3 Reasons to do Kettlebell Swings As Often As Possible
Kettlebell Swings are a great exercise for transforming your lower body and for building a strong and mobile lower back. Here are a few good reasons to start adding kettlebell swings to your routine now.
I know what you're thinking, "Why would I want to swing a cannon ball with a handle when I can sit on my ass and do nothing?"
Well, sitting on your ass is slowly killing you and causing back pain at the same time, that's why. As a society we spend way too much time on our ass and the kettlebell swing can reverse the damage.
We sit in the car on the way to work, then sit all day at the office. Then when we get off, we sit in the car all the way home. Then we sit at the dinner table and on the couch until we go to bed. See a pattern forming here?
This constant sitting causes our glutes to atrophy and leads to gluteal-amnesia (a.k.a. “sleepy ass syndrome”).
This “sleepy ass” syndrome causes soft, flabby ass cheeks and many other issues that result from the down stream effects of muscular imbalances and weaknesses in the lower body; that is, sore knees, immobility, etc.
To make matters worse, most people's leg workouts consist of quad-dominant exercises that lead to further imbalances in the lower body. Imbalances on the front of the body tighten the hip-flexors pulling the body forward, putting extra stress on the spine and upper back.
All of this exacerbates the negative effects caused by sitting, creating the ultimate formula for chronic pain and injury.
However, the kettlebell swing can fix all of this; so start doing them regularly. Here's why.
3 REASONS TO DO KETTLEBELL SWINGS AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE
REASON #1: KETTLEBELL SWINGS WORK YOUR BACK SIDE
Kettlebell swings engage nearly every muscle in the posterior chain; that is, the hamstrings, lower back, and most importantly the glutes.
The kettlebell swing requires all these muscles to engage together, which is way more functional than training these muscles separately. An exercise like the leg-extension is great for training the quad but it disengages the rest of the body.
Do Kettlebell Swings consistently and you're ass and hamstrings will definitely grow.
REASON #2: KETTLEBELL SWINGS ARE GREAT FOR BUILDING THE CORE
In addition to being a great exercise for strengthening the posterior chain, kettlebell swings are also great for building a rock solid midsection.
If executed properly, the abs, obliques, and lower back muscles will all engage providing an intense ab workout.
Again, in may ways this is way more functional than an exercise like the sit-up simply due to the amount of muscle that is used during the exercise.
REASON #3: KETTLEBELL SWINGS BURN A TON OF FAT
One of the biggest lies of the fitness industry is that you have to do mindless hours of cardio on the treadmill or stationary bike to burn calories and fat.
Not only is this marketing nonsense, some studies suggest that steady state cardio may actually be bad for you long term, as it causes chronically high levels of cortisol.
There are a lot of articles on this, but you can read a good one on the subject here.
Kettlebell Swings are intense and great for Tabata type interval sessions where you train for 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off. Try doing Kettlebell Swing intervals like this for 5 to 10 mins and you'll see what I mean.
If you don't feel like you've been sprinting, your doing them wrong.
Conclusion: Kettlebell Swings are an amazing exercise and one of the best exercises you can do to build a strong, healthy lower back. Kettlebell Swings are also great for building a great ass and are way more efficient for burning calories quickly.