Lazy Kettlebell Swings and COS Q&A Vol. 1

Happy Easter to All! Here are some lazy swings!

I call these “lazy” swings because that’s what my girlfriend tells me I’m being when I start swinging or snatching like this. And indeed they are a bit “lazier” than Hardstyle swings, but there are a few unique benefits to working your swings and snatches like this on occasion for some specialized variety. First off you will notice that these swings are more relaxed and far less rigid than a Hardstyle swing, part of this is due to the altered posture and biomechanics and partly because I’m only exerting as little effort as I need to to get the bell up. I am relying more so on the muscle spindles “elastic recoil” that GS athletes often take advantage of rather than trying to purposely exert as much force as possible with every rep. If you listen carefully you may also hear that I have switched my breathing from biomechanical (in on eccentric or downswing/out on concentric or upswing) to anatomical (out on eccentric/in on concentric). Swinging in this lazy style obviously conserves a lot of energy and I often will spend 5 – 10 minutes doing consecutive swings and swing variations in this style just to warm up before I move onto my Hardstyle work.

So this “lazy” swing shares some similarities with a GS style swing as well as a Hardstyle swing, so you could almost call it a hybrid…or even a Prius swing :P…meh… You’ll notice that I still maintain a fairly neutral spine, although I don’t worry to much if I start swinging with some flexio(rounded back) with these swings because like I said you are going to still get that elastic recoil response so the chance of hurting your back is slim ( unless you have weak extensors or start out with this swinging way to heavy of a bell). I find that this style of swing is fantastic for really working and strengthening your lower back muscles such as your extensors, while dynamically stretching them at the same time. For me, this lazy style of swing has always been rather therapeutic.

But the real beauty of this swings comes with the timing. Swinging in a more relaxed manner like this can really help give you the feel of learning to catch and decelerate the bell with your hips, as you follow the trajectory of the bell as closely as possible on the eccentric, cushioning it with your posterior chain as it enters the backswing. This should like your hamstrings,butt, and lower back are a single rubber-band like unit and act to cushion the fall of the bell as it comes down and then redirect it back up. Learning to use this elastic recoil recoil to reduce and redirect force is a critical skill for all athletes to learn. Once you have the feeling for this with the lazy swings, it should be no problem implementing it into your hardstyle swings with the over-speed eccentric.

Lazy Power to You!

I love getting emails from all of my followers, and I always do my best to get back to everyone as quickly as possible. But unfortunately it takes me longer than i’d like it to sometimes, but I’m only human and do the best that I can to answer everybody as quickly as possible. And it is because of this that the idea struck me to post a question and answer blog every week or so for all of you inquire whatever it is you wish!

Feel free to ask me anything you want about training, nutrition, lifestyle, or even my favorite animal (elephant…just to get that one out of the way). Just keep it cool like the Fonz would! Post all questions in the comment section