Russian vs. American KB Swing – form difference?

Asked by: Trevor Argueta

Russian Kettlebell swing: Athlete performs a swing where the bell finishes in line with the torso or eye level. American Kettlebell swing: Athlete performs a swing where the bell goes overhead, with the athlete’s arms straight and the bottom of the bell pointing straight towards the ceiling.

What is the difference between Russian swing and American swing which parts of the muscles and involved in both?

The difference in these kettlebell swing variations lies in the end position. Whereas the Russian version stops around chest height, the American version goes all the way overhead. The former engage your lats to stabilize and reverse the swing.

Why do Russians use kettlebell swings?

Russian Kettlebell Swings Muscles Worked

The Russian swing is a non-impact exercise, so it is excellent for those looking to lose weight without causing stress to their joints. This kettlebell exercise targets the abs, shoulders, pecs, glutes, quads, hips, hamstrings, and lats with a simple motion.

What are American KB swings?

You stand grasping a kettlebell with both hands, core tight, toes pointed ever-so-slightly outward, knees slightly bent. From there, you push your butt back slightly and hinge at the waist, letting momentum take the kettlebell behind your thighs. Then you stand up explosively and squeeze your glutes.

What is a Russian swing?

A Russian swing is a large, floor-mounted swing which is sometimes used in circus performances to make impressive high acrobatic jumps.

Are Kettlebells Russian?

Kettlebells have their origin in ancient Russia, where importance was placed on physical strength. The first recorded mention of the word girya, meaning a traditional Russian weight made of cast iron, was in a 1704 Russian dictionary.

What do Russian kettlebell swings work?

The Russian swing is a non-impact exercise, so it is excellent for those looking to lose weight without causing stress to their joints. This kettlebell exercise targets the abs, shoulders, pecs, glutes, quads, hips, hamstrings, and lats with a simple motion.

What muscles do American kettlebell swings work?

Benefits of the Kettlebell Swing

• The kettlebell swing targets your glutes, hamstrings, hips, core, and the stabilizing muscles of your shoulders and back. …
• Many people focus on working the muscles on the front of the body—including the chest, abdominals, and quadriceps.

Is it OK to do kettlebell swings everyday?

The kettlebell swing normally targets your core and upper body muscles, including your hamstrings, glutes, and shoulders. Kettlebell swings will help you burn more calories, improve your endurance, scorch fat, reduce low back pains, and enhance your body posture. You can do them every day to achieve the best results.

Can you get ripped from kettlebells?

Kettlebells offer a quick way to get a ripped physique, depending on your commitment. While kettlebells are available at most gyms, if you prefer working out at home, kettlebells don’t take up as much room as weight machines, dumbbells or free weights.

Why kettlebells are better than dumbbells?

Kettlebells provide a better cardio workout because of the extra movement involved in the standard exercises. The swinging action of kettlebells creates a fluid movement, which may be easier on the body. Bonus: A kettlebell swing can activate the entire posterior chain of muscles in a way that dumbbells can’t.

Can you build muscle with just kettlebells?

While kettlebell training is undoubtedly complementary to strength & conditioning, functional movement practice, and losing fat, it is also a fantastic modality for building muscle. With kettlebells, you can build muscle and put on some serious lean mass if you know what you are doing.

Can kettlebells replace barbells?

In my opinion, kettlebells cannot replace barbells when it comes to getting stronger and more powerful for MMA. Kettlebells lack the ability to load exercises heavily making them great for explosive movements, but not so great for maximum strength.

How heavy should my kettlebell be?

To attain balance and coordination, the recommended kettlebell sizes are: Kettlebells between 18lbs (8kg) and 26lbs (12kg) for women. Kettlebells between 26lbs (12kg) and 44lbs (20kg) for men.

Is 4kg kettlebell too light?

You’ll be throwing around a 4-kg (9 lb.) kettlebell like nothing. If you do this, you will never perfect your form, you will never progress to heavier weights, and you will not achieve the real benefits that kettlebells have to offer. Don’t go too light!

Will kettlebell swings burn belly fat?

A young woman is swinging a kettlebell. Kettlebell exercises are great for an intense full-body workout to build strength and muscle tone, burn calories and lose weight, including belly fat.

Should I get two kettlebells one?

Is it better to use one or two kettlebells? As a beginner, it’s always recommend that you start with one kettlebell. Once you master the basics, you can start implementing two kettlebells (double kettlebell exercises). It’s always better to learn and perfect exercises with just one kettlebell.

Is 12kg kettlebell too light?

A 12kg kettlebell could be too heavy for women and young athletes who are new to strength training; especially for individuals that have not been active before starting with kettlebell training. It could also be too heavy for intermediate level women, who are learning new exercise progressions.

How many kettlebell swings a day for fat loss?

It is about the kettlebell swing, and specifically, about doing 300 kettlebell swings per day, everyday, and without exception. Performing swings (two hand or one hand, it matters not) everyday, intermittently, and to the grand total of three hundred serves a couple useful purposes.

How many kettlebell swings a day?

100 kettlebell swings is an excellent start, but every good workout should be at least 20 minutes long. Once you’ve become acclimated to kettlebell swings, aim for 300 to 400, if they will be your only movement in the workout.

What will 100 kettlebell swings burn?

Based on a typical average of 22 swings per minute, that would mean a total of about 440 swings (6). In 20 minutes, the participants burned an average of 400 calories (20 calories per minute). Based on that calorie count, you can expect to burn approximately 100 calories from 100 kettlebell swings.

Is 100 kettlebell swings enough?

If you are not doing anything now, kettlebell swings will be a great start to many great healthy things. And 100 swings are very doable on a daily basis. Even if you are not fit enough to do the 100 swings daily yet, you can always start with 20, 30 40, or even 50 in the 1st week and build your way up to 100 swings.