The kettlebell swing is an exercise credited with all sorts of results, from strength, power, endurance, fat loss, to increased muscle mass, an iron grip and I probably forget some.

This picture represents everything wrong about a kettlebell swing, but hopefully you could see that already!

In this blog post, instead of dwelling on what kettlebell swings are good for, I am going to show you different ways to perform kettlebell swings, and the major key points to fix your technique.

According to what you're hoping to achieve, you'll be able to chose what kettlebell swing is most relevant for you.

For kettlebell sport, the kettlebell swing looks like a perfect pendulum, where the kettlebell is moving at a constant speed and becomes weightless at both ends of the arc.
The aim of the kettlebell sport swing is to harness and assist momentum to save muscular energy and be able to perform a high number of reps.

For strength/ fitness,  the aim is to move the weight as fast and aggressively as possible, relying on the stretch-shorten reflex by pushing the hips back. This creates a pull towards the floor in the bottom of the arc, and makes the kettlebell become weightless at the top of the arc. The aim of this kettlebell swing is to produce high forces  and in consequent, this can only be done for low reps.

You can see the contrast in technique in the videos below.

With that said, I do not know of any studies demonstrating without a doubt which style of swing is superior (in one aspect or more) over another, so, find out for yourself.

Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klp8KyYMjI0

corrective drill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDFTqE2owa0

In those 2 videos below you can observe 2 radically different types of kettlebell swings, each having a specific goal.
Lighting in those videos is less than optimal, but you'll get the picture anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-KaPzZqT1U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rCD73ILrMA

The stance
Stand about shoulder width apart, feet pointing ahead or slightly out (respect symmetry). The only thing to worry about is not hitting your knees. Anything wider than that is overkill and does nothing for your swings. Keep good contact with the ground, weight distributed over the whole foot.
As the kettlebell swings back make sure your knees track over your feet and are not pushed out to the sides.

2 arms or 1 arm swing?
The kettlebell swing done with 2 arms is a good exercise to get started, but one arm kettlebell swings are natural progressions.
2 hands on the handle gives a strength advantage, meaning you can swing more powerfully or with a heavier loading. But the handle of a kettebell is not really suited to holding onto it with 2 hands. It brings your hands so close together that it has a tendency to make people round shoulders forward.

This problem is eliminated when you use one arm on the kettlebell. There is more freedom for your shoulders to move, and your spine and hips will naturally rotate in the bottom of the swing. We are meant to be able to move in 3D. Rotation allows a load to be distributed and absorbed across more joints, and is a plane of movement where lots of power comes from. Think punching, kicking, throwing...
If you've never trained much rotation, start easy and slow though.
I am not against 2 arm swings, I just want you to be aware and assess your technique.
If you want to swing really heavy, double kettlebell swings might be a better option than the 2 arm swing.

How high do you swing?
There are basically 3 heights you could swing: about belly height, shoulder height or above shoulder.

Many people have poor spine and shoulder mobility to start with, so adding weight to a problem can only lead to more problems.
Try this little test.
Lift your arms with locked elbows, straight over head. Now, bring the hands out wide or close together until they touch, elbows still locked. Which is more comfortable? I'd bet you'll feel a significant difference and can guess for yourself why an overhead 2 arm kettlebell swing can be problematic.
Always keep in mind it's better to swing heavy and low, than light and high. If you insist on swinging overhead, learn to snatch. Snatch is not an overhead swing although it may look like it.

How many reps?
Let's stick to general guidelines, because individul goals and levels of fitness must be taken into account to be truly accurate.
For kettlebell sport, chose a kettlebell you can swing 1-3 min per arm per set (roughly 30-100 reps), to develop grip and back endurance.

For more general fitness/ strength goals, chose a kettlebell you can swing for 10-20 reps per set, without loss of speed and power.

The often overlooked reality...

Kettlebell swings (and ballistic exercises in general) can be a great exercise to increase power, studies have demonstrated this.
However, power training should be combined with conventional strength training for the best results possible. Both types of training create specific adaptations which complement each other.

This means you should still perform some sort of deadlift, hip thrust or even leg curl to increase muscular mass and strength in the hamstrings and glutes. For those training at home, leg curls can easily be  done with sliders or resistance bands.

So, if kettlebells were your only option, you could for example keep challenging yourself by including the single leg deadlift in your repertoire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENMyQV4Zc8A

If you want to learn more, I offer online kettlebell training. After only 3 weeks, you'll have a deeper understanding of kettlebell technique and how to structure a good program.