis exercise is a variation on Romanian Deadlifts. Like other Romanian Deadlifts, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your hamstrings and glutes. The use of dumbbells can help with some limitations in mobility, and is a great starting point for anyone working towards performing Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts with a barbell.
3. Kettlebell Sumo Squat
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 2,415 TIMESKettlebell Sumo Squat is a squat variation. Like other squat variations, this exercise is a compound movement that targets the hamstrings, glutes and quads. Positioning your feet wider than you would for a standard squat helps to recruit the inner thigh, as well as help individuals with mobility limitations.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Kettlebells
4. Lying Hamstrings Curl
95.8 mSCORESWAPPED 1,980 TIMESLying Hamstring Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. There’s a relatively short list of isolation exercises for lower body muscle groups. Because of this, this is a great addition to a lower body workout in order to build strength and muscle mass in the hamstrings specifically. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement, allowing you to focus on exertion rather than stabilizing the movement.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Leg Curl Machine
5. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
80.8 mSCORESWAPPED 1,364 TIMESSingle Leg Romanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Romanian Deadlift. Like other Romanian Deadlift variations, this is a compound movement that primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings. Performing this exercise on one leg, is a great way to identify, and help address, discrepancies in mobility, strength, and stability between sides. This is a great exercise for anyone looking to improve their ability to perform a large number of other compound lower body movements like Squats, Lunges, or even Olympic lifts.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Dumbbells
6. Deadlift
98.7 mSCORESWAPPED 1,035 TIMESDeadlift is one of the three powerlifting movements. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), and is great for developing strength in these muscles. It’s a staple in most programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking strength.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
7. Romanian Deadlift
98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 1,011 TIMESRomanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Deadlift. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets your glutes, and hamstrings. Unlike the standard Deadlift, this variation focuses mostly on driving your hips forward to raise the weight, and restricts movement in your knees. This is a great exercise for building strength, and can translate well to other exercises that utilize a hip hinge.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
8. Good Morning
90.4 mSCORESWAPPED 970 TIMESGood Morning’s are a compound exercise that primarily target muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), but especially the hamstrings, and lower back. While this can be an effective exercise, there is some risk to performing this exercise with a loaded barbell on your back. If you’re unfamiliar with this exercise, try starting with a dumbbell variation as you learn the movement.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
- Squat Rack
9. Dumbbell Good Morning
63.8 mSCORESWAPPED 557 TIMESThe Dumbbell Good Morning is a strength exercise that focuses on the posterior chain, including the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Holding a dumbbell at chest level or placing two dumbbells on the shoulders, you hinge at the hips and lean forward with a straight back, then return to the starting position. This movement emphasizes hip mobility and back strength, improving posture and stability. It's a versatile exercise suitable for all fitness levels, offering a low-impact alternative to enhance lower back and hamstring flexibility and strength.
10. Alternating Single Arm Kettlebell Swing
58.3 mSCORESWAPPED 475 TIMESAlternating Single Arm Kettlebell Swing is a variation on the more common Kettlebell Swing. Like Kettlebell Swings, this is a compound, explosive exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes. By performing this exercise with one arm at a time, you add a significant amount of instability to the movement, which requires good core activation to stabilize.