Bodybuilder Erin Stern is shedding some light on a popular yet hard-to-execute exercise: the kettlebell swing. In her latest YouTube video, Stern teaches you how to perform the kettlebell swing for speed and power all while developing the posterior chain.
Erin Stern isn’t your typical fitness influencer. She has accumulated a massive online following thanks to her exercise expertise, backed up by years of experience competing in the IFBB Pro League. She reached the pinnacle of her career in 2010 and 2012, having laid claim to the prestigious Figure Olympia title.
Unafraid of any topic, Stern has passed knowledge down to her growing fanbase that’s easy to apply, whether it’s mastering the mind muscle connection or simply building an aesthetic X-frame, she has the solution for helping you reach your physique goals.
Erin Stern Teaches You How To Perform Kettlebell Swings Like a Pro: ‘It is an Exercise You Can Do Pretty Much Anywhere’
She explains that this fundamental exercise can be used to develop speed and power but also can be incorporated into a routine for metabolic conditioning.
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“The kettlebell swing. This versatile exercise can be used as a warm-up, to activate your posterior chain, it can be used to develop speed and power, and it can be used as part of metabolic conditioning.
It is an exercise you can do pretty much anywhere but it’s also an exercise that’s pretty easy to mess up. But with a few queues, you’ll be well on your way to performing this exercise like a Pro.”
Stern instructed beginners to start with lighter weights, emphasizing the importance of engaging the posterior chain.
“First, I want you to start with a kettlebell that is relatively light but not so light that you can just do a front raise with it, right? We want to be able to really engage the posterior chain that is hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.”
As for the setup, Stern advised her audience to place the kettlebell in front of the body ‘in line with your forehead,’ which she described as an ideal starting position.
“When you begin the exercise, you’re going to place the kettlebell in front of you. Feet are going to be one to one and a half times shoulder width apart. You will hinge at the hips, create a table top out of your back and as you have bent down into this hinge position, the kettlebell should be right in line with your forehead. That’s an excellent starting position.”
Moving into the execution of the movement, Stern says to grasp the top of the kettlebell using an overhand grip and to think about engaging the lats during each swing.
“Next, you’re simply going to reach down and grasp the top of the kettlebell using an overhand grip, wrapping your thumbs around the kettlebell as well. Next, I want you to think about engaging your lats, keeping your lats nice and tight, we want everything to be tight because we’re creating a lot of energy with this swing here.”
“Pull the kettlebell towards you. It is going to ride close to your hips, right in between your legs, and then you’re going to use your hips to drive the kettlebell up into standing plank position and your arms will be extended out in front of you. From that extended position, where you’re in that standing plank position, you are simply going to use your upper body to guide the kettlebell guide back between your legs and you’re going to hinge and repeat.”
She also offered queues to help you reap the most benefits possible from kettlebell swings. She shared that placing a foam roller, medicine ball, or an object in between your feet will help signal how low to take each repetition.
“You can take something like a medicine ball, a foam roller, or something that is right about this tall, even a dumbbell if you would like, and place it in between your feet. What this is going to do is it’s going to help serve as a guide. If you hit the object, so if you hit the foam roller, you know you are squatting down too much. We want a soft bend in the knee but it’s not a squat, it’s a hinge.”
Although she doesn’t utilize this method, Stern explained that some lifters thread a towel through the kettlebell to help ‘set you on the right track.’
“You can thread a towel through it and hold on to the ends of the towel. This is not a method I prefer personally but it’s something that can help set you on the right track,” adds Stern.
The kettlebell swing can be an effective warm-up exercise. Once you have an idea of how to perform the movement, Stern believes increasing the weight could help you effectively hit the glutes.
“As a warm-up, you can do it after walking, jogging, getting your heart rate up just a little bit. Grabbing a light kettlebell is a good way to activate the glutes, it’s a good way to get your heart rate up further, and you’re going to go light here.”
“Now, if you want to work on speed and power and really want to hit the glutes and challenge yourself. Once you become proficient, you’re going to go heavy,” shares Erin Stern.
Those aiming to increase speed and power should stick with heavier loads with a 5-10 rep range.
“You want to think about keeping your weight evenly distributed and not letting the kettlebell get away from you. That’s why the hinge is so important.
For working on power and speed, we’re typically going heavy and we’re doing reps of between 5-10. Very similar to plyometrics and other exercises where you’re working on power.”
Aside from the applications listed above, Stern mentioned that kettlebell swings are great for improving metabolic conditioning.
“For metabolic conditioning, this is something that you can just sprinkle in to what you’re already doing. For example, you could put a circuit together. Maybe it’s sled pushes, kettlebell swings, lunges, battle rope, rower, you get the idea.”
This wasn’t Stern’s first step-by-step tutorial. She revealed how to execute the Arnold press, which she credits as an effective exercise for building the shoulders. Although some lifters can get lost in how to perform the movement, Stern broke it down into two parts, making it easier to understand.
Thanks to its versatility and overall effectiveness, kettlebell swings remain a crucial part of Stern’s training regimen. Feel free to try it out in your next workout for speed, power, and a stronger posterior chain!
“No pain, no gain, right?”
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