How to do the Kettlebell Swing
Step by step
- Stand a bit wider than your hips with the kettlebell a foot in front of you.
- Hinge back, grab the handle with both hands, and hike it between your legs.
- Snap your hips forward hard so the bell floats up to about chest height on its own.
- Let it fall back between your legs, hinging again, and flow into the next rep.
The thing people get wrong
It is a hip snap, not a squat or an arm lift - keep the bell above your knees on the backswing and let your hips do all the work.
Coaching cue
Stand tall and squeeze your glutes hard at the top of every swing.
Stay safe
Swing in clear space and let the bell fall back between your legs instead of trying to stop it.
Make it easier or harder
- Easier: Do kettlebell deadlifts until the hip hinge feels automatic.
Muscles worked
- Primary: Glutes, Hamstrings
- Secondary: Core, Cardio, Forearms
What to do instead
Same job, different movement — useful if you don't have the equipment or it doesn't feel right today.
Daily Coach builds this into a real weekly plan. It picks the exercises for your equipment and experience, swaps around injuries you tell it about, and tracks what you actually lifted.